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Bismillāh.
It has been narrated from Amīrul Mu’minīn (Ali ibn Abī Tālib) A that he used to fast in it and say: Rajab is my month, Sha‘bān is the month of the Messenger of Allah 1 and the month of Ramadan is Allah’s month.
Misbāh2:797; Wasā’il H. 13894
قَالَ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكَ ۖ سَأَسْتَغْفِرُ لَكَ رَبِّي ۖ إِنَّهُ كَانَ بِي حَفِيًّا
He said, ‘Peace be to you! I shall plead with my Lord to forgive you. Indeed, He is gracious to me.
Sūrat Maryam, No.19, Āyat 47
Prophet Ibrāhīm in his conversation with his uncle Azar tried to persuade him to believe in One God. He talked to him with reason and affection, but his uncle refused to listen. He was angry with Prophet Ibrāhīm and threatened to stone him. At that time the Prophet responds with the above words. He shows us a noble way of responding to disrespect and rejection. A gentle reply to an angry person often calms the situation or at least keeps it from escalating into a full-blown conflict. It is difficult to do, for it is natural to become angry when the other person is angry. But with faith and self-control it is possible to achieve such a response to anger.
The Salām of Ibrāhīm could have different meanings;
– a Salām of farewell, said before he left Azar and went away
– a Salām as the end of a dispute, saying there was no need to continue any more.
A similar reply of Salām as a response to those who are ignorant can also be found in the description of the servants of the Beneficent ones. In the description about this special group of people, Allah says; The servants of the All-beneficent are those who walk humbly on the earth, and when the ignorant address them, say, ‘Peace!’ (25:63) In another place in the Quran, Allah praises a certain group of people and says about them; And when they hear ill speech, they turn away from it and say, “For us are our deeds, and for you are your deeds. Peace be to you; we seek not the ignorant. (28:55). When this group faced insulting words from others, they did not respond in kind. Instead, they responded by suspending hostilities and moving away in a dignified manner. They said Salām.
Prophet Ibrāhīm tells his uncle he will seek forgiveness for him from God. He shows concern and love, despite the anger and rejection from his uncle. He has the hope that his uncle will be guided. One of the highest signs of a noble character is to be able to do good to someone who has been mean to you. The Ma‘sūmīn (a) have taught us this noble trait through their dealings with people. Many of those who treated them with disrespect and abuse were shown gentleness and forgiveness. A person from Shām, for instance, came to Madīna and began verbal abuse against Imam al-Hasan Al-Mujtabā (a). The Imam responded gently and offered him help and accommodation, since he was a stranger in the city.
In life we will often get treatment that is not very pleasant from others. We must train ourselves to rise above it and not let it affect our own standards of behavior. In Du‘ā Makārimul Akhlāq, Imam Zaynul ‘Ābidīn (a) prays for the tawfīq to be thus: O God . . . help me to answer him who is dishonest toward me with good counsel, repay him who separates from me with gentle devotion, reward him who deprives me with free giving, recompense him who cuts me off with joining relations to him (Du‘ā No. 20, passage 9).
May the Almighty help us respond to anger with dignity and calmness, following the teachings of the Quran and the Ahlul Bayt (a).
Source: Āyatullāh Makārim Shīrāzī (Ed.), Tafsīr-e Namūneh
ALI 710: Quranic Arabic and knowledge – Level 4
In this online course, specially tailored for serious learners, we will attempt to simplify Quranic Arabic. To make it interesting, we will begin with a brief tafsīr of short surahs or passages.
At this level, we will continue learning grammatical rules on nouns covered in Lesson 13 onwards in Qur’anic Language Made Easy by Hafiza Iffath Hassan.
Eligibility: All Muslims ages 15 and over.
Instructor: Sh Hasanayn Kassamali
Fees: $55.00
Schedule: 6 Wednesdays, January 7 to February 11, 2026.
Timings: 7:30 – 8:30 pm EST.
Registration: www.academyofislam.com/registrations/