(extract from Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib ( a.s .)’s Will) Sermon No. 110 ( Nahjul Balagha )

1. Remain attached to the Quran. Nobody should surpass you in being intent on it, or more sincere in implementing it. (extract from Imam Ali ibnAbiTalib (a.s.)’s Will) Sermon No. 110 (NahjulBalagha) “Learn the Qur'an for it is the fairest of discourses and understand it thoroughly for it is the best blossoming of hearts. Seek cure with its light for it is the cure for hearts. Recite it beautifully for it is the most beautiful narration.”

2. Suratur-Rum Surah No. 30 The Romans

3. Tip for learning the Surah Number: XXX=30 in ROMAN Numerals (3 X’s)

4. Surah No. = 30No. of Ayats= 60 30 30 60

5. Prophecy الم ﴿١﴾ غُلِبَتِ الرُّومُ ﴿٢﴾ فِي أَدْنَى الْأَرْضِ وَهُم مِّن بَعْدِ غَلَبِهِمْ سَيَغْلِبُونَ ﴿٣﴾ فِي بِضْعِ سِنِينَ ۗ لِلَّـهِ الْأَمْرُ مِن قَبْلُ وَمِن بَعْدُ ۚ وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿٤﴾ Alif, Lam, Mim. The Romans have been defeated in the lowest land, but after their defeat they will be victorious within a few years. The affair is Allah's from beginning to end and on that day the believers shall rejoice. (30:1-4)

6. The altitude of the Dead Sea could only be determined with modern measurement techniques. These measurements led to the discovery that this region is the "lowest region on the Earth." • Another miracle revealed in these verses is the announcement of a geographical fact that could not have been known by anyone at that time: that the Romans had been defeated in the lowest region of Earth. This Arabic expression adna al-Ard is interpreted as "a nearby place" in many translations. However, the word adna, derived from the word dani (low), means “the lowest”. The word ard means “the world.” Therefore, adna al-ard means "the lowest place on Earth." • Some interpreters of the Qur'an, considering the closeness of the region in question to the Arabs, prefer the "closest" meaning of the word. www.harunyahya.com

7. Travel and Reflect upon History أَوَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ كَانُوا أَشَدَّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةً وَأَثَارُوا الْأَرْضَ وَعَمَرُوهَا أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا عَمَرُوهَا وَجَاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ ۖ فَمَا كَانَ اللَّـهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلَـٰكِن كَانُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ ﴿٩﴾ Have they not travelled in the earth and seen how was the end of those before them? They were stronger than these in might, and dug up the earth, and built on it in greater abundance than these have built on it, and there came to them their apostles with clear arguments; so it was not beseeming for Allah that He should deal with them unjustly, but they dealt unjustly with their own souls. (30:9)

8. Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii, Italy

9. Glorification times (Salaa)  فَسُبْحَانَ اللَّـهِ حِينَ تُمْسُونَ وَحِينَ تُصْبِحُونَ ﴿١٧﴾ Therefore glory be to Allah when you enter upon the time of the evening and when you enter upon the time of the morning. (30:17)

10. Concept of Marriage وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَاجًا لِّتَسْكُنُوا إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُم مَّوَدَّةً وَرَحْمَةً ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ ﴿٢١﴾ And one of His signs is that He created mates for you from yourselves that you may find rest in them, and He put between you love and compassion; most surely there are signs in this for a people who reflect. (30: 21)

11. Diversity of colour and language وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ خَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافُ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَأَلْوَانِكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّلْعَالِمِينَ﴿٢٢﴾ And one of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your tongues and colors; most surely there are signs in this for the learned. (30:22)

12. With just slight movements of the same speech organs common to us all (lips, tongue, teeth, oral cavity, larynx...) we can create millions of coherent sounds resulting in languages & dialects.

13. Sleep and Waking وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ مَنَامُكُم بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَابْتِغَاؤُكُم مِّن فَضْلِهِ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَسْمَعُونَ ﴿٢٣﴾ And one of His signs is your sleeping by night and by day your seeking of His grace ; most surely there are signs in this for a people who would hear. (30:23)

14. Why we Feel Sleepy at Night • Only recently have scientists begun to understand the alternating cycle of sleep and waking, and how it is related to daylight and darkness. • When the sun goes down and darkness occurs, melatonin, a hormone made by your body, is released into the blood. • As melatonin levels in the blood rise sharply, you begin to feel less alert. Sleep becomes more inviting. Melatonin levels in the blood stay elevated for about 12 hours - all through the night - before the light of a new day when they fall back to low daytime levels. • Daytime levels of melatonin are barely detectable.

15. Too Much Light at Night May Cause Depression • Much of our sleep patterns – feeling sleepy at night and awake during the day – are regulated by light and darkness. Light is the most powerful regulator of our biological clock. So what happens if you get too much light at night? • According to a recent study at Ohio State University looked at mice housed in a lighted room for 24 hours a day and mice housed in a room with a normal light-dark cycle. The study found that mice exposed to 24-hour light exhibited more symptoms of depression than the other mice. • "The increasing rate of depressive disorders in humans corresponds with the increasing use of light at night in modern society,“ - Randy Nelson, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at Ohio State University. • "Many people are now exposed to unnatural light cycles, and that may have real consequences for our health.“ • http://www.sleepfoundation.org/alert/too-much-light-night-may-cause-depression

16. وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ يُرِيكُمُ الْبَرْقَ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَيُنَزِّلُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَيُحْيِي بِهِ الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ ﴿٢٤﴾ And one of His signs is that He shows you the lightning (causing) fear and for hope, and sends down water from the clouds then gives life therewith to the earth after its death; most surely there are signs in this for a people who understand. (30:24)

17. Nature of human beings based on divine nature فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا ۚفِطْرَتَ اللَّـهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا ۚ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّـهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٣٠﴾ Then set your face upright for religion in the right state-- the nature made by Allah in which He has made men; there is no altering of Allah's creation; that is the right religion, but most people do not know. (30:30)

18. Division into Sects • مِنَ الَّذِينَ فَرَّقُوا دِينَهُمْ وَكَانُوا شِيَعًا ۖ كُلُّ حِزْبٍ بِمَا لَدَيْهِمْ فَرِحُونَ ﴿٣٢﴾ Of those who divided their religion and became sects, every sect rejoicing in what they had with them (30:32)

19. Man’s Ungratefulness • وَإِذَا مَسَّ النَّاسَ ضُرٌّ دَعَوْا رَبَّهُم مُّنِيبِينَ إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ إِذَا أَذَاقَهُم مِّنْهُ رَحْمَةً إِذَا فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُم بِرَبِّهِمْ يُشْرِكُونَ ﴿٣٣﴾ • And when harm afflicts men, they call upon their Lord, turning to Him, then when He makes them taste of mercy from Him, lo! some of them begin to associate (others) with their Lord (30: 33)

20. Corruption on earth caused by human beings • ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعْضَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ﴿٤١﴾ Corruption has appeared in the land and the sea on account of what the hands of men have wrought, that He may make them taste a part of that which they have done, so that they may return. (30:41)

21. Ownership of one’s own actions مَن كَفَرَ فَعَلَيْهِ كُفْرُهُ ۖ وَمَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلِأَنفُسِهِمْ يَمْهَدُونَ ﴿٤٤﴾ Whoever disbelieves, he shall be responsible for his disbelief, and whoever does good, they prepare (good) for their own souls (30:44) فَيَوْمَئِذٍ لَّا يَنفَعُ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مَعْذِرَتُهُمْ وَلَا هُمْ يُسْتَعْتَبُونَ ﴿٥٧﴾ But on that day their excuse shall not profit those who were unjust, nor shall they be regarded with goodwill. (30:57)

22. Life cycle of human being اللَّـهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن ضَعْفٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِن بَعْدِ ضَعْفٍ قُوَّةً ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِن بَعْدِ قُوَّةٍ ضَعْفًا وَشَيْبَةً ۚ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ ۖ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيمُ الْقَدِيرُ ﴿٥٤﴾ Allah is He Who created you from a state of weakness then He gave strength after weakness, then ordained weakness and grey hair (old age) after strength; He creates what He pleases, and He is the Knowing, the Powerful. (30:54)

23. Every example in the Qur’an وَلَقَدْ ضَرَبْنَا لِلنَّاسِ فِي هَـٰذَا الْقُرْآنِ مِن كُلِّ مَثَلٍ ۚ وَلَئِن جِئْتَهُم بِآيَةٍ لَّيَقُولَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا مُبْطِلُونَ ﴿٥٨﴾ And certainly We have set forth for men every kind of example in this Quran; and if you should bring them a communication, those who disbelieve would certainly say: You are naught but false claimants. (30:58) “This is the Qur'an. If you ask it to speak it won't do so; but I will tell you about it. Know that it contains knowledge of what is to come about, stories of the past, cure for your ills and regulation for whatever faces you.” [Sermon 158/9. Imam Ali (a.s.)]