#AlvidaJummah Mubarak
Jummah, or the Friday congregational prayer, is a cornerstone of Islamic worship with profound spiritual and communal significance. It is a weekly obligation for adult Muslim men (and recommended for women in some interpretations), as emphasized in the Quran in Surah Al-Jumu’ah (62:9): “O you who have believed, when the call is made for prayer on Friday, then proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade.” This verse underscores Jummah’s priority, urging Muslims to pause their worldly affairs to focus on worship.
It is prayed together emphasising bonds of brotherhood and egalitarianism.

Alvida Jummah, also known as Jummah tul Wida or the “Farewell Friday,” refers to the last Jummah of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting and heightened devotion. While it retains the general significance of Jummah, its occurrence during Ramadan—particularly within the last ten days—imbues it with additional spiritual weight.
Ramadan is a sacred time when Muslims fast, pray, and engage in acts of charity to draw closer to Allah. The last ten days are especially blessed, encompassing Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Power), described in the Quran (Surah Al-Qadr, 97:3) as “better than a thousand months.”
The Farewell Friday means the month of Ramzan is drawing to an end and serves
as a day to assess one’s spiritual progress during the month and seek forgiveness for shortcomings.
It also offers a final chance to maximize good deeds and supplications, especially given the heightened rewards of the last ten days.
And is a time to thank Allah for the month’s blessings and pray for acceptance of one’s efforts.
( Photo by Chattrapal (Shitij) Singh on Pexels.com)

When Ali lifted his head from sajda, the accursed ibn Muljim struck the fatal blow at his forehead with such deadly force that it split open.

Blood squirted from Ali’s forehead in several jets, and he exclaimed:

“By the Lord of the Kaaba, I am successful!”

Ali spent the time still left to him in prayer and devotions; in dictating his will; in giving instructions to his sons, ministers and generals regarding the conduct of the government; and in urging them all never to forget the old, the sick, the poor, the widows and the orphans at any time.
On the morning of 21st Ramzan, our Imam left this world to go into the presence of his Creator whom he had loved and served all his life.

Hasan and Husain gave their father the funeral bath, shrouded him in a kafan, offered the namaz e janaza and then buried him silently at midnight at Najaf Ashraf, at some distance from Kufa. No markings were placed on the grave, and the grave-site was kept a secret, as desired by Ali himself.

The world lost one its bravest & greatest hero, saint, statesman, scholar, philosopher.
In Ali were combined the virtues of bravery & intellect.
He was a rare combination of love of God, devotion to duty, bravery, compassion, chivalry, intellect and inflexible integrity. His greatest legacy to the world of Islam will remain forever his sublime character.

Image: The coffin of Hazrat Ali
from the Falnama ( book of omens) of Imam Jafar e Sadiq
Iran
16th c
at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Gallery Text :

This posthumous portrait of Akbar incorporates the Elizabethan-derived motif of a lion and calf living in peace under the emperor’s benign rule. Govardhan, a master of psychological portraiture, has given the calf an air of meek nervousness, as expressed in its sideways glance and lowered ears, due no doubt to the proximity of the lion’s visible teeth. Cherubs above and a Netherlandish background add cosmopolitan touches in vogue at the time.

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/451268

From gallery website