IMPORTANCE OF SHABE JUMUAH
All praises are due to Allah, the Lord of the Universe. Our salutations and blessings upon His last prophet and messenger, Hazrat Mohammed (s.a.w.a.) and his purified Ahle Bait (a.s.) through whom Allah guided mankind.
Allah, the Mighty invites us to Dua in the Quran through the verse, “And your Lord says, call upon Me, I will answer you; surely those that are too proud for My service shall soon enter Hell abused.”
At another place, Allah, the Mighty says, “And when My servants ask you, concerning Me, then surely I am very near. I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he calls on Me.”
These verses highlight two aspects. Firstly, Allah commands us to invoke Him through supplications. Secondly He has made it incumbent upon Himself to respond to that invocation.
When it comes to the matter of supplication one can “communicate” with Allah in his own language and his own words. However, it is better to turn to Allah through the words of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and the Infallible Imams (a.s.).
Supplication is an integral part of the teachings of the Holy Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.a.) and the Ahle Bait (a.s.). Apart from the treasure of traditions, the Shiite school of thought is blessed by a rich trove of supplications from Ahle Bait (a.s.). These supplications, in themselves, are a guide to the fundamentals of faith (Usoole Deen) and the acts of faiths (Furue Deen). Through their supplications, the Ahle Bait (a.s.) taught us the true meaning of unity of Allah, the importance and position of Prophets and Imams, and instilled in us fear and hope for the day of Judgment. Supplications also guide mankind towards Allah through encouragement for doing good, avoiding evil and seeking the pleasure of Allah through high morals and ethics.
It is therefore not surprising to find a high emphasis from Ahle Bait (a.s.) for turning towards Allah through the medium of supplications. They highlighted through their traditions the importance of supplications, the ways of seeking supplications, the most favored times and places for acceptance of supplications and benefits of the same.
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) asked his companions, “Shall I introduce you to a weapon which will protect you from enemies and increase your sustenance?” They replied, “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” He said, “Call your Lord day and night, for supplication is the weapon of the believer.”
Imam Zainul Abedeen (as) says, “Supplication removes afflictions, those that have descended and those which have not yet descended.”
In the last part of Dua-e-Kumayl by Ameerul Momeneen Ali Ibne Abi Talib (a.s.) we find the sentence, “Forgive the one whose owns nothing but supplication.” This sentence is an significant lesson for us and also sets the tone for the publication of this handy “Aamaal for Shabe Jumuah”.
By grace of Allah, we have been bestowed supplications from the fourteen infallibles for all occasions, time, place, need etc.
There is great emphasis on the place of supplication for the acceptance of duas. For example, the acceptance of dua is higher in mosques and places of worship like the shrine of Imam Husain (a.s.) and those of other Imams (a.s.). Imam Sadiq (a.s.) says “Allah has specified lands where Duas are accepted and the Holy Shrine of Imam Husain (a.s.) is one of them.” It is also recommended to recite supplication in congregation to increase the chances of its acceptance.
In the same way, Imams (a.s.) have recommended special times when the supplications are accepted. For instance, at the time of Morning Prayer, at the time of namaze shab, on the day of Friday and on Thursday – the eve of Friday or Shabe Jumuah.
Abu Abdillah, Imam Sadiq (a.s.) says, “The sun has not arisen on a day better than Friday. When the birds of the sky meet each other on this day, they greet themselves saying. ‘what a good day it is!’”
Imam Baqir (a.s.), while emphasising the importance of Shabe Jumuah says,
“Throughout this night, Allah calls out
– is there any believing servant who calls upon Me until dawn so that I will grant his worldly and spiritual desires?
– Is there any believing servant who repents from his sins before dawn so that I will forgive him?
– Is there any believing servant whose sustenance is meager and asks Me to increase it before dawn so that I will increase it?
– Is there any ailing, believing servant who asks Me before dawn to heal him so that I will cure him?
– Is there any imprisoned servant who asks Me before dawn to free him so that I will free him from prison?
– Is there any oppressed believing servant who asks Me before dawn to extract his right from an oppressor that that I will help him and restore his right?”
When the children of Hazrat Yaqoob (a.s.) requested their father to seek forgiveness for them from Allah, Hazrat Yaqoob (a.s.) said, “I will seek forgiveness for you from my Lord.” In the tafseer of this verse, Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said that Hazrat Yaqoob (a.s.) delayed seeking forgiveness until the dawn on Shabe Jumuah.
The above verse and tradition while highlighting the significance of this night for seeking forgiveness also draws attention to the importance of seeking the medium (waseelah or tawassul) of the prophet or Imam while seeking the forgiveness of Allah.
There are several such incidents and traditions which underscore the value of Shabe Jumuah. Our scholars, quoting from traditions recommend three focal points to be kept in mind on this night – firstly one must remember death. Secondly, one must remember Imam Husain (a.s.) and the tragedies which befell him and his family.
Thirdly, one must remember the Imam Mahdi, the Imam of the time (a.s.).
There is a rationale for all of these. The remembrance of death inculcates in us a sense of humility; it makes us reflect on the temporary nature of this world and makes us turn towards Allah.
The remembrance of Imam Husain (a.s.) instills in us hope and a spirit of sacrifice for Islam. Traditions remind us that every Thursday night, the prophets (a.s.) Imams (a.s.) and Hazrat Zahra (s.a.) are in Karbala; they salute him and mourn his tragedies. Therefore as the lovers of Imam Husain (a.s.), it is our duty that wherever we are in the world on Thursday night, we too must do the same.
The remembrance of Imam Mahdi (a.s.) reminds us that every Thursday night our deeds are presented to him. He smiles when he sees our good actions and weeps at our sins and seeks forgiveness for us. It also makes us aware that Friday is the designated day of his reappearance. Therefore every Thursday night one should pray that this night is the last night of the occultation of the Imam and the dawn of Friday should bring us the glad news of his reappearance.
Dear brothers, our lives are short and death is a certainty! It is therefore important to make the best use of the opportunities that Allah provides so that we can redeem ourselves through supplication, turn toward Him in humility, seek our legitimate desires and acquire his pleasure through the expression of our poverty before Him. Shabe Jumuah is a bounty from Allah for us to achieve all of this and more.
Let us pray to Allah that He grants us the Tawfeeq to make best use of this bounty for as long as we live. Ameen!
