Salaam dear young friends, and heartiest congratulations to you all on a very special day.
As you all know, yesterday was the 11th of Zil-Qa’dah, which could be called icing to the cake of “Dah-e Karamat” or Ten Days of Dignity that we celebrate every year in the Islamic Republic of Iran on the start of this auspicious month.
Yes, you have guessed it correct. In other words, yesterday was the blessed day that happens to be the birthday of the 8th Infallible Heir of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA).
Imam Reza (AS) is the also known as “Imam-e Zamen” or Guarantor and Guardian of the believers, especially those who seek refuge with him. An interesting incident in this regard is the case of a doe or female deer which a hunter had caught in Khorasan, and on his way from the forest he chanced to meet Imam Reza (AS). On seeing the Imam, the doe sprinted towards him and rubbed its head on his feet, while uttering some strange sounds.
The Imam, who by Divine Intuition, knew the language of the animals, asked the hunter to let the doe go to the forest to give suckle to her young ones, promising to stand as Guarantor for the animal until its return. At first the hunter hesitated and then accepting the Imam’s words he released the doe.
After a while, to his surprise, the female deer emerged from the forest with its young ones. The guarantee given by Imam Reza (AS) was thus fulfilled, and the hunter released the doe and its fawns back into the forest. To this day, the people of Iran refer to Imam Reza (AS) as “Zamen-e Ahou” or the Guarantor of the Deer.
Today there is no sign of the Mamoun the tyrannical Abbasid Caliph who martyred Imam Reza (AS) nor the graves of the Abbasids, let alone their palaces, while his victim reigns supreme from Mashhad where millions of pilgrims from all over Iran and the world have assembled at the sprawling golden-dome shrine to felicitate his birth anniversary, and seek his intercession with God on the Day of Resurrection when every nation will be raised with their Imams.
Yes, dear friends, let us all join together and entrust our dear country, the Islamic Republic of Iran, to the only Infallible Heir of the Prophet who reposes in peace on Iranian soil, so that for the sake of Imam Reza (AS), God Almighty will protect us and our dear leaders from the plots of the enemies and the evil of the Great Satan (the US).
Be safe, follow the health protocols, stay at home and avoid public places and if you have to be outside, maintain your distance with others. Goodbye all till next week.