During the short period of Imam Ali's (a.s.) rule, three major civil wars took place: Jamal, Siffin, and Nahrawan. In the battle of Nahrawan, when Imam Ali's supporters defeated the Khawarij, their survivors gathered in Mecca for a while and mourned the killing of Nahrawan.

In one of these meetings, they decided to kill Imam Ali (a.s.), Muawiyah, and Amr ibn al-Aas. Ibn Muljam al-Muradi accepted the killing of the Commander of the Faithful, Hajjaj ibn Abdullah, known as Barak, took the killing of Muawiyah, and Amr ibn Bakr al-Tamimi took the killing of Amr ibn al-Aas.

All three decided to carry out their decision on the night of the nineteenth of Ramadan during the morning prayer. Therefore, Ibn Muljam set out for Kufa to kill Imam Ali.

Ibn Muljam came to Kufa, but hid his intention and stayed in the Bani Kanda neighborhood, where he lived among the Khawarij, until the promised day.

At this time, he met Qattam, the daughter of Akhdar Taymiyyah, fell in love with her, and proposed to her. Qattam, whose relatives were killed in the war with the Imam, held a grudge against the Imam and stipulated that she would marry Ibn Muljam only if he killed Imam Ali.

Ibn Muljam revealed the secret of his presence in Kufa when Qattam shared his opinion in his enmity with the Imam. To help Ibn Muljam, Qattam called Wardan ibn Mujalid and Shabib ibn Bajrah, and they accepted. (Al-Irshad, Al-Mufid, Vol. 1, p. 17)

After learning of Ibn Muljam's intention, Ash'ath ibn Qais also promised to accompany him, and thus the four conspirators gathered in the mosque of Kufa at dawn on the 19th of the blessed month of Ramadan to martyr the Imam.

The Night of Imam Ali's (a.s.) Slaughter refers to the night of the 19th of Ramadan, when Imam Ali (a.s.) was wounded with a sword blow at dawn in the year 40 AH. This incident occurred in the Kufa Mosque by Ibn Muljam Muradi and led to the martyrdom of Imam Ali (a.s.) on the 21st of Ramadan.

Question: Why is the closeness and comfort of man in the presence of God and Paradise conditioned by life in the world? What would happen if man were created and lived unconditionally in Paradise and understood God?

Answer: If your intention in asking this question is that some people enter Paradise without living in the earthly world and without being tested and tried, such beings already exist and are in Paradise; such as the houris and angels who are in charge of the affairs of Paradise. In this case, basically, no human being would have been created and no human being would have existed. Because a human being is a being who is created from the dust and clay of the earth and has free will and with his own free will determines the degree of his existence and the level of his perfection and happiness. If a being is told that the limit and degree of your existence and perfection are such and such and your place and abode in Paradise is such and such, such a being is no longer free and has not determined his place and abode by his own will and desire. Therefore, he is not a human being, but an angel or something else.

We are talking about the creation of a human being who is created from worthless soil; but no specific size is determined for his perfection, but he is given the ability, talent, and permission to grow and perfect as much as he wants with his own will and desire. He can choose and ascend to any degree and position he wants. Such a being with power and talent can only be created on the earth, which is the place of power and talent; not in heaven. Heaven is not a place of action, growth, freedom, etc., but rather a place of reward and goodness, and it is impossible to sin there; one of the aspects of the existential value of man is that he can sin, but for the sake of God's pleasure, he steps on his own desires and does not sin. Therefore, life in the earthly world is a necessity for man to be human, and there is no escape from it.

According to the verses and narrations, which night of Ramadan is the Night of Power?

Answer: By putting together some verses of the Quran, it becomes clear that the Night of Power is in the month of Ramadan. However, it is not stated in the Holy Quran which night of Ramadan it is.

In verse 185 of Surah Al-Baqarah, we read: “The month of Ramadan in which the Quran was revealed.” From this verse, we can understand that the Holy Quran was revealed in the blessed month of Ramadan. On the other hand, in the first verse of Surah Al-Qadr, we read: “Indeed, We sent it down on the Night of Power.” By putting these two verses together, it is clear that the Night of Power, in which the Quran was also revealed, is in the blessed month of Ramadan. (1)

However, the Holy Quran has not said anything about which night of Ramadan the Night of Power falls on, and the narrations narrated from the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) regarding the determination of the Night of Power can be divided into five categories:

The first category: Narrations that consider the Night of Power to be one of the nights of the last ten days of Ramadan. (2)

The second category. Narrations that say: Look for the Night of Power in one of the three nights: the nineteenth, the twenty-first, and the twenty-third. (3)

The third category. Narrations that say: The Night of Power is in one of the two nights: the twenty-first and the twenty-third. In a narration, Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) was asked about the Night of Power, and he said: It is in two nights: the twenty-third and the twenty-first. The narration says that I asked the Imam to determine one of these two nights for me. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: What is wrong with performing deeds on two nights that are one of the nights of the Night of Power?! (4)

Group Four. Narrations that consider the twenty-third night to be the Night of Power. In a narration from the Messenger of God (peace be upon him), we read: The Night of Power is the twenty-third night. (5)

In another narration, we read that a person named Abdullah bin Unais Juhani came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: “O Messenger of God! I am a man whose home is far away. Order me to come and stay in Medina for one night.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Come on the night of the thirty and twenty-third.” (6) “Come on the night of the twenty-third.”

Group Five. Narrations that indicate that the nineteenth, twenty-first, and twenty-third nights each play a role in determining the fate of people and their affairs; but the fundamental and final role is related to the twenty-third night.

In a narration from Imam Sadiq (AS), we read: “The decree (destiny) is on the nineteenth night, the firming (firming) is on the twenty-first night, and the signing (making it final) is on the twenty-third night.”(7)

A point that needs to be mentioned in the end is that although in the narrations some nights of Ramadan have been introduced as possible nights of Qadr, and the possibility of the twenty-third night being the Night of Qadr is considered the highest, the Night of Qadr has not been determined definitively for reasons of convenience.

One of the reasons given in the narrations for not determining the Night of Qadr precisely is that if one night were determined definitively, people would be content with that one night and deprive themselves of the grace of worship on other nights, and therefore, in order for people to have more time and opportunity to worship, this night has not been determined definitively.

In a narration, we read that Imam Ali (AS) was asked about the Night of Power. He said: (8) “God conceals it from you in order to help you and give you respite, because if He had announced it to you, you would have acted on that night and otherwise abandoned worship.” (9)

Footnotes:

1. Ayatollah Misbah Yazdi, Quranic Studies, Qom, Imam Khomeini (RA) Educational and Research Institute, 1380, Vol. 1, (p.) 90.

2. In a narration, we read that Imam Baqir (AS) was asked about the interpretation of the verse: “Indeed, We have revealed it on a blessed night.” (2) The Imam said: Yes. That is the Night of Power. That night, every year, in the month of Ramadan and in its last ten days. Yes, it is the Night of Power, and it is in every year in the month of Ramadan in the last ten days. Kulayni, Muhammad ibn Ya’qub, Kafi, Tehran, Dar al-Kuttub al-Islamiyyah, 1407 AH, vol. 4, (p. 157). 3. In a narration, Imam Sadiq (a.s.) was asked about the Night of Power. He said: “Seek it on the nineteenth, twenty-first, and twenty-third.” Tabarsi, Fazl bin Hassan, Majma al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Qur'an, Tehran, Nasser Khosrow Publications, 1372, vol.10, p.787.

4. "Fi Laylatin: the night of the thirty and twenty-one, and one and twenty-one... and we are the ones who act on the night of the night of all of us?!" the same

5. "Lailat-ul-Qadr-Lailata-Thalath-i-e-Eshreena" Seyyed Ibn Tavus, Al-Iqbal al-Amal Al-Hasna, Qom, Publications of the Islamic Propaganda Office of Qom Seminary, 1415 AH, Vol.1, (S) 375.

6. "O Messenger of God, this is a great man of the house, the night of his descent" Abd al-Razzaq San'ani, Al-Msnaf, Beirut, Al-Muktab al-Islami, 1403 A.H., vol.4, (p.) 250.

7. "Al-Taqdeer in the night of nine and ten, and Ibram in the night of one and twenty, and signing in the night of the third and the tenth" Kilini, Mohammad Bin Yaqoub, Kafi, Tehran, Dar Kitub-e-Islamiyya, 1407 AH, Vol. 4, (p.) 159.

8. “Allah only conceals it from you for your own sake, for if He had known it, you would have acted upon it and left behind other things.” Allama Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, Beirut, Al-Wafa Foundation, 1404 AH, vol. 94, p. 5. 9. For more narrations related to the Night of Power: see Mohammadi Ray Shahri, Mah Goda (translated by Javad Muhaddisi), Qom, Dar al-Hadith, 1383 AH, vol. 2, from (pp.) 774 to (pp.) 794.

Answer: The Night of Power is the night in which the Quran was revealed:

“[Qadr/1] We sent it down [the Quran] on the Night of Power!”

And this night is better than a thousand months:

[Qadr/3] The Night of Power is better than a thousand months!

Perhaps these two characteristics are characteristics that did not exist before Islam. Because the Quran was certainly not revealed before the Holy Prophet (PBUH), and perhaps thanks to the revelation of the Quran, the honor and dignity of the Night of Power has increased to the point that it is better than a thousand months. Therefore, some believe, according to a hadith, that the Night of Power is specific to the nation of the end of time.

In the commentary of the example, he says: “It is clear from numerous narrations that this is one of the divine blessings upon this nation, as is stated in a hadith from the noble Prophet (PBUH) who said: “Allah has given my nation the Night of Power, and none of the previous nations had this blessing.”[1][2] It is worth mentioning that after the Prophet (PBUH) and the revelation of the Quran, the Night of Power has been repeated every year. In the commentary of the example, he says: “The interpretation of the present tense verb (تَنَزَّلُ) which indicates continuity, as well as the interpretation of the nominal sentence “سَلامٌ هِي حَتَّي مَتْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ” which indicates continuity, also testify to this meaning. In addition, many narrations, perhaps even of a tawatir nature, confirm this meaning.”[3]

However, the Night of Power has other characteristics that are not exclusive to the end-times nation. Rather, it is necessary for every era. Like the destiny of the servants being determined, or the descent of angels upon divine proof, hence the hadiths have pointed out that the Night of Power has existed since the beginning of creation:

Imam Jawad (peace be upon him) says: God - may God be glorified and exalted - created the Night of Power at the beginning of the creation of the world, and on that night He created the first prophet and the first successor who should be (Adam and Seth) [predestined their existence], and decreed that there would be a night in every year in which the interpretation and explanation of matters would be made until such a night in the following year. Whoever denies that night has rejected the knowledge of God Almighty, because the prophets, messengers, and narrators of hadith do not stand up and do not stand up except by means of a proof that reaches them on that night, or by a proof that Gabriel (peace be upon him) brings to them (on other nights) (because they acquire the plan of leading the people and some special knowledge on that night).

The narrator says: I asked: Gabriel or other angels Will the hadith scholars also come? He said: Regarding the prophets and messengers, there is no doubt about it, and regarding others, it must have been a proof for the people of the earth from the first day of the creation of the earth until the end of the world that God Almighty would reveal the interpretation of matters on that night to His most beloved servants.[4]

[1]. In Al-Manthur, Volume 6, Page 371.

[2]. Tafsir Al-Numnu, Vol. 27, p. 190.

[3]. Tafsir Al-Numnu, Vol. 27, p. 190.

[4]. Al-Kafi, Vol. 1, p. 250.

According to the fatwas of the jurists, it is obligatory to learn the part of Sharia law that we often deal with. Also, a person must either be a mujtahid and derive the laws from evidence himself, or imitate a marja' of taqlid, or be certain through precaution that he has fulfilled his Sharia duty; for example, not doing an act that some mujtahids consider haram and some permissible, or doing an act that some mujtahids consider obligatory and some permissible.

What are Shariah rulings?

Shariah rulings are religious laws related to human duties. Shariah rulings are divided into two types: obligatory and conditional: obligatory rulings directly state human duties; such as the ruling that one should pray or not drink alcohol. Conditional rulings are indirectly related to human duties; such as the ruling that praying in impure clothing is invalid.

Shariah rulings are derived from Shariah evidence, which includes: the Quran, Sunnah, reason, and consensus. A person who has the ability to deduce rulings from this evidence is called a mujtahid. Today, Shariah rulings are presented in books of explanation of issues that contain the opinions of the religious authorities.

Based on the fatwas of the religious authorities, it is obligatory to learn the rulings that one deals with most often.

The Prophet (Imran ibn Husayn) says: The first two verses of this Surah were revealed on one of the nights of the battle with the Banu Al-Mustaliq, who were a group from the Khuza'ah tribe, while the Muslims were moving [towards the battlefield]. The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) called out to the Muslims and they mounted their horses and circled around the Prophet (peace be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) recited these verses to them and [had such an effect on them that] the Muslims were never seen weeping more than that night. When the night passed [they had become so indifferent to the world and the life of the world that] they had not yet lowered their saddles and pitched a tent, some were weeping and some were sitting sadly and lost in thought. The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said to them: "Do you know what that Day (of Judgment) is?" They said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said: "That Day is the Day on which Allah revealed to Adam (He says: “Send the people of Hell from among your children to the Fire.” Adam (says): “From which group and how many?” God Almighty says: “Out of every thousand people, nine hundred and ninety-two people to the Fire and one person to Paradise.” This statement was hard on the Muslims and they wept and said: “O Messenger of God (! So who will be saved?”) The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Greetings to you! For among you are Gog and Magog, who will fill whatever they enter; you are among the nations [in terms of number] like a white hair on the [skin] of a black bull, or a bump on the leg of a young cow, or a hollow in the flank of a camel.” Then he said: “I hope that you will be a quarter of the people of Paradise.” The Muslims said: “Allah is Great.” Then he said: “I hope that you will be a third of the people of Paradise.” Then he said: “I hope that you will be two-thirds of the people of Paradise, because the people of Paradise are one hundred and twenty rows, and eighty rows of them are from my nation.” Then he said: “Seventy thousand people from my nation will enter Paradise without being called to account.”

الصّادق (علیه السلام)- عَنِ الْحَسَنِ‌بْنِ‌عَلِیِّ‌بْنِ‌سَوْرَهًَْ عَنْ أَبِیهِ عَنْ أَبِی‌عَبْدِ‌اللَّهِ (علیه السلام) قَالَ: مَنْ قَرَأَ سُورَهًَْ الْحَجِّ فِی کُلِّ ثَلَاثَهًِْ أَیَّامٍ لَمْ تَخْرُجْ سَنَتُهُ حَتَّی یَخْرُجَ إِلَی بَیْتِ اللَّهِ الْحَرَامِ وَ إِنْ مَاتَ فِی سَفَرِهِ دَخَلَ الْجَنَّهًَْ قُلْتُ فَإِنْ کَانَ مُخَالِفاً قَالَ یُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُ بَعْضُ مَا هُوَ فِیه

Imam Sadiq (Ali ibn Surah) narrated from Imam Sadiq (A.S.) that the Imam said: “Whoever recites Surah Hajj once every three days, will go on pilgrimage to the House of God in that year, and if he dies during this journey, he will enter Paradise.” I asked: If he is from the Sunnis [what reward will he have?] The Imam said: “Some of his punishment will be reduced.”

Tafsir Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) Vol. 9, p. 562, Thawab al-A’mal, p. 108 / Nur al-Thaqalayn / Al-Burhan.

The United Nations agency for children, UNICEF, has warned that “one million” Palestinian children in Gaza are “struggling to survive” amid Israel’s blockade of aid shipments and power supply to the besieged strip.

“One million children in Gaza are struggling to survive without basic necessities,” UNICEF said in a post on X on Monday.

The UN agency noted that hundreds of thousands in Gaza “lack clean water and sanitation services.”

Noting that desalination plants are operating at a much reduced capacity, UNICEF said water is a “basic human right that no one should be denied.”

Speaking from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, UNICEF regional director Edouard Beigbeder said “it is urgent to allow at least some water and electricity” into the strip.

UNICEF said only “a lasting ceasefire” and “unrestricted” aid access can truly save lives.

Last week, Israeli media said the regime’s energy and infrastructure minister Eli Cohen ordered the Israel Electric Company to stop transmitting electricity to Gaza “immediately.”

Power has already been cut off for over 16 months, since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023.

The UN’s special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese, warned of Israel’s decision to cut the flow of electricity to Gaza, saying it will impact water supply to the besieged strip.

The Israeli decision means “no functioning desalination stations, ergo: no clean water”, she said.

Israel launched the campaign of genocide in Gaza on October 7, 2023. It has killed at least 48,577 Palestinians there so far.

In January, the Israeli regime was forced to agree to a ceasefire deal with Hamas given the regime’s failure to achieve any of its objectives, including the “elimination” of the Palestinian resistance movement or the release of captives.

The 42-day stage of the truce, which was marred by repeated Israeli violations, expired on March 1, but Israel is refraining from stepping into talks for the second stage of the agreement.

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