ভূমিকা
Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books A Short Treatise on The Divine Invitation The Special Banquet This kind of invitation takes place on specific occasions. It manifests Allāh’s (SwT) special Mercy which despite given to all, is accepted and benefited from, only by the believers. This kind of Mercy is also known as al-rahmah al-rahīmiyyah , which comes in the first verse of Sūrat al-Hamd: Bismillāh al-Rahmān al-Rahīm .
Following are some noteworthy extensions ( masādīq ) of the special Divine banquet: Special invitation in the Holy month of Ramadān The Holy Prophet (s) is reported to have said: ...وَهُوَ شَهْرٌ دُعِيـتُمْ فِيهِ إِلـى ضِيَافَةِ اللٌّهِ... “…It is a month in which you have been called to the Banquet of Allāh…”[^1] Imām Muhammad al-Bāqir (‘a) is reported to have said: ...شَهْرُ رَمَضَانِ شَهْرُ رَمَضَانِ وَالصَّائِمُوْنَ فِيـهِ أَضْـيَافُ اللٌّهِ...
“…The month of Ramadān is the month of Ramadān, and those who are fasting therein are the guests of Allāh…[^2]” 2. Special invitation during Hajj and ‘Umrah Imām al-Sādiq (‘a) is reported to have said: إِنَّ ضَيْفَ اللٌّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ رَجُلٌ حَجَّ وَاعْتَمَرَ، فَهُوَ ضَيْفُ اللٌّهِ حَتّى يَرْجِعَ إِلـى مَنْزِلِهِ... “Surely the guest of Allāh is the one who performs hajj and ‘umrah until he returns back to his house…[^3]” 3.
Special Invitation during Prayer (salāh) The above tradition of Imām al-Sādiq (‘a) mentions the second kind of guest as: ...وَرَجُلٌ كَانَ فِي صَلاَتِهِ، فَهُوَ فِي كَـنْفِ اللٌّهِ حَتَّى يَنْصَرِفَ... “…and one who is in his prayers, and thus under Divine protection, until he leaves his prayer…[^4]” Imām al-Sādiq (‘a) is also reported to have said: مَنْ صَلَّى صَلاَةً فَرِيضَةً وَعَقَّبَ إِلـى أُخْرَى فَهُوَ ضَيْفُ اللٌّهِ، وَحَقٌّ عَلَى اللٌّهِ أَنْ يُكْرِمَ ضَيْفَهُ...
“Whosoever prays an obligatory prayer and follows it with another, then he is a guest of Allāh, and it is upon Allāh to venerate His guest…[^5]” Imām Hasan al-Mujtabā (‘a) was known to say the following whenever he would reach the door of the mosque: إِلٌـهِي ضَيْفُكَ بِـبَابِكَ، يَا مُحْسِنُ قَدْ أَتَاكَ الْمُسِيءُ، فَتَجَاوَزْ عَنْ قَبِيحِ مَا عِنْدِي بِجَمِيلِ مَا عِنْدَك يَا كَرِيـمُ.
“O God, Your guest is at Your door; O Virtuous One, certainly the bad doer has come to you; so overlook the ugliness that I possess with the beauty that is with You, O Noble One.[^6]” This perhaps reveals that whenever one is in the mosque, one is in reality the special guest of Allāh. 4.
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