Pride or Shame? What Imam al-Askari Expects from His Shi'a - Maulana Syed Muhammad Rizvi

Friday Juma KhutbaOctober 2nd, 2026- Rabi al-Thani is the month of Imam Hasan al-Askari (a), and his advice offers a guide to what it truly means to be a Shi'a of the Ahlul Bayt.- A follower of Islam is called a Muslim, while a Muslim who believes Imam Ali (a) is the immediate successor of the Prophet Muhammad (s) is called a Shi'a, meaning "a follower" or "a partisan."- The term Shi'a is a short form of Shi'atu Ali, "the followers of Ali."- Allah Himself named Prophet Ibrahim (a) a Muslim: "Ibrahim was neither a Jew nor a Christian; he was an upright Muslim, and he was not one of the polytheists" (Qur'an 3:67).- Allah also described Prophet Ibrahim (a) as a Shi'a, a follower of Prophet Nuh (a): "Verily from his followers was Ibrahim" (Qur'an 37:83).- Being called "Muslims" and "Shi'as" follows a tradition established by Allah of naming people as followers of pious believers, just as Ibrahim was named a follower of Nuh.- Pride in the name Shi'a carries a responsibility to live up to the meaning of the word "follower."- Imam al-Askari (a) advised taqwa of Allah, caution in religion beyond the basic level, and striving hard for the sake of Allah.- He also advised truthfulness in speech and returning a trust to whoever placed it with you, whether that person is righteous or sinful.- He further advised prolonging sajdah and being good to neighbours, declaring that this is what the Prophet Muhammad (s) came with.- Believers are urged to be part of the wider community: praying with people, attending their funerals, visiting their sick, and fulfilling their rights.- When a person is cautious in religion, truthful, trustworthy and good-mannered with people, and others say "this is a Shi'a," it brings joy to the Imam.- Shi'as are called to be a source of pride (zayn) for the Ahlul Bayt and not a source of shame (shayn), drawing love towards them and repelling evil from them through good conduct.- The Ahlul Bayt have a right in the Book of Allah, close kinship to the Prophet (s) and purification from Allah, which no one else can claim except a liar.- The Imam urged increasing the remembrance of Allah, remembrance of death, recitation of the Qur'an and salawat on the Prophet (s), each salawat being worth ten good deeds.Donate towards our programs today: https://jaffari.org/donate/Jaffari Community Centre (JCC Live)