Happy Eid-al-Ghadir to everyone:

This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour unto you, and have chosen for you as religion AL-ISLAM.(sura 5:30)

Renewing our Pledge to the Ameer of Ghadeer




True love for the Ahlul Bayt - what does it require of us?


Tuesday, 23 November 2010 01:44 Jerrmein Abu Shahba
It is the Sunnah of Allah that when a significant obligatory act prescribed to us by Him is completed, it is followed by a day dedicated for celebration. On the day of Eid al-Fitr, we celebrate the completion of 30 days of obligatory fasting. On the day of Eid al-Adha, we celebrate the completion of the Hajj rituals as we are commanded. The day of Eid al-Ghadeer is no exception, as we rejoice our obligation of Wilayah to Imam Ali (peace be upon him) and the Divinely-appointed Guides from his progeny. But why do narrations say that Eid al-Ghadeer is the greatest of all Eids in both the heavens and the earth? If we reflect closely, we will find that logically speaking, the degree of joy on any day of Eid increases with the importance of the obligatory act completed successfully. As we compare the three Eids – Fitr, Adha and Ghadeer – we will realize that indeed the obligation of Wilayah is much greater than the obligations of fasting or pilgrimage. That is because Wilayah signifies the completion and perfection of all of religion, while fasting or pilgrimage is completion of only one obligatory act. Hence, without Wilayah, the fasts and pilgrimage have no meaning and the servant has not completed his religion. However, even if a servant failed to complete the obligatory fast or pilgrimage, if they possess true Wilayah in their heart towards the Infallible Imams (peace be upon them all), divine mercy will encompass him by virtue of completion of the most significant Ne'ma (bounty) in Allah's eyes.

Unfortunately, many of us who are born into the Shi'a faith take this bounty for granted as if it is like any other bounty. We feel proud to be the Shi'as of Amirul Momineen, yet are we really acting and behaving in a manner that would deserve us to hold that honorable position of being his servant? It is important for each and every one of us to reflect upon ourselves on this day of the greatest Eid in the heavens and the earth. We may not have been alive during the time of the Farewell Pilgrimage to witness this great event in history (Ghadeer) to give our bay'a (pledge of allegiance) to Imam Ali. However, today as we celebrate this fateful day in our lives, we can share our happiness by giving our allegiance to him and his infallible progeny, who are our Divinely-appointed guides. It is worthy for us to renew our oath of loyalty and commitment to our Imam and Siraat al-Mustaqeem (the straight path) which is embodied in his personality.

But our renewal of allegiance will be of greater value if it is accompanied by ma'refat (recognition) of this great holy personality of Ali and his high status which he enjoys in Allah's eyes. Of course, we humans with our limited capacity can never encompass the multitude of virtues which he possesses; however, it suffices for us to know that even though his enemies and adversaries have all tried their best to conceal his great qualities, caliber, and merit, today we still find an ocean of virtues related to Amirul Momineen that makes him the best of creation after the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).

The renewal of our covenants will further be of great value if we accompany that allegiance with the expression of sincere thanks and praise to the Almighty God for blessing us with the gift of Wilayah. A simple two-unit prayer of thanks done on a daily basis or a prostration of gratitude offered every night for this great blessing of Wilayah is a simple gesture that we can offer as a token of appreciation to Allah. And by this simple gesture, Allah will increase us in His bounty by increasing our love, knowledge, and attachment with the progeny of Muhammad, because as the Qur'an says, "If you thank me, I will add more favors unto you." [14:7]

From among the take-home lessons that we learn from this great day of Ghadeer is the importance of Tabarra and Tawalla, which constitute a fundamental part of our religion. Generally speaking, it is logical to say that if one loves a person, he will obey that person and follow their path. At the same token, one cannot love the enemy of the person whom he loves. This contradicts the essence of true love and will naturally lead to the displeasure of the loved one. In the Shi'a doctrine, Tabarra refers to the obligation of despising those who take Allah as their enemy and cursing those who reject the Wilayah of Ahlul Bayt (the household of the Prophet). According to the Infallible Imams from the descendents of the Prophet, it is obligatory to hold utter hatred towards a person who has committed atrocities against the Prophet and his family. It is the duty of every Muslim to disassociate themselves from the enemies of God and the enemies of His messengers. The doctrine of Tabarra itself does not dictate who by name to disassociate from or whom to associate with. It is a general guideline to disassociate from those identified as enemies of the Ahlul Bayt or those who support the enemies of the Ahlul Bayt. Some enemies are known by name and can be pointed out with sufficient proof and evidence, while others remain anonymous. Some others may not realize that they fall in the category of "the enemies of Allah and His Ahlul Bayt", but their deeds and actions certainly place them in that position (whether out of ignorance or not).

On the other hand, the term Tawalla or Muwalaat generally refers to loving, supporting, and following a particular person or party. When we speak of Tawalla in our doctrine of beliefs, we refer to our love, support, and abidance to the Ahlul Bayt, which is derived from the following Qur'anic verse – "Say: I do not ask of you any reward for it but love for My near relatives…" [42:23] Like Tabarra, Tawalla may also be used for the sake of evil by expressing love and support to the non-believers and corrupt people. This type of Tawalla logically brings the wrath of Allah, while Tawalla of the Ahlul Bayt pleases Him. Based on logical rationale, it is fair to conclude that both Tabarra and Tawalla are essential in order to complete the requirements of love. Using that same reasoning, when it comes to our love of the Ahlul Bayt, we must exercise both Tabarra and Tawalla with them. Not only must we love, support, and obey them, we must also defend them from their enemies and disassociate ourselves from their opponents. We must express contempt and disavow ourselves from their adversaries, not only by words but also through our actions. In other words, it should not be the case that we pronounce our Bara'at (disavowal) from the enemies of Ahlul Bayt while our deeds resemble their (the enemies') deeds and we support their stance.

So long as there is no persecution or danger in life which would require us to exercise Taqiyya (dissimulation), we must announce our Bara'at against the enemies of the Prophet and his Ahlul Bayt, who are the enemies of Allah Himself! Furthermore, to complete our Tabarra and Tawalla, we must also vindicate ourselves from those who follow the enemies of the Ahlul Bayt. Likewise, we must love and show kindness to those who practice Tawalla for the Ahlul Bayt. There is no better day to exercise these fundamental concepts than the day of Eid al-Ghadeer, where we wholeheartedly express out utmost devotion to the most beloved in the eyes of the Prophet and Allah.

courtesy:the islamic insights-

http://www.islamicinsights.com/religion/religion/renewing-our-pledge-to-the-ameer-of-ghadeer.html

This is something i always try to avoid as it leads to no where.

There has been differences between the shias and the sunni for about 1350 years and there will always be difference albeit diffeence of undrstanding and iterpretation of historical events.

Brother Lagos shia,in my humble opinion this kind of forum is not the best to try to explain shia doctrine as it will degenarate into arguements and counter arguements and your message rather than lead to understanding will further confuse folks. The muslims here are few and trying to understand the basics of their deen and also the non muslims are trying to understand islam. Adding another sects belief into the frame in my humble opinion will lead no where.

I tust your intentions are genuine and you want to explain the fundamnetals of shia doctrine  but if your audience dont even understand the fundamentals of sunni doctrine which they belong how can they ask real questions or understand where you are comming from.

Brother i am for unity amongst muslims and your username itself doesnt help matters why not call yourself lagos muslim as i believe you are first muslim before being shia or sunni.  Let us talk on what we agree upon like the quran, the five pilaars of islam etc and leave out the historical diferences that did not happen beofre you or me's eyes . We only rely o hisotory books that could be corrupted for all  i care and that way we could narrow our differences and both move closer to the truth.

And God kows est.

Did Imam Ali Give Allegiance to Abu Bakr?


Tuesday, 08 December 2009 11:50 Ayatollah Saafi Gulpaygani


In relation to the issue of the oath of allegiance of the Commander of the Faithful that is said was taken from him – whether this be something that is verified or denied, and also, this noble personality remaining quiet and not participating in any type of activity of rebellion and not picking up arms to go against (those who stole his rights), and the pleasure and approval of this personality in relation to what had occurred: these are all things that are not established (according to the recorded events of history).
The reluctance of those pure souls (the Companions) and the other great personalities – who in the beginning did not give the oath of allegiance; however, later on (as some people mention) did give the oath of allegiance – and also the large number of people who, in those specific and particular conditions gave the oath of allegiance in a particular way (as has been mentioned in history) is also neither confirmed nor established.


With his sword drawn out of the sheath and with the help and support of his gang, Umar roamed the streets of Medina threatening the people with death and forced them to give their oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr.

Please note the following points:

1. The belief of the Shia, who are of the People of the Text – through the utilization of the logical and related proofs – is this: the Imamate is a position that one is appointed into by Allah, and after the Prophet, that individual whose persona possesses all of the characteristics embodied in Islam except for Nubuwwah (prophethood) and who shares in the continuation of the same divine blessings of that personality (the Prophet) in all ways and forms is the one whose Wilayah (mastership) over all affairs of the society must be designated and appointed by Allah the Most High. The Commander of the Faithful, according to the countless texts (ahadith) and other proofs was the appointed caliph and the true Imam, and deviation from him to anyone else – even if all of the people are in agreement over that other person – is not permissible and is a case of: "Giving preference to one whom Allah has relegated low and leaving behind the one whom Allah has given preference to."


Just as the Prophet is not permitted to grant the station or position of prophethood to anyone else, so too the Imam is not permitted to grant the station or position of Divinely-appointed leadership to anyone else. Therefore, supposing that after Imam Ali was refused (the station of caliphate) and then later on, the oath of allegiance was taken from him, or this noble personality – due to events that came up later on (which will be mentioned ensuing) – was rendered helpless to pledge the oath of allegiance, then the true meaning and significance of this sort of oath of allegiance was not achieved by this (forced act), and the correctness of the actions of the other party is not accepted.

2. If the caliphate (of Abu Bakr) was based on the truth, then this would imply that the hesitance of Imam Ali and Sayyidah Zahra (peace be upon them) and a large number of people and revered companions was not proper and that they were not on the path of the truth.

It is known that there are definite and decisive narrations from the noble Prophet of Islam which state that Ali is on the Truth, and the Truth is with Ali, and these two will never separate from one another. Therefore, if someone says that Imam Ali was not with the truth in this event or did not speak the truth or did not act upon the truth, then he is belying the Prophet.

Thus it is with no uncertainty that we say that Imam Ali, in this event and all other events and circumstances, was always on the truth, and his refusal to give the oath of allegiance was also not the refusal to be on the truth; rather, his refusal was the denial of falsehood.

3. The refusal of Imam Ali and a group of others to give oath of allegiance to the caliphate from the point of view of history is not something that can be denied, and even one of the contemporary poets from Egypt who was known by the title of "Poet of the Nile" in his poems has also admitted this. The refusal (to give the oath of allegiance) was so commonly accepted and indisputable such that in one of the letters that he wrote to Imam Ali, Muawiyah has mentioned this fact and in reply, Ali did not deny that he had not given the oath of allegiance; rather, the rightfulness and legitimacy of his denial and refusal and the oppression that he faced is mentioned in his own words in this writing (to Muawiyah) when he wrote: "You also want to taunt me by saying that when I refused to accept the caliphate of the First Caliph, I was dragged like a camel with a rope round my neck, and every kind of cruelty and humiliation was leveled against me." (Nahj al-Balagha, letter 28)

To summarize our point, not only is there no room for doubt or skepticism that Imam Ali and the rest of the clan of Bani Hashim and a large number of the companions refused to give their oath of allegiance to the caliph, rather, their refusal was known and evident for all to see.

However, if it is claimed that after those harsh and coarse events that took place, Imam Ali and those who supported him gave their oath of allegiance and that their oath of allegiance was by way of their own inward pleasure and their pure heart and intention, then it is not possible to substantiate this (claim), since the hadith (of this event) is a single narration (khabar-e-wahid), and in the terminology of the science of hadith, it is doubtful (mashkuk). In this hadith, many contrasts and irregularities can also be seen, which this point in time is not the place for discussion. Anyway, we are not able to classify their oath of allegiance as an authentic oath of allegiance that would have any basis in the Islamic legislation.

At this point we mention some reasons that IF indeed this oath of allegiance did occur in history, then why it may have taken place.

1. It was seen (by Imam Ali) that to stand up to what had occurred (the events of Saqifah) would not be possible except by resorting to an armed struggle, which was not conceivable, since it would have resulted in an internal war between the Muslims. The condition and situation (that the Muslim Ummah was in) was such that very recently, through the pains and troubles of the Noble Prophet and through the assistance of Imam Ali and others, the seed of true faith and conviction in the Oneness of Allah had just been sown in the hearts of the believers, and an internal war would not have served the cause of Islam. It would be through this act that the very foundations of Islam would be put at in danger and would force the Muslims to stand up in ranks against one another, whose outcome or conclusion would never be reached.

It was Imam Ali who had helped the Prophet in the establishment of this foundation (of Islam). It was through his truthfulness and sincerity and by putting his life in his own hands and through his self-sacrifices at all places and all times from the very first day (that built the religion). His heart throbbed for this religion, and he saw that if the defense of his own self meant the desolation and annihilation of these foundations, then for sure he would choose to save Islam and try to maintain the unity of the Muslims in face of the opposition of the Kuffar and would give this precedence to the adjudication of the truth. This would allow Islam to progress and advance, even though such a progress would be slower and take much longer.

Allah forbid that the religion come to a complete standstill and the movement that the Prophet had brought forth with the help of the people should stop for even one moment (if a war would take place amongst the Muslims) just so the groundwork could be laid down for the advancement of the religion of Islam and in order for the mandate and establishment of the Wilayah and Caliphate of Ali to take root in the future, just as happened later on.

With the passing of time, the truthfulness of the Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them) and the blunders and mistakes of deviating from the (true) Imam that had been appointed was made apparent, and on their own, the people developed an attraction for the Noble Qur'an and the Ahlul Bayt and the true belief in the Imamate.

The opportunity also arose for the Ahlul Bayt to guide the people to the pure springs of Islam, the teachings of the religion, the exegesis of the Qur'an, and the true religion of Islam with all of its rules and regulations, political teachings, societal and ethical instructions, and guidelines. More important than all of this, the correct divine theological beliefs were conferred to the people.

However, if an internal war had taken place in Medina, then the corruption, deviation, sedition, and revolts that would have stemmed from this act would have put all things in danger of complete annihilation, and it was because of this reason that Imam Ali rejected the advice from Abu Sufyan for him paying oath of allegiance to Imam Ali, and considered this as an act that would initiate sedition and revolt.

2. The second reason for Imam Ali (hypothetically) giving oath of allegiance is that, just as can be deduced from a study of history, this noble personality had fear or concern for the life of himself and that of his family, and this fear or concern was something that Abbas, his uncle, was able to discern. It was his uncle who advocated him to pay the oath of allegiance, since if he was to be killed, then it would be Islam and the Muslims, who at that time were desperately in need of knowledge and enlightenment, who would have been in disadvantage and loss.

It was in such a circumstance in which it was not possible to have recourse in force and also one in which complete submission was also not in the best interest to deal with the situation that Imam Ali was very careful and critical (in how he dealt with the situation).

This noble personality, by choosing the path that he did, fulfilled a very heavy responsibility that was upon him; he exposed the truth, and at the same time, observed what was best for Islam in its entirety. His precious soul, which was ready to sacrifice its self in the path of Islam, was also protected, so that his blood would not have been shed uselessly simply to affirm the power of truth, and so that the fire of revolt, through which all things are scorched, would not be lit, and so that the opportunity (of Imamate and leadership of the community) whose acquisition was expected in the future would not go away.

In summary, Imam Ali acted according to the testament that was left by the Prophet and did not even cringe in carrying out the will by the amount of the head of a needle. The arena or environment that would cause the feelings or emotions of any brave, courageous, powerful person to be stirred or stimulated were all witnessed; however, he did not perform any act that he should not have performed, nor did he utter any words that should not have been issued. He acted with complete knowledge and by observing and weighing all angles of the situation.

However, all of these conditions and situations prove the truthfulness of Imam Ali and his desire for Islam and his acting not for his own sake. It is clear that this noble personality was completely annihilated and drowned in the Truth, and that which was important to him and had any value to him was Islam, the endurance of the code of Islam, and the interests of the Muslims.

In the conditions that he was put in, neither his staying quiet nor giving oath of allegiance by force and through coercion would give any credence to the rightfulness of the state of affairs at that time. Such an oath of allegiance would not absolve anyone of their religious responsibility, nor would it pardon anyone of their code of conduct.


Ayatollah Saafi Gulpaygani is a Marja Taqleed of the Shia world. He lives and teaches in the holy city of Qom.



Editor's Note: This article is the first of many questions on a variety of religious topics that were answered by Ayatollah Gulpaygani and translated into English by Shaikh Saleem Bhimji. The entire series is available online at al-mubin.org

http://www.islamicinsights.com/religion/clergy-corner/did-imam-ali-give-allegiance-to-abu-bakr.html

Assalamu alaikum,

I am not trying in any way to insult anyone here, as doing so is not my doing especially at places like this very one. But @LagosShia, do you read at all? Haven't you seen (if not read) what our and your brother Lagosboy democratically said above? Before him there have been other callings similar to that but you simply choose to ignore that and continue with your tantrum infected posting on these so-called historical "facts", which are in fact fabrication or even fairy tales.

Shi'i, if you don't know, is hard sell here; and so it is to majority Nigerians. Lest you don't know, more-over, I live in Kano. I was even born and raise up here. You seemingly lack that in-depth knowledge to advertise your sect. I was once a member of Brotherhood, a faction from Shi'a. The Nigerian Shi'a started under a facade of brotherhood before our then leaders figured that out and ceded from the misguided sect.

Lastly, I, particularly, don't regard any Shi'ite as Muslim. I would rather live, "befriend" non-Muslim that you. Why? Whoever doesn't believe a single verse in the Noble Qur'an he/she is not good Muslim, if not Muslim at all. Qur'an plainly absolved Nana A'isha, for instance, while you still see her as an adulterer. Qur'an, further more, describes the pinnacle of Sayyid Abubakar's darajah (highness) while you see him as a dictator who snatched power from Sayyid Ali (RA), among other things. Why, why and why? You, worst, enjoy calling these two greatest persons and many more (like Sayyid Umar) in Islam with all derogatory names in many of your books.

Yet, all what I stated above notwithstanding, if you are here for peace so we all are; and if you are not we are ready as hell to deal with you (plural) inshaAllah. And expose your porous thoughts and views.

A word is enough for a wise.

Assalamu alaikum,

I am not trying in any way to insult anyone here, as doing so is not my doing especially at places like this very one. But @LagosShia, do you read at all? Haven't you seen (if not read) what our and your brother Lagosboy democratically said above? Before him there have been other callings similar to that but you simply choose to ignore that and continue with your tantrum infected posting on these so-called historical "facts", which are in fact fabrication or even fairy tales.

Shi'i, if you don't know, is hard sell here; and so it is to majority Nigerians. Lest you don't know, more-over, I live in Kano. I was even born and raise up here. You seemingly lack that in-depth knowledge to advertise your sect. I was once a member of Brotherhood, a faction from Shi'a. The Nigerian Shi'a started under a facade of brotherhood before our then leaders figured that out and ceded from the misguided sect.

Lastly, I, particularly, don't regard any Shi'ite as Muslim. I would rather live, "befriend" non-Muslim that you. Why? Whoever doesn't believe a single verse in the Noble Qur'an he/she is not good Muslim, if not Muslim at all. Qur'an plainly absolved Nana A'isha, for instance, while you still see her as an adulterer. Qur'an, further more, describes the pinnacle of Sayyid Abubakar's darajah (highness) while you see him as a dictator who snatched power from Sayyid Ali (RA), among other things. Why, why and why? You, worst, enjoy calling these two greatest persons and many more (like Sayyid Umar) in Islam with all derogatory names in many of your books.

Yet, all what I stated above notwithstanding, if you are here for peace so we all are; and if you are not we are ready as hell to deal with you (plural) inshaAllah. And expose your porous thoughts and views.

A word is enough for a wise.

Still enjoying his tales by moonlight

It seems he is here for division rather than unity.

muhsin:

Assalamu alaikum,

I am not trying in any way to insult anyone here, as doing so is not my doing especially at places like this very one. But @LagosShia, do you read at all? Haven't you seen (if not read) what our and your brother Lagosboy democratically said above? Before him there have been other callings similar to that but you simply choose to ignore that and continue with your tantrum infected posting on these so-called historical "facts", which are in fact fabrication or even fairy tales.

it would be more fitting to talk about unity with people of intellect and knowledge regardless whether or not we agree or disagree on certain issues.for you to bring your imaginations and consider them as facts and regard evidence i provide as fairy tales says it all.have you examined my fairy tales to find out whether or not these tales are copied from your own sunni books?what unity do you want when you are the one throwing the attacks and blacklisting me?i am only sharing in a civil way my beliefs backed with evience.you dont speak in the name of islam simply because you have recited shahada.aside,your claims against the shia is what blind people like you.you gave lies to blacklist others and put them outside the sphere of islam.if your words are true i would be the first to denounce shia islam.these are the lies that have gone for too long and used to discourage and scare people away.it has no meaning where you were born when you are lying.you are a liar and whoever taught you those lies,may Allah curse him forever and never forgive him.

Shi'i, if you don't know, is hard sell here; and so it is to majority Nigerians. Lest you don't know, more-over, I live in Kano. I was even born and raise up here. You seemingly lack that in-depth knowledge to advertise your sect. I was once a member of Brotherhood, a faction from Shi'a. The Nigerian Shi'a started under a facade of brotherhood before our then leaders figured that out and ceded from the misguided sect.

it would be hard to sell especially when there are notorious liars around scaring people from simply reading and using their own god-given brains.allow people to think rather than add confusion through lies.you are a liar.is lying not against unity?

Lastly, I, particularly, don't regard any Shi'ite as Muslim. I would rather live, "befriend" non-Muslim that you. Why? Whoever doesn't believe a single verse in the Noble Qur'an he/she is not good Muslim, if not Muslim at all. Qur'an plainly absolved Nana A'isha, for instance, while you still see her as an adulterer. Qur'an, further more, describes the pinnacle of Sayyid Abubakar's darajah (highness) while you see him as a dictator who snatched power from Sayyid Ali (RA), among other things. Why, why and why? You, worst, enjoy calling these two greatest persons and many more (like Sayyid Umar) in Islam with all derogatory names in many of your books.

Yet, all what I stated above notwithstanding, if you are here for peace so we all are; and if you are not we are ready as hell to deal with you (plural) inshaAllah. And expose your porous thoughts and views.

A word is enough for a wise.

we do follow the quran to the letter and to the dot.no one says aisha is guilty of adultery.our issue with aisha is known.its all has to do with after the Prophet's death and not before.get your facts straight.likewise her father.he could have being an angel in the days of the Prophet.but after the Prophet's death,it does not mean he should become a demon.you are judging the truth based on names and the big names.Imam Ali said:know the truth and you will know those who follow it.you dont identify the truth based on what mr. X follows.rather you identify mr.X BASED ON WHAT HE FOLLOWS.

you need to present us with evidence.show us which verse of the Quran we reject if you are truthful and show us where we reject a single verse.you will never.what you said are either blind accusations or deliberate lies.

i am not saying all these because i need you to accept me as muslim.you dont have any more right to declare me a non-muslim than the right i also have on whether to or not to accept you as a muslim.as for me,God knows best the ones that are guided.but your lies you base your conclusions on to call me a non-muslim are laughable.

i will recommend you seek more knowledge and guidance and do urgent tawbah for choosing the unbelievers over the believers.this is something the quran warned against.you should not take as friends the unbelievers above the believers.you clearly said you would rather befriend a non-muslim to a shia.you are going against the Quran.i will not call you a kafir because that job is your own specialty.

LagosShia:

it would be more fitting to talk about unity with people of intellect and knowledge regardless whether or not we agree or disagree on certain issues.for you to bring your imaginations and consider them as facts and regard evidence i provide as fairy tales says it all.have you examined my fairy tales to find out whether or not these tales are copied from your own sunni books?what unity do you want when you are the one throwing the attacks and blacklisting me?i am only sharing in a civil way my beliefs backed with evience.you dont speak in the name of islam simply because you have recited shahada.aside,your claims against the shia is what blind people like you.you gave lies to blacklist others and put them outside the sphere of islam.if your words are true i would be the first to denounce shia islam.these are the lies that have gone for too long and used to discourage and scare people away.it has no meaning where you were born when you are lying.you are a liar and whoever taught you those lies,may Allah curse him forever and never forgive him.

Brother i feel your pain and I know emotions are rising but please never say what i emboldened as it is not of islam. Allah ta'ala called himself Ghafurun , Raheemun and the discretion to forgive solely lies with him. We as muslims should NEVER make that kind of dua, i understand you have said it under emotional anger but please retract it and may Allah forgive us all.

lastly to prevent this arguements let us rest shia - sunni divisions as we are never going to solve it here neither are we going to benefit but what we will achieve is sunni - shia fight of a lesser scale to what happened in Iraq while the enemies of islam sit back and laugh at us.

The historiical events we are ready to die for never happened before your eyes nor my eyes, these events were not recorded in the quran as it was after the prophets PBUH death. Why not let us hold unto to our various understandings and add the clause "Wallahu A'lam - And God knows best".

Again i call you with all humility to let us unite on what we agree upon Tawheed, Salah, Ramadan, Zakah, Hajj and many other things and let uis leave our disagreements which all stems from historical events.

I wish you Gods blessings.

Sunni and Shia, both have Ali bin Abi Talib (RA) and Fatima binta Muhammad (RA), along with the Messenger(AS). And it is interesting that Allah Himself in Surah Azhab raised the status of the wives (RA) of the prophet as not being like other women and they will be rewarded for this position. Why do we argue as if Allah did not know the future, and therefore spoke in the Quran so precipitously, while the characters of these people truly came out after the death of the Messenger (AS)?

It is Allah we all worship, I suppose. I do not worship anyone else; not Muhammad and definitely no one in his family. They will be saddened by our current state of affairs, taking side with one against the other, especially when Ali who was never shy and would not have stood idly, allowing falsehood to fester, who have fought and get killed for struggling for truth?

Ali (RA) didnt fight Abu Bakr, or Umar bin Khattab or Uthman bin Affan (RAs). Let us borrow the good manners of Ali, whatever the reason he didnt fight, let us use that reason and wisdom to follow those who he followed, while we are following him.

I am certain that none of them is destined for hell fire. Let us not push ourselves to division and hate those who Allah expressed love for.

Event of Mubahila ( مباہلہ )

In the early days of Islam, Najran was a large centre of people who had changed from idol worship to Christianity. The Holy Prophet (S) had sent letters to the heads of different countries inviting them to Islam. One such letter was addressed to the Christians of Najran. It read as follows:
"In the Name of the God of Ibrahim, Ishaaq and Ya'qub.
This letter is from Muhammad, the Prophet and Messenger of Allah to the Asqaf (Bishop) of Najran.
Praise be to the God of Ibrahim, Ishaaq and Ya'qub. I invite you to worship Allah instead of (His) servants. I invite you to come out of the rule of the servants of Allah and into the rule of Allah Himself. If you do not accept my invitation, then you should (at least) pay Jizya (tax) to the Islamic State (so that your lives and properties may be protected), otherwise you are warned of a danger."
By using the names of the ancient Prophets (A), the Holy Prophet (S) wanted to let the Christians of Najran know that the belief in One God he was teaching was the same as that preached by the previous Prophets Ibrahim, Ishaaq and Ya'qub (A), in whom they also believed. It is also mentioned that the Holy Prophet (S) included the following verse of the Holy Qur'an in the letter:
Say, (O Muhammad), "O people of the Book (Bible), come to an agreement between us and you; that we shall worship none but Allah, and that we shall claim no partner to Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords besides Allah." And if they turn away, then say, "Bear witness that we are Muslims (those who have surrendered to Allah)."
Surah Aali Imran, 3:6]
When this message was delivered to Abu Haris, who was the Asqaf and
leader of the Church, he read it carefully and then appointed a committee of some religious and wise people to decide on the matter.
One of them, who was an experienced and intelligent person, advised that a group representing the people of Najran should go to Madina to study the claim of Prophethood by the Holy Prophet (S).
60 people, considered to be the most wise and knowledgeable from the people of Najran, were elected. They were led by three of their religious men. The group arrived in Madina and entered the mosque wearing silken clothes, golden rings and crosses around their necks. On seeing them dressed in this fashion, the Holy Prophet (S) was disturbed and he ignored them. They realised that something was wrong but were unsure as to what to do.
On the advice of Imam Ali (A) the delegation of Najran changed their style of dress to simple clothes and removed their ornaments. They then returned to the Holy Prophet (S) who received them with a warm welcome. Before they entered into a discussion, they requested for permission to say their prayers and this was granted. They were put in one part of the mosque where the could pray with ease and comfort. Then the following conversation took place:
The Holy Prophet (S): I invite you towards the belief of Tawhid and the worship of One God and submission to His will. (Then he recited verse 64 of Surah Aali Imran.)
Christians Fathers: If Islam means faith in the One God of the Universe, we already believe in Him and follow His Commands.
The Holy Prophet (S): Islam has a few signs and some of your actions show that you have not accepted true Islam. How do you claim worship of One God when you worship the cross and do not abstain from eating pork and believe that God has a son?
A Christian Father: Certainly he [Isa (A)] was the son of God because his mother Mary [Maryam (A)] had given birth to him without marrying anyone in this world. Therefore obviously his father is the God of this Universe. We also believe in Jesus [Isa (A)] as God because he used to bring the dead back to life, cure the sick and create birds from clay and make them fly. All this points to the fact that he is God.
The Holy Prophet (S): No, he was the servant and creature of God, and placed in the womb of his mother Maryam (A). All his power and strength was granted to him by God.
At this time, angel Jibraeel (A) brought the following verse of the Holy Qur'an from Allah :
Surely the example of Isa to Allah is like that of Adam; He created him from dust, and then said to him, "Be!" and he was.
Surah Aali Imran, 3:59
This meant that if Isa (A) could be called the son of God because of the fact he was born without a father, then Adam (A) deserved this title more, because he was born without a father or mother. The Christian Fathers could not reply to this argument but they continued to argue out of obstinacy. Then the following verse of the Holy Qur'an was revealed:
And whoever argues with you in this matter after what has come to you of knowledge, then say, "Come, let us call our sons and your sons and our women and your women and ourselves and yourselves, then let us humbly pray (to our Lord) and invoke the curse of Allah upon the liars.
Surah Aali Imran, 3:61
The Holy Prophet (S) produced this verse before the Christians and declared the challenge of "Mubahila", which means to curse one another. The Christians consulted each other and announced their acceptance of the challenge. Then they returned to their camp.
When the Christians of Najran returned to their tents after accepting the challenge of Mubahila, their leader advised them in these words:
"Tomorrow if Muhammad comes out of his house with the members of his family, then you should never agree to Mubahila. But if he brings his companions, then you need not fear at all and you should certainly go for to Mubahila."
He knew that the Mubahila was a question of life and death for both the sides, including their family members. If the Holy Prophet (S) had the slightest doubt in the truth of the message of Islam, he would not have given the challenge of Mubahila to the Christians. If he had the slightest fear of the curse affecting him and the close members of his family, he would not have considered coming out with them to face the Christians.
It was agreed between the two parties that the contest would take place the next day in the open desert outside the city of Madina. On the 24th of Zilhaj 9 A.H., the Holy Prophet (S) came out for Mubahila. He held Imam Husain (A) in his arms and he held Imam Hasan (A) by his hand. Bibi Fatimah (A) came behind him, while behind her came Imam Ali (A). The Holy Prophet (S) said to them, "when I pray you should say Ameen."
In obedience to the verse of Mubahila sent by Allah , the Holy Prophet (S) had brought Imam Hasan (A) and Imam Husain (A) as his "sons", Bibi Fatima (A) as his "women" and Imam Ali (A) as his "self".
The Christian Fathers, on seeing the beautiful and shining faces in front of them became spellbound. Their hearts trembled and they began to shake on seeing the power radiating from Ahlul Bayt (A). Their leader asked someone, "who are these persons, who have come with Muhammad?" The man told him the names and their relationship with the Holy Prophet (S).
He could hold his patience no longer and he cried out, "by God, I am seeing such faces that if they were to pray to God to move the mountain, God Almighty would move the mountain for them.
Oh you people of Najran, if you contest with Muhammad in this prayer of invoking curses on the liars, then I warn you that all of you will be destroyed and not a single soul will remain on this earth. I feel that it would be better to surrender to them and obey them."
When the Holy Prophet (S) heard these words he remarked, "by God, had the Christians of Najran contested with us, they would have been transformed into monkeys and swines. Fire would have rained over them."
When the Christian Fathers backed away from Mubahila, the Holy Prophet (S) gave them two choices; either to accept Islam or agree to come to terms.
The Christians would not agree to accept Islam and therefore a treaty was signed on the following terms:
1. Every year, the Christians of Najran would give to the Islamic Government two thousand pieces of clothing, the cost of which would be forty dirhams each.
2. They would also provide 30 horses, 30 camels, 30 battle armours and 30 spears, temporarily to the Muslim army, if the Holy Prophet (S) needed these in any war.
The treaty was dictated by the Holy Prophet (S), written by Imam Ali (A) and had the signatures of four companions of the Holy Prophet (S) as witnesses.
In addition to the above, the treaty also had the following words:
", The people of Najran will remain under the protection of Allah and His Prophet Muhammad (S). Their lives, their religion, their lands and property, will all remain safe and it will be the responsibility of Allah and His Prophet (S) to protect them. This treaty holds good for all people of Najran, whether they are present here or not, whether they are members of the tribe or dependent upon them, whether they are slaves or servants. No change will be made in their rights or privileges, "
One of the important conditions agreed in this treaty was that the people of Najran would not deal in usury (interest taking) of any sort, otherwise the Holy Prophet (S) would not remain bound by the treaty with them.
After the Christian returned home, a few respectable persons from Najran came to Madina and willingly accepted Islam and became true Muslims.
The event of Mubahila is an extremely important part of history because it shows how close the Ahlul Bayt were to the Holy Prophet (S) and Allah . Imam Ali (A) used to be called the "Soul of the Prophet" after the event, because the Holy Prophet (S) took him to the field of Mubahila as his soul.

http://iamshia..com/2010/11/event-of-mubahila.html

To LagosShia and co,

You had me laughing dude, for nothing in your reply was unexpected. It’s typical of you and your folks. InshaAllah you will not succeed in what you and your cohorts set out to do. Nairaland—Islam for Muslim child-board, is an unsellable market for your commodity.

One more thing I would like to call your as well as other Muslims’ notice is that: the schism between Shiites and Sunni is being on place for more than a millennium. Hence to think of sealing that rift now is nothing but illusion. Quit saying or aptly, claiming you are here for peace; wallahi you are NOT! You are here only and only to create confusion and to fight, whence you eventually, maybe unknown to you, end up advertising your ignorance regarding Islam and Muslim.

How? This question, I know, will definitely be asked by an average reader or more succinctly knower of Shiite and their precepts. Yah, a person who plainly excludes Nana A’isha (RA) from the Prophet’s Ahl Al Bayt (members of his family) is nobody but jahilun murakkab, i.e. classic ignorant! Secondly, who claims that Sayyid Abubakar (RA) was a bad person is the same. Thirdly, who doesn’t believe with Bukhari and other authentic ahadith books, for he apparently says this: they are “our” books, not “theirs”! People who consider those Imams as prophets or even better in status! And keep count. They shouldn’t deserve to be tagged pure Muslims, if not Muslims at all.

I have been tempted to engage you into an in-depth and thorough discussion but I am afraid whether or not you understand what I write. I made that clear as I there (i.e. other reply) begun asking whether or not you read at. My doubt is concretized and the fact that you don’t (read) epitomizes itself when you alluded that I say I would befriend non-Muslim. But are you not taught in school that: in any formal writing, quotation marks are used on a word to tell readers that that word is used figuratively. I write, as everyone can see, “befriend”, huh? Considering this fact, alone, I am free from any accusation.

And, I say as per as I personally view you; my reason is that: you do not actually believe in the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention. If you truly did you wouldn’t have been vilifying and cursing his best wife Nana A’isha bnt his best Companion, Khalifa Abubakar Siddiq among others ceaselessly and passionately. That is there in your books, your actions and speeches. For example: will you name your son and daughter after Abubakar and A’isha respectively? Please be sincere, don’t practice Taqiyyah here. You see?

Above notwithstanding, I implore you to say little if not no more on that. We, here, have goals and objectives much more important than defending attacks from “insiders”, while outsiders too are launching more destructive attacks upon us. More-over, I think (only presume!) that you would like to see one as Sunni than to see him/her as non-Muslim at all. We have folks who just revert (yah revert, for Islam is everyone’s born right) to Islam. That Karbala, Imamate and so on will only help in leading them into mire and mare. Let them first of all understand what the religion is, and then they may later decide which camp to go; though I’ll never wish them to go yours!

May Allah, the Exalted, guide us all to the right path, amen.

@muhsin

first of all,it brings sadness to my heart that each time i have to reply to you i have to write your username "muhsin".i am facing someone with a beautiful name that is dearer to me than it is to you but yet still you are devoid of knowledge about that.the name of the unborn child of Fatima,the Prophet's daughter is Muhsin.her first two sons are Hassan and Hussain.i would not go into that issue in this post but i would ask sincere readers to find out the name of the criminal that caused the Prophet's daughter to miscarriage of her baby (Muhsin) and also to dwell into the subject of Fatima's death and how she was buried.you can at least check wikipedia.

turning to your post,i would like you to know that i am not here seeking anyone to become shia.what i as every muslim is expected to do is to speak the truth.then it is your choice to follow or not to follow it.i also want to tell you that you may be a celebrity on NL in the islam section but in the real world (in reality) your knowledge equals to the ignorance of the knowledgeable.i am not claiming knowledge but still i dont admire your words.

i will start by replying your last post by sincerely asking you to tell us the difference between the figurative meaning of "befriend" and the literal meaning.you said you would befriend a non-believer than a shia.and the Quran tells us that you should never "befriend" a non-believer at the expense of the believer.you came out to use english as your savior.but even at that you failed.i would also like to remind you that quotations are used to emphasize a point and also quote or report the words of another person.

we only interprete the verse 33:33 in the Holy Quran as the Prophet wanted us to understand it and that is why we believe that Aisha can never be among the "Ahlul-bayt" mentioned in that verse that were purified.sunnis have to this day failed to answer me how on earth can two people who are purified and cleansed by God,the almighty Creator,ever fight themselves and be enemies in what would amount to the killings of innocent muslims.both Aisha and Imam Ali fought in the battle of jamal against each other.sunnis regard both as part of the family mentioned in the Quran 33:33 to have being purified.if i am to take your explanation,then you are forcing me to discredit the Quran as the word of God.either Aisha was evil or Imam Ali (God forbid) was the evil one.you choose!both can never be pure as you claim.

i also want to correct a misconception that aisha was the Prophet's favorite wife.on the account of aisha herself and her jealousy of Khadija,the Prophet's best wife was Khadija.the 4 best women in the world are Maryam,Asiya,Fatima and Khadija.except you want to explain to us why aisha was the Prophet's "best wife" and why she is not among the 4 best women in the world,i fail to see why would our Prophet think she was his best.please tell us.

first i would demand an apology from you for lying that the shia disobey the Quran.if you are not knowledgeable enough on a particular subject i would islamically advice not to open your mouth.keep it shut!that is better than issuing out empty words and lies to mislead people because a particular issue does not personally suit you or fit to your own taste or level of knowledge/understanding.

i dont understand why you forget that abu bakr was not the only companion of the Prophet.you also forget that we love other companions and hate some companions and not just abu bakr.have you bothered to ask yourself why?i believe in islam,there is no favoritism.everyone must face justice and bear the consequences of his actions no matter what his name is or position.all you have done in defending abu bakr and those of the sahaba we believe changed afterwards is to present an emotional address that his name was this or that.that is not enough.find out what abu bakr did or did not do.i will not curse him not to offend you or fellow muslims (sunnis) who regard him and to preserve unity.we know we have differences and not talking is not the solution.we must face our differences in a civil way and with understanding and islamic brotherhood.attacking me because i have different ideologies does not serve as a solution more than it does in trying to silence me.lets talk about the main issues rather than trying to mute me and win emotional favors.you asked if i would name my child "abu bakr".i must say that the name on its own is a beautiful arabic name that predated your first caliph.but if you think i will name my child after the man you regard as first caliph and the father of aisha,you are mistaken.because this name is associated with that man and more often identified with him,therefore my answer is no!


definitely i would rather have a non-muslim be sunni or even wahhabi than for him to be totally out of islam.many have reverted to islam through wahhabism but many among them eventually discovered the truth in shia islam.the concepts of imamate and the lessons from the event of karbala are only meant for us to be better muslims as Allah (swt) Himself envisaged and planned for us but ordinary humans try to conceal the blessings of the 12 Imams from the FAMILY of Muhammad from the eyes of the muslims.

may Allah (swt) guide us all.ameen!

I think I had better sheath my sword and let that fruitless argument rest in peace, dude. Why? I, for instance, do not agree with a WORD you have written above. They are NOTHING more than rantings from a "helpless" and misguided fella whom only his Creator, Allah can save from the nocturnal darkness he rather deliberately sent himself into.

I shall say more when I get back. (Don't think otherwise, it took you almost a week to reply me. "Well done". Keep trying ).

muhsin:

and let that fruitless argument rest in peace

That would be a great idea bro, No use arguing about such things, For the past few weeks all i see is arguments!

I don't think it is wise to debate someone who claim that Abu Bakr Umar and Aisha to be corrupt and immoral How you guys dare to insult the Companions of the Prophet ?How dare you twist the name of Al Islam?How dare you insult the Companions of the Prophet and His wives when
they were chosen by Allah Himself? Abu Bakr Umar and Aisha are the best of Muslims much more better  than you and I and the adherents of
your sect May Almighty Allah guide you through you guys are astray from Sirat AL Mustaqeem (right Path) I can only Pray that you repent from
your sins I rest my case Fee Amaan Illah

@ topic
seeing as you are trying to educate and enlighten us i would like you to tell me why

1)other muslims dislike you shia muslims and are even ready to kill bomb you guys

2)which of them are the real muslims because i am confused shia or sunni

muhsin:

I think I had better sheath my sword and let that fruitless argument rest in peace, dude. Why? I, for instance, do not agree with a WORD you have written above. They are NOTHING more than rantings from a "helpless" and misguided fella whom only his Creator, Allah can save from the nocturnal darkness he rather deliberately sent himself into.

I shall say more when I get back. (Don't think otherwise, it took you almost a week to reply me. "Well done". Keep trying ).

"bring forth your evidence if you're truthful".

not replying even for a year does not mean the answers are not there or am scared.you got nothing to prove because you cant.i got evidence and haq.if you would have read the thread well you could have found them all.you're not the one paying me salary nor the one paying for my internet subscription to time my reply.besides,do you know how many of my replies have been deleted for no reason?


name calling and insults makes you a toothless bull with a wooden sword!

zubeyr:

I don't think it is wise to debate someone who claim that Abu Bakr Umar and Aisha to be corrupt and immoral How you guys dare to insult the Companions of the Prophet ?How dare you twist the name of Al Islam?How dare you insult the Companions of the Prophet and His wives when
they were chosen by Allah Himself? Abu Bakr Umar and Aisha are the best of Muslims much more better  than you and I and the adherents of
your sect May Almighty Allah guide you through you guys are astray from Sirat AL Mustaqeem (right Path) I can only Pray that you repent from
your sins I rest my case Fee Amaan Illah

please show me where on earth did Allah "choose" abu bakr and any of the sahaba.if the sahaba of previous prophets can betray the previous prophets,what is so hard to comprehend that the sahaba of the last prophet can also betray him?ofcourse there are goods ones (sahaba) we love.but also we should identify the bad ones based on the divine criteria and commands of Allah.

you refuse to accept Imam Ali who Allah appointed and the Prophet declared as sucessor and you stand firm to defend those who took the right of Ali away.on the excuse of "Allah choose" you are trying to tell me that i should not dislike abu bakr.show me where Allah "chose" abu bakr.i have showed where Allah chose Imam Ali (as).

go ahead!

GODSON2009:

@ topic
seeing as you are trying to educate and enlighten us i would like you to tell me why

1)other muslims dislike you shia muslims and are even ready to kill bomb you guys

the truth is bitter,that is why.they have tried for centuries for example to conceal anything that have to do with the matyrdom of Imam Hussain,the Prophet Muhammad's grandson.this is a result of historical distortions and emotional outbursts and nervous break-downs.maybe they can explain to you more.

2)which of them are the real muslims because i am confused shia or sunni

i am shia and sunnis are my fellow muslim brothers.i only intend to let people know more about things they have being hidden from and let us see who has the complete truth.believe me there are muslims (sunnis) that dont even know who Hussain was.or who Fatima was.because knowing about the family of the Prophet and loving them and acknowledging their rights and hating those who killed them will push you toward shia islam.

Commemorating The Holy Month of Muharam

The recollection of grief is human nature

It is human nature that even when hardships end, recollecting those bad times reignites that pain and suffering again. People will often recollect their suffering in front of relatives and friends. It is on account of this natural instinct that people commemorate the important days of their ancestors or of religious leaders. Such days are observed internationally e.g the 1st of May, is observed to remember the oppressed workers of Chicago. Some anniversaries may only be celebrated by friends and relatives, while others may be celebrated by nations (such as independence e.g. Pakistan day) and some may be commemorated internationally such as Remembrance days (to remember the victims of war). Whenever the anniversary of Yusuf's departure came or when Yaqub (as) saw the tree of departure, Yaqub (as) would have no doubt remembered his hardships.
To remember the Martyrs is not only the Sunnah of Prophet(s) but also the practice of Sahaba

We read in Al Bidayah wa al Nihaya, Volume 4 page 45, published Beirut:

It is narrated by Abu Hurariah(r) that the Prophet(s) used to visit the graves of martyrs every year. When He(s) would reach the entrance of the mountain, He(s) would say (to the martyrs): 'Asalam alailekum Bima Sabartum'. This means 'peace be on you due to your patience and you have reached a pleasant place due to this.' Then after Prophet(s), Abu Bakar also used to come (every year), and after him Umar used to do the same and then Usman also did the same".

After this narration the word 'every year' is recorded in the narrations of Waqidi.The Shi'a accordingly commemorate the memory of martyrs of Kerbala every year. The Prophet (s) and his companions would visit the graves of Uhud's martyrs every year. Similarly we like to go to the tomb of Imam Husayn (as) every year in Muharam.If one cannot implement this practise by practically visiting Kerbala every Muharam there is no grounds to abandon it altogether, we seek to do as much as we can to remember our ill-treated Imam. So we commemorate the day with processions, conferences, and mourning to show our love and faith, though we cannot go to the tomb every year.
The remembrance of the first ten days of Muharam

By the Dawn And ten nights, And the Even and the Odd, and the night when it departeth,
Al-Qur'an, Surah Al-Fajr, Ayah 1-4, translated by PickthalWe read in Tafseer Durre Manthur, Volume 6 page 346 under the commentary of this verse:

Abi Usman says that three periods of Ten days are venerable which are refered to in this verse. They are, first ten days of the month of Muharam, first ten days of the month of Zilhaj and last ten days of the month of Ramadan.

Our assertion is that the this Ashura refers to Muharrum as reference is made to a dawn that follows the ten nights, moreover the verses (5-13) that follow have a direct nexus with this as reference is made to tyrannical kings of the past, that spread mischief:

YUSUF ALI:Is there (not) in these an adjuration (or evidence) for those who understand?
Seest thou not how thy Lord dealt with the 'Ad (people),-
Of the (city of) Iram, with lofty pillars,
The like of which were not produced in (all) the land?
And with the Thamud (people), who cut out (huge) rocks in the valley?- And with Pharaoh, lord of stakes?
(All) these transgressed beyond bounds in the lands,
And heaped therein mischief (on mischief).
Therefore did thy Lord pour on them a scourge of diverse chastisements

The ten days of Muharrum are link to the deeds perpetuated by a tyrannical king towards the family of Muhammad (s). Our stance is substantiated by the renowned Sunni scholar Al Muhaddith Shah Abdul Aziz Dehlavi who said in his Tafsir of the said verse:

“The third Ashura refers to the trials and sufferings of the martyrs of Karbala, who acquired an excelled rank on account of their patience and attained incalculable merits during Ashura”

The first ten days refer to the last ten days of Ramadhan wherein:
The Quran descended
The night of Lailathul Qadr night occurs, a single night that excels one thousand nights
The second set of ten days refers to the first ten days of Ashura when pilgrims gather together in one identified cloth irrelevant of their social status, and they retrace the steps of Ibraheem (as) and Ishmael (as), they make their way to the House of God, from Safa Marwa they head off to Arafat wherein they congregate and proclaim ‘Lord we are coming’ and sacrifice an animal. This is a 10 day period wherein we recollect:
the dream of Ibraheem (as),
the steadfastness of Ibraheem (as) to attain the obedience of his Creator,
the thirst of Ishmael (as)
the distressed Hajara’s search for water
the actual sacrifice of Ibraheem
The Hajj glorifies Ibraheem (as) for his passing the difficult test placed before him, one wherein he had to slaughter his son, pursuant to the will of Allah (swt). As we know, in the end that sacrifice did not take place, it was the passing of the test that caused Allah (swt) such pleasure that all Muslims are compelled to follow those steps once in their lives when going on Hajj. It is the ‘intention’ of Ibraheem (as) that is remembered, the intent to sacrifice his son, one that was transferred as Allah (swt) states:
[Yusufali 37:107] And We ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice:

This is we the Sunni scholar Shaykh ul Islam Dr Tahir aul Qadri writes in his book Zibah-Azeem page 30 as follows:

“Hazrath Ishmael was protected and kept alive as Prophets including the final one wer to remain in his loins so Allah (swt) transferred the ‘momentous sacrifice’ into the son of the Prophet (s). The wisdom of the Creator (swt) was that as no Prophet was to succeed him, someone had to implement the action of martyrdom, this the sacrifice of Ishmael (as) so that the momentous sacrifice was that of the heart of the Prophet (s), Sayyidina Husayn (ra)”

We now turn to the final set of ten days Ashura as attested to by al Muhaddith Shah Abdul Aziz Dehlavi that addresses the transfer of that momentous sacrifice, referred to in the above verse, a sacrifice that tested intention and practical actions, that encompassed:
the plight and destitution encountered by the Ahl’ul bayt (as)
the struggle between truth and falsehood
the tears of Syeda Zeyneb (as)
the arrest of the female household
the slaughter of the men folk
the decapitate bodies strewn unburied in the sands of Karbala
We appeal to justice, when the mere intention of Ibraheem (as) so impressed Allah (swt) that it is one that must be remembered per annum, should the same level of vehemence not be adopted in relation to the momentous sacrifice wherein Imam Husayn (as) sacrificed all that he had, from his elderly friend down to his thirsty six month old son, in pursuance of the pleasure of Allah (swt)? If this was not the momentous sacrifice Allah (swt) guaranteed Ibraheem (as) that would replace the intended sacrifice of Ismael (as) then what else is the verse alluding to?Dear readers we have proved the venerability of the ten days of Muharam from the Qur'an.

Ashura is Allah (swt)'s day

We read in Kanz al Ummal, Volume 4 page 320:"The day of Ashura is Allah (swt)'s day"

The day of Ashura is Allah (swt)'s day, a day of torment for the Ahl'ul bayt (as) when the beloved grandson of Rasulullah (s) was starved and martyred, a day when horses trampled his arrow pierced body.
Question: Is it permissible to mourn Imam Husayn (as) every year?

Reply One - Remembering the days of Allah (swt)

We read in Surah Ibrahim verse 5:PICKTHAL: We verily sent Musa with Our revelations, saying: Bring thy people forth from darkness unto light. And remind them of the days of Allah. Lo! Therein are revelations for each steadfast, thankful (heart).
What are the 'days' of Allah (swt)?

We read in Tafseer al Kabeer Volume 5 page 219:"Allah (swt)'s days refer to the great events that happened in favour of Musa (as). This was a day when the Banu Israel were stuck in problems, entrapped by Pharaoh's injustice.
Reply Two - Umar's continual recollection of his brother's death

We read in al Bidaya wa al Nihaya, Volume 6 page 370:
كان عمر يقول ما هبت الصبا إلا ذكرتني زيد بن الخطاب، رضي الله عنه

Umar said: 'whenever I venture out at sunrise I remember the death of my brother Zaid bin Khattab'If the Shi'a commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (as) every year why do these Nasibi raise objections? Look at the words of your Master Umar who remembered the death of his brother throughout his life.
Reply Two - The will of our Imam (as)

We read in al-Kafi, Volume 5 page 117:
Yunus bin Yaqoob narrated that Abu Abdullah (a) said: 'My father said to me: 'O Jaffar leave part of my money for the mourners to mourn me for ten years in Mena during the days of Mena'
If mourning had been Haraam, the Imam (as) would not have left a will to that effect.
Reply Three - The continual mourning by Adam (as) and Hawa (as) for their slain son

We read in Tareekh Yaqoobi, volume 1, page 3:
"The Father and Mother of humanity wept for their son Habeel for so long that their tears turned into a stream".
In Rodha tu Shuhdah, page 30 the same incident has been quoted by Mulla Husayn Wa'iz Kashifi who adds:"Tears from Adam's (as) right eye were flowing like the River Dajla and like the River Euphrates from his left eye".Nasibis say that mourning on the death of ones dear ones should be restricted to three days, but this reference proves that the Father of Mankind wept for such a long period that his tears became streams. If Adam (as) wept for his son in such a manner then Nasibis should know that we the Shi'a love Imam Husayn (as) more than our children and hence likewise continually shed tears for the suffering of Imam Husayn (as).
Reply Four - Rasulullah (s) declared an entire year to be the year of grief

The annals of Seerah are unanimous that the Holy Prophet(s) named the year in which Khadija (as) and Abu Talib (as) died as "Aam al Huzn" i.e. 'The Year of Grief'.What other reason could there be for naming a whole year as 'Aam al Huzn', other than the Prophet(s) dedicating it to commemorate the loss of his uncle and beloved wife? Is this act of the Prophet(s) a Sunnah or not? We the Shi'a mourn our Imam (as) for ten days, Rasulullah (s) mourned for an entire year. Even after the passage of a year Rasulullah (s) never got over this grief, and this was known to Ayesha who wanted him (s) to abandon his remembrance of his dead wife. We read in Saheeh al Bukharee Hadeeth: 5.166 this narration from Ayesha:

"I did not feel jealous of any of the wives of the Prophet as much as I did of Khadija though I did not see her, but the Prophet used to mention her very often, and whenever he slaughtered a sheep, he would cut its parts and send them to the women friends of Khadija. When I sometimes said to him, "(You treat Khadija in such a way) as if there is no woman on earth except Khadija," he would say, "Khadija was such-and-such, and from her I had children".

The testimony of Ahl'ul Sunnah's leading Lady is clear evidence that the Prophet (s) never got over grieving his wife and it is obvious that the Dhikr of Khadija (as) would also have taken place in presence of receptive ears. The process of Dhikr between a speaker and listener is called a congregation (Majalis). We likewise commemorate the deaths of Khadija (as) and Abu Talib (as) and the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (as).If Muslims have no issue with celebrating nights such as the Miraaj of our Prophet (s) then there is no reason to abandon the remembrance of calamities because both grief and happiness are important in life. Offering condolences is a Mustahab act so why the opposition? Conducting any Mubah or Masnoon act, carries no timing restrictions, it can be performed at any time with respect to circumstances and situations.
Reply Five - Ahl'ul Sunnah's year of mourning over the death of a Sunni scholar

“Imam al Harmain” whose actual name was Abdal Malik having Ziauddin as his title, according to Allamah Shibli Naumani was considered as a supreme scholar of his era and many renowned ulema were his students which included Imam Ghazali. Imam Ghazali while mentioning the mourning over his death writes in his authority work 'Kunjeena Hidayaath' the Urdu translation of Kameela Sa'aadth page 3:

"The Imam of Haramain died in 478 Hijri. At that time all the market stalls in Nishapur were closed and the pulpit in the Jami Mosque was broken, his students that numbered almost 400 destroyed their books and pens and mourned him for a whole year."

The episode can also be found in a biography of Imam Ghazali:
"Al Ghazali" page 12-13, authored by Allamah Shibli Naumani

We appeal to justice. These are the people, who have a historical enmity with writing materials, but we have no idea why the pulpit was destroyed. Did these esteemed students (who were themselves scholars) have no knowledge of the verses on patience that today's Nasibis quote against the Shi'a? Whilst they have no opinion here, the moment the Shi'a mourn Imam Husayn (as) in Muharam all manner of article is churned against mourning rituals. Let us not forget
Ibn al Hashimi who comments:
Additionally, comemmorating Ashura with any special ritual would be adding to the faith of Islam, and this is Bidah. Bidah is considered part of Hell-Fire, and whoever invents a Bidah is promised Hell-Fire as well.

The students of the Imam of Haramain mourned his loss for an entire year. Are we going to say that not even one of these four hundred was 'aware' that such mourning contravened the Qur'an and Sunnah (as the Ahl'ul Sunnah claim)? Were they ignorant of the fact that commemorating his passing through acts of anarchy and year long mourning acts of Bidah, for which they would perish in Hell? The closure of shops, abandonment of patience, destructions of the pulpit and destroying writing materials are all understandable and acceptable acts of mourning when a Sunni Imam dies, but when the Shi'a mourn Imam Husayn (as) they have exceeded the limits of the Shari'ah!
Reply - Reply Six - Sufi Saint Shah Hassan Miyan Phulwari Hanafi Qadri'a comments on mourning for Imam Husayn (as) in Muharam

We read in the Sunni text Gham - e - Husayn, Page 7 the following words of this Sufi Saint: The ten days of Muharam are for we Muslims, days of mourning and grief. To lament on the slaughtered Imam is certainly following in the Holy Prophet's (a) footsteps. I consider weeping and lamenting on Imam Husayn (as) and making others too cry & weep an act of great reward. I do not wish to talk or remember anything other than the Tragedy of Imam Husayn (as) during these ten days of Muharam. All the Saints and holy men and Sufi personalities in Hindustan have always openly expressed grief and sorrow and cried and wept profusely on the Day of Ashura. Maulana Shah Muhammad Suleiman Hanafi Qadri Chishti, the residing Saint of Phulwari Shareef also commemorated this grief & sorrow.
Comment

If expressing grief and sorrow, weeping for Imam Husayn (as) and making others do the same were Haraam, then all the Sufi Saints and holy men of Hindustan would not have perpetually practiced this sorrow during their lifetimes.
Reply Seven - Shaykh al Islam Maqdoom Ala' al Haq Pindavi (R) and Azadari for Imam Husayn (as)

We read in Uswa - e - Sufia Uzzaam, Page 9 that:Sheikh al Islam Maqdoom Ala' al Haq Pindavi (ra) used to mourn for all ten days of Muharam and would say:"How could one achieve sainthood when he does not mourn and weep on the family of the Holy Prophet (s) and perform Azadari for these pure personalities? One who doesn't have a heart of stone."
Comment

Thus a Sunni saint has himself declared that he who does not perform Azadari cannot be a saint (wali) and he who abstains from such mourning, is stone - hearted.
Reply Nine - Mourning for Imam Husayn (as) attests to our support for his suffering
The Tragedy of Karbala took place in 61 Hijra. Before that incident, Islam was not divided amongst different sects. The killers of Imam Husayn (as) had been excluded from the circle of Islam. Today, to carry out the dhikr of Imam Husayn (as) is to support him and to oppose it is in effect to support the path of Yazeed. In this connection there is a very important Hadeeth:

"I heard Rasulullah (s) say 'Verily my son [Husayn] will be killed in a land called Kerbala, whoever amongst you is alive at that time must go and help him".

We have taken this Hadeeth from the following sources:
1. Khasais al Kubra Volume 2 page 125 (Maktaba Nurree Rizvi Publishers, Pakistan
2. Yanabi ul Mawwaddat chapter 60.
Our mourning for our fallen Imam is an act of expression / support for him and is hence in complete accordance with the Sunnah of Rasulullah (s). If to remember Imam Husayn (as), carry out the Dhikr of his courageous actions, mourn, lament and wail while falling deep into the sentiments of love is not evidence of our support for him then what is?To follow the path of Husayn (as) is to share in his joys and tragedies? Our Azadari is the means via which we show our support for the suffering of Imam Husayn (as). It is based on our love and affection for him. Token words by Nasibis such as 'We also love Husayn' mean nothing, Love needs to be practical and as true lovers of Imam Husayn (as) we deem it necessary to keep the remembrance of our beloved in our heart. The names of a beloved are always on the lips of an adherent. People who want to bring the Dhikr of Husayn (as) to an end by crying Bidah do so because they want to end his remembrance so as to cover up the sins of their Nasibi ancestors who killed Imam Husayn (as).
Mourning on Husayn (as) is tantamount to mourning the Holy Prophet (s)

Shah Abdul Aziz Muhadith Dehlavi while explaining the philosophy of Martyrdom writes in the preface of his Book 'Sirr al Shahdatain': "The martyrdom of Imam Husayn (as) is in reality the martyrdom of his grandfather Muhammad Mustafa (s)"We therefore infer from this that mourning (Azadari) of the leader of the martyrs, Husayn (as) is mourning (Azadari) of his grandfather the Seal of Prophets, the most beloved of Allah's creation, Muhammad Mustafa (s).
Reply Ten - Allah (swt)'s desire is that the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (as) is conveyed to all

Renowned anti Shia scholar al Muhaddith Shah Abdul Aziz Dehalvi writes:

Martyrdom is of two types, hidden martyrdom and the other type is open and hidden martyrdom. Both types were distributed between the two grandsons of the Holy Prophet (s). The hidden martyrdom happened to be Imam Hasan's share since the state was hidden from the people when he was poisoned by his wife and this all happened because it was supposed to be kept secret and undisclosed and it was also foretold by the Holy Prophet (s). The latter type of martyrdom, was attained by the younger grandson of the Holy Prophet (s), Imam Husayn (r) who was chosen. Since this was to be a disclosed and unveiled martyrdom t its news was revealed through Gabriel and the place of his martyrdom was foretold and the time was declared to be the beginning of the year 61 A.H. It was declared on numerous occasions, Ali (as) also foretold the people about it when they were in the battle of Sifeen. When the tragedy occurred it was conveyed in a manner by Allah (swt) whereby the earth started to bleed and the sky turned red and the invisible angelic speakers and Djinns recited elegies for Imam Husayn (a.s), Lions and other beasts kept roaming around the body of Imam Husayn in order to protect it, and live snakes kept shoving into and out of the nostrils of the assassins of Imam Husayn. This incident was made famous in numerous other ways was conveyed to those present and absent, that the greatest sacrifice and martyrdom had occurred. Infact Allah started this custom of mourning and weeping for Imam Husayn, so that he might be remembered and cried upon, and all those hardships should be remembered; even the reason behind all this is the same that this incident should earn fame and acknowledgement. This was achieved everyone present or absent, human or spirits and the creatures came to know about this incident.

Risala sar al-Shahadatein Dar Tehreer al-Shahadatein, page 4-20, published in LucknowThese are the comments of a vehement opponent of the Shi'a. If the desire of Allah (swt) is that the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (as) be conveyed to all, then the Shi'a are implementing this will by retelling this event in every home, Mosque and Street Corner.



Courtesy:
http://www.answering-ansar.org/answers/azadari/en/chap2.php

in the sad spirit of the holy month of muharram we are about to enter,in which we commemorate the matyrdom and beheading of Imam Hussain,the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad,i would like you to watch the video in the link below.the video is about a hadith from the Sunni book called "Fada-il al-sahaba" of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal that deals with the permissibility to mourn the Ahlul-Bayt and shed tears for them and the reward for that:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt8kyg7DEl0

'Ashura - Misrepresentations and Distortions
By Ayatullah Murtada Mutahhari

http://www.al-islam.org/al-tawhid/ashura/

"The Fast" of 'Ashura (are we really told to fast on the day of ashura?)
By Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi

http://www.al-islam.org/al-serat/default.asp?url=fastofashura.htm


A Probe Into the History of Ashura
By Dr. Ibrahim Ayati

http://www.al-islam.org/ashura/

The Doyen of Martyrs; Imam Al-Hussain (AS) said:

"I (AS) never revolted in vain, as a rebel or as a tyrant, but I (AS) rose seeking reformation for the nation of my grandfather Mohammad (SAWW). I (AS) intend to enjoin good and forbid evil, to act according to the traditions of my (AS) Grandfather (SAWW), and my father Ali (AS) Ibn Abi-Talib (AS)."

(Reference: Bihar Al- Anwar, Vol. 44, P. 329)

You're on your own. OYO

zayhal:

You're on your own. OYO

thanks!
my advice to you is "to read"!!!

IQRA!!!

English lectures by Professor Hassanain Rajabali commemorating the matyrdom of Imam Hussain (as) also known as the nights of ashura which will culminate on the 10th day of the holy month of Muharram.muslims and non-muslims alike should view the lectures and the message and lessons from the matyrdom of Imam Hussain (as) in the holy month of Muharram (scroll down for the lectures):

http://www.awaitedone.org/video/156-hajj-h-rajabali-muharram-1432-2010.html

2nd of Muharram 1432:Second Day of Commemorating the Matyrdom of Imam Hussain (as) , Zaria,Kaduna



The Ashura Mourning Majlis in Zaria entered the second day on Tuesday the 2nd of Muharram 1432. Sheikh Zakzaky explained the significance of mourning of the brutal killing of the Household of the Holy Prophet, which is duly commemorated by Shiáh worldwide.  He emphasized that, Ashura Jalsah is part of Islamic rituals, and not a tradition like the Eid festivals.
Sheikh Zakzaky said, the Prophet himself was the first to mourn the killing of Imam Husain even before the event occurred by many years. He cited the Sayings of the Prophet with regard to Ashura in which Imam Ali was reported to have on a particular day found the Prophet weeping. Whereupon the prophet narrated to Imam Ali of the killing of Imam Husain at karbala, as the reason which made him shed tears.

Similarly, the prophet once informed one of his wives, Ummu Salamah, of what will befall Imam Husain at karbala, and condoled her as he gave her sand in a guard. He told her that when ever the sand turns blood red, then it is a sign of the occurrence of the killing of Husain(AS).

Ashura Majlis is not a new thing in this part of the World.

Sheikh Zakzaky stated that Ashura was never a new thing is this part of the world as it has been observed through ages in history. He cited the example of its popularity among the Zage-Zage clan in Zaria city over the years. The Zage-Zagi clan historically migrated from Bengazi, Libya 600 years ago. It is also popular among the Alhazawa clan in Zaria city too.

There are Fabrications and distortions regarding the Ashura Chronicle 

The Leader of the Islamic Movement revealed many baseless fabrications and distortions with regard to Ashura event by the enemies of Imam Husain, who turned it into day of rejoicing. Banu Ummayyah in particular regarded the day as day of merry-making, because they celebrated their  "success" in destroying the  Prophet’s Household.

The Umayyads even fabricated a Ahadeeth to show that all blessings of Allah descend on Ashura day, for example, they asserted that Noah was saved from drowning on Ashura Day; that Prophet Ibraheem was save from the Namrud Fire on thesame day; Adam’s repentance was accepted on this day; Yunus was delivered from the belly of whale on this day. Some even recorded that the holy Prophet(SAWA) was born on this day!

The mass Acceptance  of Ashura is a sign of re-emergence of Imam (AJ)

In another part of this speech, Sheikh Zakzaky explained that the mass acceptance of Ashura gathering worldwide can be considered as a sign of re-emergence of the long awaited Imam Mahdi(AJ), for the fact that the Imam will be the one to take vengeance on the killings of Imam Husain(AS).

Sheikh Zakzaky said, what was inflicted upon Imam Husain (AS) on Ashura day at Karbala was not unconnected with what happened to his predecessors, the Ahul Bayt, such as Sayyidah Az-Zahra(SA) and Imam Ali(AS).

Majalis Commemorating the Matyrdom of Imam Hussain (as)-pictures from Northern Nigeria:








[img]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.neat/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs600.ash2/155226_479363639906_155138739906_5521118_6307773_n.jpg[/img]

How Does Ashura Affect Me?


Sunday, 27 July 2008 22:35 Shaikh Husayn El-Mekki Abdullah-Aziz


The Book and the Holy Progeny

In a Mutawatir (corroborated) tradition from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny), it is narrated, "Verily, I am leaving behind two precious things (Thaqalayn) among you: the Book of God (the Holy Qur'an) and my kindred (Itra), my household (the Ahlul Bayt), for indeed, the two will never separate until they come back to me by the pond [of al­-Kawthar on Judgment Day]."

The message of the Book, the Holy Qur'an, which the Prophet Muhammad spoke of was carried out, propagated, and upheld by the immaculate Imams (peace be upon them), who are this same Itra whom the Prophet had referred to.

Amongst our beloved Saint Imams who were truly valiant heroes, we see the clearly illustrated actions of obedience and submission to the Book as evident in the characteristics of our third Imam, Hussain the son of Ali, the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon them both). This is surely why the Prophet Muhammad, the greatest of Allah's creation, was regarded as saying "Hussain is from me, and I am from Hussain." Imam Hussain carried out his duties as a Muslim and a believer throughout his lifetime. And he followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, the Apostle of God, just as it encourages us to do in the Noble Qur'an on so many occasions.

Shaikh al-Mufid quotes in his Kitab al-Irshad a letter which Imam Hussain would write to the people of Kufa prior to him accepting their invitation and embarking toward Kufa, he identifies and distinguishes his duties as an Imam. In the closing of that letter, Imam Hussain states, "If he (Muslim the son of Aqeel) writes to me that the opinion of your leaders and of the men of wisdom and merit among you is united in the same way as the messengers who have come to me have described, and as I have read in your letters, I will come to you speedily, God willing. For by my life, what is the Imam except one who judges by the Book, one who upholds justice, one who professes the religion of truth, and one who dedicates himself to the essence of God."

Imam Hussain carried out these duties of an Imam for the pleasure of Allah, and as a result today, Muslims throughout the world – in Nigeria, Iran, the United Kingdom, the United States, Indonesia Australia, Colombia, and countless other countries, Muslims across the globe, be they in remote villages or huge cities – mourn and remember the tragic day of Ashura which marks the martyrdom of Imam Hussain and so many of his faithful companions and family.


The Effect of Ashura


The quintessential element of man's ability to reach proximity towards God is also one of the most unique and powerful instruments man possesses: the human heart. What feeling does one feel when he hears or sees tragedies occurring throughout the world? We see many of mankind join in unison on many occasions when they feel a tragedy has come upon others, whether it is incidents such as "Columbine High", "September 11th", the Katrina hurricane, or numerous innocent women and children being killed in Palestine or Iraq.

How heavy does one's heart feel when he is brought the news of the death of a relative or perhaps a dear family member? How much more pain does one express when they know that the death of this family member was resulted in a tragic or catastrophic manner?

When I think about the day of Ashura and the tragedy that occurred there, the grief is incomparable, and the tragedy itself seems unparalleled, to say the least.

It is extremely difficult to imagine the Holy Progeny of the prophet Muhammad on that blazing hot desert plane of Karbala not being allowed to have even a taste of water. How could anyone not give a young girl like Sakina or even a six-month-old infant like Ali Asghar a drop of water to drink? It breaks my heart to know that the innocent women and children were forced to suffer with their throats parched and dry on that scorching day.

I am devastated to know that 72 soldiers fought gallantly and courageously for the sake of Islam but were outnumbered and murdered by individuals who supported oppression and tyranny. I weep when I realize that the oppressive opposition was not infidels, rather Muslims. People who claimed to be Muslims and believers would murder true Muslims and believers like Ali Akbar who would go forth to defend Imam Hussain. What type of Muslims would fight against Aba Abdullah and spill the precious blood of the Prince of Martyrs upon the battlefield of Karbala? What type of human beings would behead and decapitate the beautiful head of the grandson of the Seal of the Prophets, Prophet Muhammad, and then trample and crush his body into the sands of Karbala?

For me, to say that I feel sorrow, sadness grief, heartache, pain and deep compassion would only be an understatement. For me to refer to this event as only a tragedy would be simply unfair and unjust. This event was much worse than a tragic misfortune, mass murder, manslaughter, or massacre. That which occurred on this day was so tremendous that narrations say the sky blackened on the day of Ashura, and the earth became such that people feared that the Day of Judgment and Resurrection had begun. Of course for many people that day when it does come, will be the Day of Regret. The Heavens and the Earth and the angels wept on the day of Ashura. Surely Muslims and believers throughout the world from that day on would continue to weep and mourn on the day of Ashura.

This is my inspiration to cry out "Ya Hussain!" and to cry and remember this tragedy. I can now understand why the Prophet cried when Imam Hussain was a mere young child. He looked at him and wept. Lady Fatima (peace be upon her) asked the Prophet, "O father, why are you crying?" He was saddened and replied to her, "Because one day he will die, and there will be nobody to bury the body of my grandson."


Our Imam, Our Duty Today

Indeed time changes our way of life. And we can all agree that society and people have changed in many aspects since the time of the prophet Muhammad until now in this day and age where we live. Some people have come up with the misgiving that Islam is not a modern religion or that it does not conform to modern times. Some people also have similar misgivings about the events of Ashura and Karbala. These individuals feel that the events of Karbala have no relevance or affect on us today.

One of the attributes of Allah the Most High is that he is Just. It would be outside of Allah's justice to place mankind on Earth with free will and without guides or guidelines to recognize what is right and wrong. This is why the Holy Qur'an is an everlasting guide for mankind (2:2). And this is why Allah revealed the Qur'an to the Prophet to teach and propagate the complete religion of Islam. He has also used the Imams as the guides for mankind after the Last Prophet.

Today in the absence of our present Imam, Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance), we still have many ways that we can implement this message of Islam, this message which Imam hussain sacrificed his life to carry out. We have many ways that we are affected today by the occurrence of the events of Ashura and Karbala.

It is ironic that history often repeats itself, as there will be several instances similar between Imam Hussain and Imam Mahdi's situations.

When Imam Mahdi comes, like Imam Hussain, he too will be deserted by many people, even some of his so-called followers. It is narrated in a Hadith in Mizanul Hikmah that when Imam Mahdi begins his uprising, some people who thought themselves to be his clan will desert Imam Mahdi, and some others who used to worship the sun and stars will join and follow him. We can see how on the battlefield of Karbala many people called themselves followers of Islam but in reality they were pretenders and hypocrites – the same ones who would betray the Quran and the Holy Progeny of Prophet Muhammad.

Imam Mahdi's soldiers will be few. In a tradition from Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (peace be upon him), it is stated that he will have 313 close followers. Imam Hussain had a reported 72 soldiers.

Another common facet is the patience of these two Imams. Imam Hussain awaited the end of the truce which Imam Hasan had with Muawiya before he began to make his open invitation towards true Islam and the Right Path. Imam Hussain was patient in waiting for the readiness and willingness of the people and their support – or claim to support. Imam Mahdi is still waiting. Scholars have given the glad tidings and have acknowledged that we are approaching the end of times. Thus, each Muslim and follower and lover of the Ahlul Bayt, now more than ever, regardless of their race, color, citizenship or nationality, becomes affected, and hence each Muslim must prepare for the arrival of the Imam of Our Time. The reality is that Imam Mahdi is not just waiting and twiddling his thumbs. Imam Mahdi is waiting for us. Not as individuals, but as one Ummah, one Muslim nation to coming together in unison for the pleasure of Allah and for the sake of Islam.

This starts with a practical goal. I have to willingly choose to implement these lessons which we learn from Imam Hussain. This means that I must willingly decide that I want to elevate my faith to be like that of the brave Prince of Martyrs Imam Hussain, that I must raise my own standards, that I must elevate from being a Muslim to being a Momin (a true believer) and Muttaqi (God-fearing).

As the famous saying goes, "Every day is Ashura and every land is Karbala." This means that Ashura is not simply one day during which we mourn for our beloved Imam Hussain and his family and companions; rather, it is a day which we must remember every single day throughout the year. If I am truly affected and touched by these incidents, then I must make an effort to not forget them. Unfortunately for many of us who mourn for Imam Hussain during the first ten days of Muharram or during the tragic day of Ashura or even during Arba'een, we don't always make the effort to remember that we too have a duty to prepare for the return of the Imam of Our Time.

As Allah says in the Holy Qur'an, he will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in their hearts (13:11).


Born in the United States, Shaikh Husayn El-Mekki Abdullah-Aziz moved at an early age with his parents to the seminary in Iran, where he studied Islamic jurisprudence, philosophy, and exegesis. He is a popular speaker among the youth in several Shia communities around North America.

Shaikh Husayn El-Mekki



How Does Ashura Affect Me?
Sunday, 27 July 2008 22:35 Shaikh Husayn El-Mekki Abdullah-Aziz .47


The Book and the Holy Progeny

In a Mutawatir (corroborated) tradition from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny), it is narrated, "Verily, I am leaving behind two precious things (Thaqalayn) among you: the Book of God (the Holy Qur'an) and my kindred (Itra), my household (the Ahlul Bayt), for indeed, the two will never separate until they come back to me by the pond [of al­-Kawthar on Judgment Day]."

The message of the Book, the Holy Qur'an, which the Prophet Muhammad spoke of was carried out, propagated, and upheld by the immaculate Imams (peace be upon them), who are this same Itra whom the Prophet had referred to.

Amongst our beloved Saint Imams who were truly valiant heroes, we see the clearly illustrated actions of obedience and submission to the Book as evident in the characteristics of our third Imam, Hussain the son of Ali, the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon them both). This is surely why the Prophet Muhammad, the greatest of Allah's creation, was regarded as saying "Hussain is from me, and I am from Hussain." Imam Hussain carried out his duties as a Muslim and a believer throughout his lifetime. And he followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, the Apostle of God, just as it encourages us to do in the Noble Qur'an on so many occasions.

Shaikh al-Mufid quotes in his Kitab al-Irshad a letter which Imam Hussain would write to the people of Kufa prior to him accepting their invitation and embarking toward Kufa, he identifies and distinguishes his duties as an Imam. In the closing of that letter, Imam Hussain states, "If he (Muslim the son of Aqeel) writes to me that the opinion of your leaders and of the men of wisdom and merit among you is united in the same way as the messengers who have come to me have described, and as I have read in your letters, I will come to you speedily, God willing. For by my life, what is the Imam except one who judges by the Book, one who upholds justice, one who professes the religion of truth, and one who dedicates himself to the essence of God."

Imam Hussain carried out these duties of an Imam for the pleasure of Allah, and as a result today, Muslims throughout the world – in Nigeria, Iran, the United Kingdom, the United States, Indonesia Australia, Colombia, and countless other countries, Muslims across the globe, be they in remote villages or huge cities – mourn and remember the tragic day of Ashura which marks the martyrdom of Imam Hussain and so many of his faithful companions and family.

The Effect of Ashura

The quintessential element of man's ability to reach proximity towards God is also one of the most unique and powerful instruments man possesses: the human heart. What feeling does one feel when he hears or sees tragedies occurring throughout the world? We see many of mankind join in unison on many occasions when they feel a tragedy has come upon others, whether it is incidents such as "Columbine High", "September 11th", the Katrina hurricane, or numerous innocent women and children being killed in Palestine or Iraq.

How heavy does one's heart feel when he is brought the news of the death of a relative or perhaps a dear family member? How much more pain does one express when they know that the death of this family member was resulted in a tragic or catastrophic manner?

When I think about the day of Ashura and the tragedy that occurred there, the grief is incomparable, and the tragedy itself seems unparalleled, to say the least.

It is extremely difficult to imagine the Holy Progeny of the prophet Muhammad on that blazing hot desert plane of Karbala not being allowed to have even a taste of water. How could anyone not give a young girl like Sakina or even a six-month-old infant like Ali Asghar a drop of water to drink? It breaks my heart to know that the innocent women and children were forced to suffer with their throats parched and dry on that scorching day.

I am devastated to know that 72 soldiers fought gallantly and courageously for the sake of Islam but were outnumbered and murdered by individuals who supported oppression and tyranny. I weep when I realize that the oppressive opposition was not infidels, rather Muslims. People who claimed to be Muslims and believers would murder true Muslims and believers like Ali Akbar who would go forth to defend Imam Hussain. What type of Muslims would fight against Aba Abdullah and spill the precious blood of the Prince of Martyrs upon the battlefield of Karbala? What type of human beings would behead and decapitate the beautiful head of the grandson of the Seal of the Prophets, Prophet Muhammad, and then trample and crush his body into the sands of Karbala?

For me, to say that I feel sorrow, sadness grief, heartache, pain and deep compassion would only be an understatement. For me to refer to this event as only a tragedy would be simply unfair and unjust. This event was much worse than a tragic misfortune, mass murder, manslaughter, or massacre. That which occurred on this day was so tremendous that narrations say the sky blackened on the day of Ashura, and the earth became such that people feared that the Day of Judgment and Resurrection had begun. Of course for many people that day when it does come, will be the Day of Regret. The Heavens and the Earth and the angels wept on the day of Ashura. Surely Muslims and believers throughout the world from that day on would continue to weep and mourn on the day of Ashura.

This is my inspiration to cry out "Ya Hussain!" and to cry and remember this tragedy. I can now understand why the Prophet cried when Imam Hussain was a mere young child. He looked at him and wept. Lady Fatima (peace be upon her) asked the Prophet, "O father, why are you crying?" He was saddened and replied to her, "Because one day he will die, and there will be nobody to bury the body of my grandson."


Our Imam, Our Duty Today


Indeed time changes our way of life. And we can all agree that society and people have changed in many aspects since the time of the prophet Muhammad until now in this day and age where we live. Some people have come up with the misgiving that Islam is not a modern religion or that it does not conform to modern times. Some people also have similar misgivings about the events of Ashura and Karbala. These individuals feel that the events of Karbala have no relevance or affect on us today.

One of the attributes of Allah the Most High is that he is Just. It would be outside of Allah's justice to place mankind on Earth with free will and without guides or guidelines to recognize what is right and wrong. This is why the Holy Qur'an is an everlasting guide for mankind (2:2). And this is why Allah revealed the Qur'an to the Prophet to teach and propagate the complete religion of Islam. He has also used the Imams as the guides for mankind after the Last Prophet.

Today in the absence of our present Imam, Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance), we still have many ways that we can implement this message of Islam, this message which Imam hussain sacrificed his life to carry out. We have many ways that we are affected today by the occurrence of the events of Ashura and Karbala.

It is ironic that history often repeats itself, as there will be several instances similar between Imam Hussain and Imam Mahdi's situations.

When Imam Mahdi comes, like Imam Hussain, he too will be deserted by many people, even some of his so-called followers. It is narrated in a Hadith in Mizanul Hikmah that when Imam Mahdi begins his uprising, some people who thought themselves to be his clan will desert Imam Mahdi, and some others who used to worship the sun and stars will join and follow him. We can see how on the battlefield of Karbala many people called themselves followers of Islam but in reality they were pretenders and hypocrites – the same ones who would betray the Quran and the Holy Progeny of Prophet Muhammad.

Imam Mahdi's soldiers will be few. In a tradition from Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (peace be upon him), it is stated that he will have 313 close followers. Imam Hussain had a reported 72 soldiers.

Another common facet is the patience of these two Imams. Imam Hussain awaited the end of the truce which Imam Hasan had with Muawiya before he began to make his open invitation towards true Islam and the Right Path. Imam Hussain was patient in waiting for the readiness and willingness of the people and their support – or claim to support. Imam Mahdi is still waiting. Scholars have given the glad tidings and have acknowledged that we are approaching the end of times. Thus, each Muslim and follower and lover of the Ahlul Bayt, now more than ever, regardless of their race, color, citizenship or nationality, becomes affected, and hence each Muslim must prepare for the arrival of the Imam of Our Time. The reality is that Imam Mahdi is not just waiting and twiddling his thumbs. Imam Mahdi is waiting for us. Not as individuals, but as one Ummah, one Muslim nation to coming together in unison for the pleasure of Allah and for the sake of Islam.

This starts with a practical goal. I have to willingly choose to implement these lessons which we learn from Imam Hussain. This means that I must willingly decide that I want to elevate my faith to be like that of the brave Prince of Martyrs Imam Hussain, that I must raise my own standards, that I must elevate from being a Muslim to being a Momin (a true believer) and Muttaqi (God-fearing).

As the famous saying goes, "Every day is Ashura and every land is Karbala." This means that Ashura is not simply one day during which we mourn for our beloved Imam Hussain and his family and companions; rather, it is a day which we must remember every single day throughout the year. If I am truly affected and touched by these incidents, then I must make an effort to not forget them. Unfortunately for many of us who mourn for Imam Hussain during the first ten days of Muharram or during the tragic day of Ashura or even during Arba'een, we don't always make the effort to remember that we too have a duty to prepare for the return of the Imam of Our Time.

As Allah says in the Holy Qur'an, he will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in their hearts (13:11).


Born in the United States, Shaikh Husayn El-Mekki Abdullah-Aziz moved at an early age with his parents to the seminary in Iran, where he studied Islamic jurisprudence, philosophy, and exegesis. He is a popular speaker among the youth in several Shia communities around North America.