e | +o py e o > i ¢ o + a ¢ o 4 bl bea +o io ¢ fo ¢ a + o + a e 3 + 2 ¢ 2 Aa o ¢ 2 ¢ 2 ba a * 3 AA o ¢ 2 ¢ 2 ¢ 2 + fy + 2 ¢ 2 ca a ¢ 2 > a + Comics Mohammed Ali Vakil Mohammed Arif Vakil O IMAM ALI CAN YOU TELL US HOW FAR IS40 Sufi Comics is licensed under Creative Commons by: Mohammed Arif Vakil & Mohammed Ali Vakil License type: Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. E©greative commons You are free to share, copy, distribute and transmit the work, under the following conditions: Attribution — You must attribute the work to the author/s. No Derivative Works — You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work. Online version of 40 Sufi Comics is available at: httpy//vakilorg/40-sufi-comics Email: suficomics@ akilorg, Facebook: http;//facebook.com/suficomicsTable of Contents Introduction - 4 Ethics Justifying Wrong Actions - 7 Good Manners melt a hard heart - 9 Positive Thinking - 11 The Forgiving Commander - 13 Childish Behaviour - 15 Teaching Beautifully - 17 The Truth about Lies - 19 Follow Principles - 21 Good Intentions and Hard work - 23 The Stranger - 25 The Prayer of Jesus - 27 Mother - 29 How far is Heaven - 31 Spirituality Food for thought - 35 The piety of Abu Dhar Al-Ghaffari - 37 The worship of free men - 39 How to Pray to God - 41 The Recipe for curing all sins - 43 Secrets of Prayer - 45 Preparing to meet God - 47 ASlave's slave - 49 The Power of Prayers - 51 Real Wealth - 53 Stabilize the Inner State - 55Where does Wisdom come from? - 57 Where is God's Treasure? - 59 Al-Hamd-lillah - 61 The meaing of Love - 63 Philosophy ‘The Blind Astronomer - 67 Is the World an evil place? - 69 Free Will or Pre-destination - 71 Answering 3 questions with 1 brick - 73 Dividing, 17 camels between 3 people - 75 A Visit to Hell - 77 Key to Knowledge - 79 No Problem - 81 Existence of God How & where is God? - 85 1am the Creator - 87 Evidence of the Creator - 89 Can I see God? - 91 References for Traditions - 93Introduction During my childhood & teenage years I attended a Madressa (Islamic School) where we were taught beautiful stories from history & sacred traditions. Our teachers were very gifted. They would narrate the stories in such an engaging way that time stood still, and I felt as though a movie were playing in my head. These stories of faith, wit, love, sacrifice and adventure have stayed with me and influenced my life. Over the last two years, I have been learning the art of drawing comics & and have used it to express some of these stories. As I completed each comic, Arif and I would publish it on our blog (http://www. vakil.org). Though the feedback for the online version was tremendous, a great many still requested to see the compendium of this work in printed form. Alongside each comic, I have included verses from the Holy Qur'an and Traditions from the Prophet & the Ahlul Bayt that are pertinent to the respective comic's topic. For some comics, I further included my own reflections as I drew the comics. You may wonder why some of the characters don't have their faces drawn. Traditionally, Islamic art does not depict the faces of Holy personalities, and Thave respected this tradition in these comics. I would like to thank Abdulbasier Aziz, Uma Satish and Zeenat Merchant-Syal who've given the necessary encouragement and feedback to make this book possible, My sincere gratitude to those who have been the source of spiritual guidance in my life: Sheikh Arif Abdulhussain, Al-Haj Hassanain Rajabali & Sheikh Khalil Jaffer. Many of the stories in in this book, Thave learnt from them. I truly hope you enjoy reading 40 Sufi Comics!This book is dedicated to our Late Grandmother, Zakira Maryam Bai Vakil. Surah Fateha is requested for the departed soul.EthicsJUSTIFYING WRONG ACTIONS Soff Conies dot € Xt waww.vakil.org AMAN STEALS TWO BREADS AND 2 FRUITS FROM AND HE GIVES THEM AWAY TO THE J IMAM JAFAR QUESTIONS HIM ABOUT HIS ACTIONS. PooR GOD HAS SAID IN THE GURAN, "WHOEVER BRINGS A GOOD DEED, HE SHALL HAVE TEN LIKE IT, WHOEVER BRINGS AN EVIL DEED, HE SHALL BE RECOMPENSED. ONLY WITH THE LIKE OF IT” (ON THIS BASIS... BUT HAVE YOU NOT HEARD THE VERSE OF THE HOLY QURAN (BEING THE IMAM, DON'T You KNOW ANYTHING? WHAT IGNORANCE HAVE YOU NOTICED. IN ME? T HAVE STOLEN TWO FRUITS AND 2 BREADS. I HAVE FOUR SINS IN MY ACCOUNT, BUT I HAVE GIVEN IT IN THE WAY OF GOD, SO T EARNED 40 GOOD DEEDS. REDUCING FROM 40, T STILL HAVE 36 GOOD DEEDS IN MY ACCOUNT. A PITY THAT YOU HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF SUCH COMPUTATIONS! "ALLAH ONLY ACCEPTS FROM THOSE WHO GUARD (AGAINST EVIL) (S27). YOU HAVE EARNED FOUR SINS BY STEALING THOSE FOUR ITEMS AND FOUR MORE SINS FOR GIVING THEM TO SOMEONE ELSE WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF THE OWNERS. SO YOU HAVE COLLECTED EIGHT SINS BUT NOT A SINGLE GOOD DEED. WITH SUCH INTERPRETATIONS AND JUSTIFICATIONS NOT ONLY DO THEY MISLEAD THEMSELVES, BUT OTHERS AS WELLIn the Qur'an (It is) a blessed Book that We have sent down to you, so that they may contemplate its signs, and that those who posses intellect may take admonishment. (38:29) In the Traditions The Prophet with regards to Allah's verse in the Qur'an "and recite the Qur'an in a measured tone" said, "Recite it clearly, do not disperse it prosaically, nor rave it like raving poetry. Stop where it mentions wonders, and move the hearts with it, and do not let your only concern be (to finish) the end of the chapter." Imam Ali sai "Verily there is no good in recitation that does not have contemplation in it. Verily, there is no good in worship that does not have understanding.” ARTIST'S NOTES: THE VERSES OF THE QURAN CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD IF THE READER APPROACHES THEM BY IMPOSING HIS IDEAS ON THEM. RATHER, THEY SHOULD BE APPROACHED WITH AN OPEN & SINCERE HEART TO UNDERSTAND THEIR OUTER AND INNER MEANINGS. THE QURAN CAN HAVE AN EMPOWERING EFFECT ON THE READER. IT IS A BOOK THAT CHALLENGES, DEBATES, CRITICIZES, AND INSPIRES THE READER. AT TIMES, ONE MAY FEEL THAT THEY ARE NOT READING THE QURAN, BUT RATHER THAT THE QURAN IS READING THEM. 8www vakil.org GOOD MANNERS MELT A HARD HEART Sof Contes WHATEVER YOUR NAME IS, IVE HEARD YOUR MOTHER WAS JUST A COOK YOUR MOTHER was: IMPUDENT, AND RUDE! ans TAM AMAZED By YOUR CALM AND POLITE BEHAVIOUR ARE YOU A BAGARA (COW)? TAM NOT A BAGARA, MY NAME IS BAGIR YES, THAT WAS, HER PROFESSION THERE IS NO SHAME IN IT IF THE THINGS YOu SAY ABOUT My MOTHER ARE TRUE, THEN MAY ALLAH FORGIVE HER. IF THEY ARE FALSE THEN MAY ALLAH FORGIVE YOU. 0 IMAM! FORGIVE ME FOR My INSOLENCE AND ACCEPT ME AS ONE OF YOUR FOLLOWERSIn the Qur'an Repel (evil) with what is best, and lo! He between whom and you was enmity would be as if he were a warm friend (41:34) And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth easily, and when the ignorant address them [harshly], they say [words of] peace (25:63) In the Traditions The Prophet said, "I have been sent to perfect the nobility of your character." The Prophet said, "Good character melts sins as the sun melts ice, and bad character spoils an action just as vinegar spoils honey.” A man came to the Prophet saying "O Prophet of God. which people have the most perfect faith?” "Those of them who have the best character”, he replied. Imam Ali said, "Cheerfulness is the basis of love, tolerance the burial of faults, conciliation the concealing of shortcomings, and there is no better relative than good character.” ARTIST'S NOTES: T RECALL THIS ANECDOTE WHENEVER SOMEONE IS RUDE. THE IMAM'S APPROACH IS BEAUTIFUL. RATHER THAN DISAGREEING WITH HIM, WHICH WOULD HAVE AGGRAVATED THE SITUATION, THE IMAM HAD HOPE IN THE OTHER MAN'S GOODNESS AND USED IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS HIS SUBMISSION TO GOD & BELIEF IN HIS FORGIVENESS. 10POSITIVE THINKING St Conies = 5 z S $ 3 5 [an THE CONTRARY, TAM MADE HIS PRISON A HOSGUE, AND WIS LONELINESS OF THE JAIL, A PLEASANT PLACE FILLED WITH THE [SWEET REMEMBRANCE OF ALLAH, ort I | HAVE IMPRISONED. IMAM MUSA AL= ‘THE STATE THAT IVE KEPT HIM WILL BREAK HIS WILL, AND MAKE HIM FEEL HOPELESS! © ALLAH, yOU KNOW Urner 1 Hap geen astine 177 I you To FREE ME FROM avs optigarion exce>r | | WORSHIPPING You. Now I ‘YOU HAVE DONE THAT. $0, PRAISE BE TO vOU! ARTIST'S NOTES: WHEN I RECALL THIS STORY, IT GIVES ME HOPE THAT NO MATTER HOW PAINFUL MY CIRCUMSTANCES ARE, T HAVE A CHOICE HOW TO REACT TO IT. INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT THE SHADOW, I CAN FOCUS MY ATTENTION ON HOW BRIGHT THE SUN IS SHINING. THE CIRUMSTANCES OUTSIDE OUR LIFE ARE NEUTRAL. WHAT MAKES THEM GOOD OR BAD IS OUR REACTION TO THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES. 11In the Qur'an Therefore remember Me, I will remember you (2:152) Call on your Lord humbly and secretly (7:55) In the Traditions OGod, bless Muhammad and his Household, tempt me not with what Thou hast given to Thy creatures and tempt them not with what Thou hast withheld from me. Lest I envy Thy creatures and despise Thy decision! OGod, bless Muhammad and his Household, delight my soul through Thy decree, expand my breast through the instances of Thy decision, give to me a trust through which I may admit that Thy decree runs only to the best, and let my gratitude to Thee for what Thou hast taken away from me be more abundant than my gratitude to Thee for what Thou hast conferred upon me! Preserve me from imagining any meanness in someone who is destitute or imagining any superiority in someone who possesses wealth, for the noble is he whom obedience to Thee has ennobled and the exalted is he whom worship of Thee has exalted! Excerpt of Supplication In Satisfaction with the Decree of God by Imam Zainul Abideen 12Za =a oz wt Of ee wo ro -In the Qur'an "Take to forgiveness and enjoin good and turn aside from the ignorant" (7:199) In the Traditions "When a man asked the Prophet to explain nobility of character to him, he replied, "It means that you should forgive him who has wronged you, re-establish ties with him who has broken them off, give to him who has denied you something, and tell the truth even if it is against your own interests.” Imam Ali said, "If you overcome your enemy, then make your forgiveness of them gratitude for your position of strength over them” 14www.vakil.org CHILDISH BEHAVIOUR WHY ARE YOU NOT ANSWERING TO ME SAND? SORRY MASTER, I WANTED TO INCITE ANGER IN YOU BY DISOBEYING YOU SAND THE SERVANT OF IMAM THOUGHT... I'VE NEVER SEEN MY MASTER IMAM ALI GET ANGRY. TODAY I WILL GET HIM ANGRY. SA'ID, WHERE ARE YOU SAND... SAID. KX DEAR SA'ID, I DON'T GET ANGRY AT SUCH CHILDISH BEHAVIOUR 15In the Qur'an And those who restrain (theit) anger and pardon men; and Allah loves the virtuous (Quran 3: 134) In the Traditions The Prophet said, "Shall I tell you who is the toughest and strongest from among you?" They replied, "Yes Messenger of Allah, do tell us", so the Prophet said "The strongest and toughest of you is he who, when he is happy, his happiness does not lead him to committing asin or anything wrong, and when he gets angry, his anger does not prevent him from speaking the truth, and when he is empowered in any way, he does not take hold of that which is not lawfully hi Imam Ali said, "There are six things by which people's intellects may be tested: clemency at the time of anger, patience at the time of fear, calculation when faced with a desire, Godwariness at all times, amicableness, and minimal engagement in disputation.” ARTIST'S NOTES: WHEN I WAS IN MY EARLY TEENS, T REMEMBER BEING INFLUENCED BY PEOPLE WHO THOUGHT EXPRESSING ANGER AT PEOPLE BELOW THEM WAS A SIGN OF STRENGTH. 1 WOULD COPY THEM, THINKING THAT WAS THE RIGHT WAY TO BEHAVE. THEN A DAY CAME WHEN T READ THIS STORY IN NAHJUL BALAGHA. IT WAS A TURNING POINT FOR ME IN UNDERSTANDING THAT SHOWING ANGER IS NOT A SIGN OF STRENGTH. THE STORY INFLUENCED ME ON HOW I RESPONDED TO SITUATIONS THAT AROUSED ANGER IN ME. 16GRANDSONS OF THE PROPHET (5), IMAM HASSAN # HUSSAIN, SAW AN OLD ‘BROTHER. BEDOUIN PERFORMING HIS WUDHU. HE'S DOING HIS WUDHIL wcorrectty) “ow bo We TELL Hum, wiTMour] HURTING HIS FEELINGS? ‘SIR, MY BROTHER AND I DISAGREE WHO PERFORMS WHDU THE BEST. WOULD YOU WATCH AND JUDGE WHO IS THE BEST ? TEACHING BEAUTIFULLY ‘BY ALLAH, X DID NOT KNOW HOW TO PERFORM WUDU, YOU HAVE TAUGHT ME HOW TO DO IT CORRECTLY. 17In the Qur'an O you who believe! let not (one) people laugh at (another) people perchance they may be better than they, nor let women (laugh) at (other) women, perchance they may be better than they; and do not find fault with your own people nor call one another by nicknames; evil is a bad name after faith, and whoever does not turn, these it is that are the unjust. (49:11) In the Traditions The Prophet said, “Whoever does not have mercy on our young and does not honour our elderly is not one of us.” When the Prophet was asked who were the most beloved of Allah, he replied, “Those who help others the most.” Imam Jafar said, “Husayn (younger) would never walk in front of Hasan (elder) nor would he begin the conversation when they met, out of respect for him.” 18www.vakilorg TRUTH ABOUT LIES Soh Cones te é At HMM... WHY DON'T YOU PUT YOUR HAND DOWN THE TOILET DISGUSTING YUCK! THaT is gust \ || _ THAT'S EXACTLY HOW I FELT WHEN YOU ASKED ME TO LIEIn the Qur'an O you who believe! avoid most of suspicion, for surely suspicion in some cases is a sin, and do not spy nor let some of you backbite others. Does one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? But you abhor it; and be careful of (your duty to) Allah, surely Allah is Oft-returning (to mercy), Merciful. (49:12) In the Traditions Imam AI-Baqir said, “When my father Ali ibn al-Husayn was close to death he drew me to his chest saying, 'O son give you the same advice as my father gave me, just as his father had given him the same advice: bear the truth patiently, even if it is bitter." ARTIST'S NOTES: WHEN I HEARD THIS STORY, IT CHANGED THE WAY I LOOKED AT SINS. T REALIZED CERTAIN ACTS ARE SINS BECAUSE THOSE ACTIONS RESTRICT OUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH. IF WE ARE ABLE TO REFLECT THE DAMAGE THAT SINS DO TO OUR SOUL, STAYING AWAY FROM THEM. WILL BE AS NATURAL AS STAYING AWAY FROM SOMETHING THAT IS DISGUSTING. 20FOLLOW PRINCIPLES IMAM ALI HAD CORNERED HIS: 4 THEN I BEG OPPONENT DURING yy eR eRe! A BATTLE... CLMam. x ol RT oly WHO'S GOING TO PROTECT YOU NOW? (are O IMAM, I WOULD LIKE TO BE YOUR FOLLOWER NOT FOLLOW PERSONALITIES FOLLOW PRINCIPLES!In the Qur'an © you who believe! be maintainers of justice, bearers of witness of Allah's sake, though it may be against your own selves or (your) parents or near relatives; if he be rich or poor, Allah is nearer to them both in compassion; therefore do not follow (your) low desires, lest you deviate; and if you swerve or turn aside, then surely Allah is aware of what you do. (4:135) In the Traditions The Prophet said, “Islam is Good Manners” Imam Jafar said, “A Muslim is he whose hand and tongue people feel safe from, whilst a believer is he whom people trust with their belongings and their lives.” ARTIST'S NOTES: SOMETIMES, OUR LOVE FOR PERSONALITIES BLIND US FROM THE TRUTH. THE NAMES OF GOD REFLECT DIVINE PRINCIPLES, AND OUR ULTIMATE JOURNEY IS TOWARDS HIM, THEREFORE, OUR GOAL SHOULD BE TO FOLLOW DIVINE PRINCIPLES. DOING SO WILL HELP US TO SEE ‘THE WORLD WITHOUT PREJUDICES & TO MAKE DECISIONS WITH CONFIDENCE. 22GOOD INTENTIONS AND HARD WORK wwwvakilorg THE NEXT DAY... WHY ARE YOU PERSPIRING IN THIS OLD AGE? ARE YOU SO GREEDY OF HOW HAPPY I WOULD BE IF I DIE AND MEET GOD IN THIS CONDITION, THAT 1AM WORKING HARD SO THAT I DO NOT BECOME ‘A BURDEN ON OTHER PEOPLEIn the Qur'an Allah will not call you to account for thoughtlessness in your oaths, but for the intention in your hearts; and He is Oft-forgiving, Most Forbearing. (2225) In the Traditions The Prophet said, "Do not insult the world for it is the best mount for the believer, because by means of it he attains good and through it he is saved from evil." Imam Ali said "The Hereafter is secured through the World.” 24“(MY HUSBAND WAS A SOLDIER. CALIPH ALI SENT HIM TO THE FRONTLINES WHERE HE WAS KILLED... THE STRANGER Sof Cones thé Mt IT SEEMS THERE 1S NO ONE TO CARRY| YOUR LOAD. wwwvakilorg ‘NOW I'M LEFT ‘HEARING THE STORY OF THE WIDOW THE NEXT MORNING... ALONE WITH MY ‘AND ORPHANS, HE COULON'T SLEEP CHILDREN #508% : YOU CAN TAKE CARE OF THE KIDS, WHILE Z ‘COOK (DEAR CHILDREN, FORGIVE ALI IF HE HAS FAILED HIS DUTY. TOWARDS NO. FORGIVE ME FOR I HAVE FAILED ‘MY DUTY TOWARDS ‘SIR, START THE FIRE IN THE OVEN PLEASE 25