by Shahista Asharia
The Month of Ramadhan is supposed to be about learning
self-restraint and to remember those that do not
have food throughout the year, yet it is increasingly
becoming more about preparing throughout the day for
a huge evening feast. Is this Holy Month becoming more
about feasting than fasting?
According to Gulfnews, the Middle-Eastern food company
Co-op Al Islami has an increase of 75% in food
sales during the month of Ramadhan. In Saudi Arabia,
stores boast that their sales increase by 25% during the
month, and a study in the Kingdom highlighted that
consumers spend two to three times their usual
monthly expenditure during the month of Ramadhan.
Surprising, one might say, in a month in which there is
no eating in daylight hours.
Also surprising, considering narrations tell us that the
Prophet Muhammad (saaw) used to break his fast with
nothing but milk and dates. A far cry from the mitumbua
and dhokras that still struggle to satisfy our taste
buds today.
The famous narration about the family of Syeda Fatima
(as) fasting for three days and giving their iftar to the
poor, the orphan and the captive, after which Sura Insaan
(Dahr) was revealed in honour of their kind gesture,
states that they gave away all they had to eat,
which was one loaf of bread each. Today we would
laugh at the thought of breaking our fast with a loaf of
bread. Give us some oily chicken curry to go with it and
we still wouldn’t be happy.
Of course, many people overstock for the month of
Ramadhan, and others invite family and friends over for
Iftar, which is great, but if one really cares about those
guests they wouldn’t feed them so much that they have
to loosen a notch on their belt by the time they leave!
A true host should be more concerned about feeding
their guest healthy food than pleasing them with fatty
delicacies.
So this month of Ramadhan, let’s decide to end the
customs of eating a full day’s food in half an hour, and
rather to fill ourselves only to the extent which is necessary.
You’ll save time cooking, money shopping, and
will feel much better about yourself at the end of the
month!
Saturday 1 September 2007
Backbiting
by Hasnain Asharia
“O ye who believe! Avoid suspicion as much (as possible):
for suspicion in some cases is a sin: And spy not
on each other behind their backs. Would any of you
like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay, ye
would abhor it...But fear Allah. For Allah is Oft-
Returning, Most Merciful.” – Quran 49:12
WHAT IS GHEEBAT?
Imam Musa al-Kadhim has said: “If one speaks of a
person in his absence about those of his traits which
are actually present in him and people are also aware
of it, it is not Gheebat. But if he mentions something
which is present in the person but people are unaware
of it, it would be Gheebat. Moreover if what he
says is not present in the man, it is allegation
(Bohtaan).”
Other definitions from the Prophet (saw) and
Imam Ja’far Sadiq (as) have stated Gheebat is
remembering your brother in a way he dislikes as
well as exposing that aspect of your brother
which Allah had concealed.
EXCEPTIONS FOR GHEEBAT?
Gheebat is allowed in three instances.
1) Gheebat of a person whose defect is not
hidden i.e. it is known to all. For example
one who walks the streets with alcohol in
his hand. The riwayah says: “One who
sins openly is not worthy of respect and
his Gheebat is not haram…one who has
thrown away the robe of shame and commits
sins openly is not Gheebat.”
(Makasib Muhrima Pg 27 Vol 4)
2) If an oppressed person complains about
the oppressor and mentions his acts of
injustice, it is not Gheebat. As the Almighty
Allah (swt) says: “A;;ah does not
love the public utterance of hurtful speech
unless it be by one to whom injustice has
been done” – Quran 4:148
3) Advice to those who ask for it; for instance
when seeking advice on a certain
person for marriage.
WHAT IS THE PUNISHMENT OF GHEEBAT?
The Holy Prophet (saw) has been recorded to
have said: “Gheebat is worse than fornication because
if a fornicator repents, Allah forgives him but
He does not forgive the backbiter till the person
about whom he has backbitten forgives.” (Makasibe
Muhrima Vol. 3 Pg 310)
“Even if the backbiter repents he will be the last to
enter Paradise and one who dies without repenting
will be first in Hell.”
Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (as) has said: “Gheebat is
haram for all Muslims and there is no doubt that
Gheebat destroys good deeds like fire destroys wood.”
“Gheebat destroys good deeds” means that Gheebat
invalidates all the good actions that one has performed
or that the sin of Gheebat exceeds the
rewards he has accumulated from the past good
deeds or that the deeds of the backbiter are
transferred to the scroll of deeds of the one
about whom he has backbitten. There are numerous
narrations where these have been cited form
the Holy Prophet (saww).
Even listening to Gheebat is Haraam. Imam ja’far
Sadiq (as) has said: “Gheebat is equal to infidelity i.e.
one who does it is a Kaafir and listening to it and
being pleased with it is like polytheism i.e. he is a
mushrik.” The Prophet (saw) has said: “One who
listens to Gheebat is one of those who do Gheebat”
and He has also said: “One who lends ear to
backbiting is one of the backbiters.”
Therefore all Muslims are obliged not to hear the
Gheebat of a believer. They must restrain the
backbiter so that the honour of the momin is
preserved. They should help the mu’min in saving
his honour. Thus, I urge myself before I urge you
brother and sisters, let us make this Holy Month
of forgiveness to repent and remove such a vulgar
habit.
The Holy Prophet (saw) has said: “If one defends
his believing brother’s honour while backbiting is done
about him in a way that he proves him faltless, Allah
shall remove from him thousands of mischiefs from
the world and the hereafter. But if he does not dispel
them in spite of being able to do so, his sin shall be
seventy times that of the backbiter.”
“O ye who believe! Avoid suspicion as much (as possible):
for suspicion in some cases is a sin: And spy not
on each other behind their backs. Would any of you
like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay, ye
would abhor it...But fear Allah. For Allah is Oft-
Returning, Most Merciful.” – Quran 49:12
WHAT IS GHEEBAT?
Imam Musa al-Kadhim has said: “If one speaks of a
person in his absence about those of his traits which
are actually present in him and people are also aware
of it, it is not Gheebat. But if he mentions something
which is present in the person but people are unaware
of it, it would be Gheebat. Moreover if what he
says is not present in the man, it is allegation
(Bohtaan).”
Other definitions from the Prophet (saw) and
Imam Ja’far Sadiq (as) have stated Gheebat is
remembering your brother in a way he dislikes as
well as exposing that aspect of your brother
which Allah had concealed.
EXCEPTIONS FOR GHEEBAT?
Gheebat is allowed in three instances.
1) Gheebat of a person whose defect is not
hidden i.e. it is known to all. For example
one who walks the streets with alcohol in
his hand. The riwayah says: “One who
sins openly is not worthy of respect and
his Gheebat is not haram…one who has
thrown away the robe of shame and commits
sins openly is not Gheebat.”
(Makasib Muhrima Pg 27 Vol 4)
2) If an oppressed person complains about
the oppressor and mentions his acts of
injustice, it is not Gheebat. As the Almighty
Allah (swt) says: “A;;ah does not
love the public utterance of hurtful speech
unless it be by one to whom injustice has
been done” – Quran 4:148
3) Advice to those who ask for it; for instance
when seeking advice on a certain
person for marriage.
WHAT IS THE PUNISHMENT OF GHEEBAT?
The Holy Prophet (saw) has been recorded to
have said: “Gheebat is worse than fornication because
if a fornicator repents, Allah forgives him but
He does not forgive the backbiter till the person
about whom he has backbitten forgives.” (Makasibe
Muhrima Vol. 3 Pg 310)
“Even if the backbiter repents he will be the last to
enter Paradise and one who dies without repenting
will be first in Hell.”
Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (as) has said: “Gheebat is
haram for all Muslims and there is no doubt that
Gheebat destroys good deeds like fire destroys wood.”
“Gheebat destroys good deeds” means that Gheebat
invalidates all the good actions that one has performed
or that the sin of Gheebat exceeds the
rewards he has accumulated from the past good
deeds or that the deeds of the backbiter are
transferred to the scroll of deeds of the one
about whom he has backbitten. There are numerous
narrations where these have been cited form
the Holy Prophet (saww).
Even listening to Gheebat is Haraam. Imam ja’far
Sadiq (as) has said: “Gheebat is equal to infidelity i.e.
one who does it is a Kaafir and listening to it and
being pleased with it is like polytheism i.e. he is a
mushrik.” The Prophet (saw) has said: “One who
listens to Gheebat is one of those who do Gheebat”
and He has also said: “One who lends ear to
backbiting is one of the backbiters.”
Therefore all Muslims are obliged not to hear the
Gheebat of a believer. They must restrain the
backbiter so that the honour of the momin is
preserved. They should help the mu’min in saving
his honour. Thus, I urge myself before I urge you
brother and sisters, let us make this Holy Month
of forgiveness to repent and remove such a vulgar
habit.
The Holy Prophet (saw) has said: “If one defends
his believing brother’s honour while backbiting is done
about him in a way that he proves him faltless, Allah
shall remove from him thousands of mischiefs from
the world and the hereafter. But if he does not dispel
them in spite of being able to do so, his sin shall be
seventy times that of the backbiter.”
Bibi Khadija (as): Mother of the Believers
Khadija was the first and most beloved wife of the
Holy Prophet and she literally lived and died for
Islam. Thus, it may come as a surprise to some to
hear that the Holy Prophet had said “Islam did not
rise except through the sword of Ali and the wealth of
Khadija.” Before Islam, Khadija was known as the
Princess of Makkah, but when the sun of Islam rose
above the horizon, Allah was pleased to honour
her as the Princess of Islam. In a period where the
Arabs used to look down upon women. Khadija
had earned the title of al-Tahira, the Pure One.
This was due to her impeccable personality and
virtuous character as well as her honorable descent.
Not only did she used to feed and clothe the
poor but she also assisted her relatives financially.
One particular quality in Khadija which surpassed
all her other qualities was that she, unlike the people
of the time, never believed in nor worshipped
idols and I always believed in the oneness of God.
However, the only quality we seem to remember
of her is her wealth. Indeed she was very wealthy
and it has been narrated that when Banu Quraish’s
trade caravans gathered to embark upon their
lengthy and strenuous journey to either Syria or
Yemen, Khadija’s caravan would equal the caravans
of all the other traders of Quraish put together.
In the year 595 AD Prophet Muhammad (saw), at
the age of 25, and Bibi Khadija (as) 40 at the time,
married. Abu Talib (as) read the Nikah on behalf of
the Prophet whilst Khadija’s cousin Waqara bin
Noufal read it on her behalf. Hazrat Abu Talib (as)
paid the mehr for his nephew and fed the people of
Mecca for 3 days in celebration, whilst Khadija (as)
fed the people too. However it was Abu Talib, the
uncle of the Prophet and father of Imam Ali (as),
who delivered the marriage sermon saying:
“All praise is due to Allah Who has made us the progeny
of Ibrahim and Who made us the custodians of His
House and the servants of its sacred precincts, making
for us a House sought for pilgrimage and a shrine of
security, and He also gave us authority over the people.
This nephew of mine Muhammad cannot be compared
with any other man: if you compare his wealth with that
of others, you will not find him a man of wealth, for
wealth is a vanishing shadow and a fickle thing. Muhammad
is a man whose lineage you all know, and he
has sought Khadijah bint Khuwaylid for marriage, offering
her such-and-such of the dower of my own wealth.”
During their marriage, when the Prophet used to
meditate in the cave of Hira on Jabel Noor, it was
Bibi Khadija (as) who would climb up there to give
him his food and necessaries. And it was none
other than Khadija who became the first women to
accept Islam as taught by the Holy Prophet (saw).
After the Prophet narrated his experience to
Khadija, she said, "By Allah, Allah shall never subject
you to any indignity, for you always maintain your ties
with those of your kin, and you are always generous in
giving; you are diligent, and you seek what others regard
as unattainable; you cool the eyes of your guest,
and you lend your support to those who seek justice
and redress. Stay firm, O cousin, for by Allah I know
that He will not deal with you except most beautifully,
and I testify that you are the awaited Prophet in this
nation, and your time, if Allah wills, has come.”
Hence Khadija did not hesitate to embrace Islam at
all and after her acceptance of the prophethood
she remained at his side and supported him
throughout his mission to spread Islam.
The Holy Prophet (pbuh) and Bibi Khadija (a.s)
were married for 24 years and it was a marriage full
of love, compassion, and virtue. This was so evident
even after the death of Khadija that Aisha, the
youngest wife of the Prophet, had said “I never felt
jealous of any of the wives of the Prophet (pbuh) as I
did of Khadija, although she died before he married me,
because of what I heard him say about her and I felt
extremely jealous and said to him: But she was only an
old woman with red eyes, and Allah has compensated
you with a better and younger wife.” This caused the
Prophet (pbuh) to be very angry, and he said, “No,
indeed; He has not compensated me with someone
better than her. She believed in me when all others
disbelieved; she held me truthful when others called me
a liar; she sheltered me when others abandoned me;
she comforted me when others shunned me; and Allah
granted me children by her while depriving me of children
by other women.”
Among Khadija’s merits was the fact Allah (swt)
ordered Jibraeel to convey His regards to her.
Jibraeel came to the Prophet (saw) and said: “O
Allah's Messenger, Khadija is coming to you with a
vessel of seasoned food or drink. When she comes to
you, offer her greetings from her Lord, the Exalted and
Glorious, and on my behalf and give her glad tidings of
a palace of pipes of gold and jewels in Paradise wherein
there is no noise and no toil.” Khadija replied, "Allah is
the Peace, and He is the source of all peace, and upon
Gabriel be peace."
Abu Muhammad Ordoni mentions in his book
“Fatima the Gracious”: “As for Lady Khadijah, she
was a beautiful, tall, light skinned woman, considered
noble among her people; she was wise in decisionmaking,
enjoyed a great deal of intelligence and sharp
discernment. She bestowed her brilliant insight of economical
principles, especially in the export and import
field, on the trade market. This was Khadijah the human,
the woman, and the wife; on the other hand, she
granted thousands of dinars to her husband to use as
he saw fit. Thus, Khadijah's financial support had a
great role in strengthening Islam during its prime days,
when it was still in the formation stage and critically
needed material aid. Allah foreordained Khadijah's
property to help Islam and fulfill its goals.”
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said regarding Khadija,
“No property has ever been so useful to me as Khadijah's.”
Whilst this property was used none other
than to free slaves, help the needy, support the
poor and rescue his financially inflicted companions.
He also paved the way for those who wished to
immigrate; all this through Khadija's wealth. Furthermore,
Khadija fed the poor Muslims, day after
day, so that no one among them ever went hungry,
and she provided shelter to them. For her, charity
was nothing new but the size and scope of the
commitment were; she spent money prodigiously
on the poor and the homeless Muslims of Mecca.
The support that Khadija gave to the Muslim community
in Makka, was indispensable for the survival
of Islam. Her support to the Muslim community
guaranteed its survival when it was in a state of
blockade. In this sense, she was a maker of history
the history of Islam.
It is for these reasons Allah (swt) has honored her
in the Quran as the Mother of the Believers. In
Surah Ahzab: “The Prophet is closer to the believers
than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers”
(33:6). Although the verse claims all wives of
the Prophet are the Mothers of Believers, between
them and Khadija there is a basic difference. All the
wives married in Madinah received earnings from
the Bavt-ul-Mal, the Public Treasury. Some of the
wives even claimed special privileges and demanded
special bonuses from him. They even had the audacity
to claim that the earnings paid to them was
insufficient for their needs, and they could not buy
enough food to eat from it.
Khadija, on the other hand, never asked her husband
for anything. Far from asking him to bring
anything for her, she made her own purse a public
treasury for the Muslims. In Makkah there was no
Public Treasury, and it was the boundless generosity
and the unlimited wealth of Khadija that saved
the community of the faithful from starving. She
was so considerate of the welfare of the followers
of her husband that she didn't withhold even the
last coin that was in her possession, and spent it on
them. It is reported that by the time she died, her
entire wealth had already been spent to promote
Islam; she left not a single gold dinar nor a single
silver dirham, nor anything more or less.
Therefore, in conclusion it is no surprise that Bibi
Khadija (a.s) is of one of the four women promised
paradise and amongst the four perfect women who
could measure up to the high standards of true
greatness and perfection set by Islam.
Holy Prophet and she literally lived and died for
Islam. Thus, it may come as a surprise to some to
hear that the Holy Prophet had said “Islam did not
rise except through the sword of Ali and the wealth of
Khadija.” Before Islam, Khadija was known as the
Princess of Makkah, but when the sun of Islam rose
above the horizon, Allah was pleased to honour
her as the Princess of Islam. In a period where the
Arabs used to look down upon women. Khadija
had earned the title of al-Tahira, the Pure One.
This was due to her impeccable personality and
virtuous character as well as her honorable descent.
Not only did she used to feed and clothe the
poor but she also assisted her relatives financially.
One particular quality in Khadija which surpassed
all her other qualities was that she, unlike the people
of the time, never believed in nor worshipped
idols and I always believed in the oneness of God.
However, the only quality we seem to remember
of her is her wealth. Indeed she was very wealthy
and it has been narrated that when Banu Quraish’s
trade caravans gathered to embark upon their
lengthy and strenuous journey to either Syria or
Yemen, Khadija’s caravan would equal the caravans
of all the other traders of Quraish put together.
In the year 595 AD Prophet Muhammad (saw), at
the age of 25, and Bibi Khadija (as) 40 at the time,
married. Abu Talib (as) read the Nikah on behalf of
the Prophet whilst Khadija’s cousin Waqara bin
Noufal read it on her behalf. Hazrat Abu Talib (as)
paid the mehr for his nephew and fed the people of
Mecca for 3 days in celebration, whilst Khadija (as)
fed the people too. However it was Abu Talib, the
uncle of the Prophet and father of Imam Ali (as),
who delivered the marriage sermon saying:
“All praise is due to Allah Who has made us the progeny
of Ibrahim and Who made us the custodians of His
House and the servants of its sacred precincts, making
for us a House sought for pilgrimage and a shrine of
security, and He also gave us authority over the people.
This nephew of mine Muhammad cannot be compared
with any other man: if you compare his wealth with that
of others, you will not find him a man of wealth, for
wealth is a vanishing shadow and a fickle thing. Muhammad
is a man whose lineage you all know, and he
has sought Khadijah bint Khuwaylid for marriage, offering
her such-and-such of the dower of my own wealth.”
During their marriage, when the Prophet used to
meditate in the cave of Hira on Jabel Noor, it was
Bibi Khadija (as) who would climb up there to give
him his food and necessaries. And it was none
other than Khadija who became the first women to
accept Islam as taught by the Holy Prophet (saw).
After the Prophet narrated his experience to
Khadija, she said, "By Allah, Allah shall never subject
you to any indignity, for you always maintain your ties
with those of your kin, and you are always generous in
giving; you are diligent, and you seek what others regard
as unattainable; you cool the eyes of your guest,
and you lend your support to those who seek justice
and redress. Stay firm, O cousin, for by Allah I know
that He will not deal with you except most beautifully,
and I testify that you are the awaited Prophet in this
nation, and your time, if Allah wills, has come.”
Hence Khadija did not hesitate to embrace Islam at
all and after her acceptance of the prophethood
she remained at his side and supported him
throughout his mission to spread Islam.
The Holy Prophet (pbuh) and Bibi Khadija (a.s)
were married for 24 years and it was a marriage full
of love, compassion, and virtue. This was so evident
even after the death of Khadija that Aisha, the
youngest wife of the Prophet, had said “I never felt
jealous of any of the wives of the Prophet (pbuh) as I
did of Khadija, although she died before he married me,
because of what I heard him say about her and I felt
extremely jealous and said to him: But she was only an
old woman with red eyes, and Allah has compensated
you with a better and younger wife.” This caused the
Prophet (pbuh) to be very angry, and he said, “No,
indeed; He has not compensated me with someone
better than her. She believed in me when all others
disbelieved; she held me truthful when others called me
a liar; she sheltered me when others abandoned me;
she comforted me when others shunned me; and Allah
granted me children by her while depriving me of children
by other women.”
Among Khadija’s merits was the fact Allah (swt)
ordered Jibraeel to convey His regards to her.
Jibraeel came to the Prophet (saw) and said: “O
Allah's Messenger, Khadija is coming to you with a
vessel of seasoned food or drink. When she comes to
you, offer her greetings from her Lord, the Exalted and
Glorious, and on my behalf and give her glad tidings of
a palace of pipes of gold and jewels in Paradise wherein
there is no noise and no toil.” Khadija replied, "Allah is
the Peace, and He is the source of all peace, and upon
Gabriel be peace."
Abu Muhammad Ordoni mentions in his book
“Fatima the Gracious”: “As for Lady Khadijah, she
was a beautiful, tall, light skinned woman, considered
noble among her people; she was wise in decisionmaking,
enjoyed a great deal of intelligence and sharp
discernment. She bestowed her brilliant insight of economical
principles, especially in the export and import
field, on the trade market. This was Khadijah the human,
the woman, and the wife; on the other hand, she
granted thousands of dinars to her husband to use as
he saw fit. Thus, Khadijah's financial support had a
great role in strengthening Islam during its prime days,
when it was still in the formation stage and critically
needed material aid. Allah foreordained Khadijah's
property to help Islam and fulfill its goals.”
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said regarding Khadija,
“No property has ever been so useful to me as Khadijah's.”
Whilst this property was used none other
than to free slaves, help the needy, support the
poor and rescue his financially inflicted companions.
He also paved the way for those who wished to
immigrate; all this through Khadija's wealth. Furthermore,
Khadija fed the poor Muslims, day after
day, so that no one among them ever went hungry,
and she provided shelter to them. For her, charity
was nothing new but the size and scope of the
commitment were; she spent money prodigiously
on the poor and the homeless Muslims of Mecca.
The support that Khadija gave to the Muslim community
in Makka, was indispensable for the survival
of Islam. Her support to the Muslim community
guaranteed its survival when it was in a state of
blockade. In this sense, she was a maker of history
the history of Islam.
It is for these reasons Allah (swt) has honored her
in the Quran as the Mother of the Believers. In
Surah Ahzab: “The Prophet is closer to the believers
than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers”
(33:6). Although the verse claims all wives of
the Prophet are the Mothers of Believers, between
them and Khadija there is a basic difference. All the
wives married in Madinah received earnings from
the Bavt-ul-Mal, the Public Treasury. Some of the
wives even claimed special privileges and demanded
special bonuses from him. They even had the audacity
to claim that the earnings paid to them was
insufficient for their needs, and they could not buy
enough food to eat from it.
Khadija, on the other hand, never asked her husband
for anything. Far from asking him to bring
anything for her, she made her own purse a public
treasury for the Muslims. In Makkah there was no
Public Treasury, and it was the boundless generosity
and the unlimited wealth of Khadija that saved
the community of the faithful from starving. She
was so considerate of the welfare of the followers
of her husband that she didn't withhold even the
last coin that was in her possession, and spent it on
them. It is reported that by the time she died, her
entire wealth had already been spent to promote
Islam; she left not a single gold dinar nor a single
silver dirham, nor anything more or less.
Therefore, in conclusion it is no surprise that Bibi
Khadija (a.s) is of one of the four women promised
paradise and amongst the four perfect women who
could measure up to the high standards of true
greatness and perfection set by Islam.
Misconceptions about Shi'ism
by Talib Moore
I’m sure many of you have experienced times during
your life where people have questioned you about
your beliefs; Inshallah this article will help tackle
some of the misconceptions about Shiism.
A few days ago a brother came to me and said “Do
you know why the Shia people are wrong?” I replied
“Why?” He told me “You believe that Ali (as) should
have received the Qur’an, not the Prophet (saw)!”
I was shocked to hear such a misconception!
1) why was he dictating our beliefs, and how would he know
if he had not even researched his claim? It fully invalidated
his point.
2) Why would we emulate the Prophet if we did not believe he deserved the
Qur’an? We need to find out where people get this
nonfactual information about us as this is where people
manipulate our teachings to make Shiism out to
be a distorted vision of Islam.
This story reminds me of when I was relaxing in a
park with friends. They had asked me to tell them
about the tragic ordeal of the Prophet’s (saw) pure
family. After I had told them they were left in awe
but as soon as I had finished, one listener asked me
what sect I followed. When the reply was Shia, he
asked- “aren’t those the crazy Muslims that beat themselves
up?” It just goes to show how much respect
people show of our view of Islam.
A few years ago another friend of mine questioned
me about why we “harm” the body blessed from
Allah (swt) by performing the act of mourning known
as Matam. At first I was reluctant to answer as I did
not think I would make the right point. After a few
seconds of thought I asked my friend how fasting felt.
He told me on some days it hurt but that he still
persevered and fasted the next day and the next. I
said “so sometimes it did hurt but you still did it even
though it might hurt again?” and he said “Yes it is wajib”.
I told him one of the reasons Muslims fast is to feel
what needy people feel and to feel the pain of hunger,
by doing so making you more considerate of
them. So if every year we “harm” the body that Allah
gave us by Matam don’t you put your body in a similar
ordeal when fasting, deliberately to experience
what some have to go through every day?
That is yet another misconception about Shiism.
Many people need to open their eyes and realise that
our practices are not that far-fetched and we commit
to acts like Matam because people such as the
Prophet (saw), Imam Ali (as), Imam Husayn (as) and
Hazrat Abbas (as) to name a few gave everything
they held dear to themselves away to preserve the
true message of Islam.
When researching for this article I was intrigued to
find a quote on AIM Islam stating-"The first time I
encountered Islam was in a bookshop in Rome...I had set
my eyes on an Italian translation of the Holy Quran. It
was a short surah "In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate,
the Merciful. Say: He is One, The Almighty,
needed by everyone but Who needs none. He is father of
none nor is He born by anyone. He is like none and is
One." (Surah Ikhlas). These brief sentences...hit me like a
powerful bomb and shattered all my thoughts and beliefs
as taught by the Vatican centre regarding the Father, Son
and the Holy Spirit…Spell-bound, I continued my studies
on Islam...I finally became Muslim and I am presently
making efforts to learn Arabic in order to translate Islamic
works in foreign languages as service to Islam and my
God."
To hear such things make me think to myself –
Subhanallah, the Qur’an can inspire such things! I
often used to ask converts how they discovered
Islam and why they were drawn to this beautiful
religion. One, in particular, told me he went to
church every Sunday but never really grasped the
religion and there was always something he felt he
wasn’t being told. I think the reason why he felt that
way was because they forced him into the religion
and suffocated him. He had read Surah Al Hamd and
said ever since he had heard its English translation it
stuck in his mind and drew him to Islam through the
power of speech, not sword.
There is also a hadith narrated by Bukhari and Muslim
that really shows how well Islam works even for
people who have not yet seen the beauty of it.
Hakim ibn Hizam said to Rusulillah (s.a.w.), "You know
that in the days before Islam I used to maintain family
ties, free slaves, and give charity. Will I be rewarded for
any of those deeds?" Rusulillah (s.a.w.) replied, "You
accepted Islam with all the good you did in the past."
This shows the beauty of Islam because even when
you are not a follower your thawab is carried on and
your past sin is all forgiven.
Even today Islam is the fastest growing religion in the
world and remains today, the most practical.
I’m sure many of you have experienced times during
your life where people have questioned you about
your beliefs; Inshallah this article will help tackle
some of the misconceptions about Shiism.
A few days ago a brother came to me and said “Do
you know why the Shia people are wrong?” I replied
“Why?” He told me “You believe that Ali (as) should
have received the Qur’an, not the Prophet (saw)!”
I was shocked to hear such a misconception!
1) why was he dictating our beliefs, and how would he know
if he had not even researched his claim? It fully invalidated
his point.
2) Why would we emulate the Prophet if we did not believe he deserved the
Qur’an? We need to find out where people get this
nonfactual information about us as this is where people
manipulate our teachings to make Shiism out to
be a distorted vision of Islam.
This story reminds me of when I was relaxing in a
park with friends. They had asked me to tell them
about the tragic ordeal of the Prophet’s (saw) pure
family. After I had told them they were left in awe
but as soon as I had finished, one listener asked me
what sect I followed. When the reply was Shia, he
asked- “aren’t those the crazy Muslims that beat themselves
up?” It just goes to show how much respect
people show of our view of Islam.
A few years ago another friend of mine questioned
me about why we “harm” the body blessed from
Allah (swt) by performing the act of mourning known
as Matam. At first I was reluctant to answer as I did
not think I would make the right point. After a few
seconds of thought I asked my friend how fasting felt.
He told me on some days it hurt but that he still
persevered and fasted the next day and the next. I
said “so sometimes it did hurt but you still did it even
though it might hurt again?” and he said “Yes it is wajib”.
I told him one of the reasons Muslims fast is to feel
what needy people feel and to feel the pain of hunger,
by doing so making you more considerate of
them. So if every year we “harm” the body that Allah
gave us by Matam don’t you put your body in a similar
ordeal when fasting, deliberately to experience
what some have to go through every day?
That is yet another misconception about Shiism.
Many people need to open their eyes and realise that
our practices are not that far-fetched and we commit
to acts like Matam because people such as the
Prophet (saw), Imam Ali (as), Imam Husayn (as) and
Hazrat Abbas (as) to name a few gave everything
they held dear to themselves away to preserve the
true message of Islam.
When researching for this article I was intrigued to
find a quote on AIM Islam stating-"The first time I
encountered Islam was in a bookshop in Rome...I had set
my eyes on an Italian translation of the Holy Quran. It
was a short surah "In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate,
the Merciful. Say: He is One, The Almighty,
needed by everyone but Who needs none. He is father of
none nor is He born by anyone. He is like none and is
One." (Surah Ikhlas). These brief sentences...hit me like a
powerful bomb and shattered all my thoughts and beliefs
as taught by the Vatican centre regarding the Father, Son
and the Holy Spirit…Spell-bound, I continued my studies
on Islam...I finally became Muslim and I am presently
making efforts to learn Arabic in order to translate Islamic
works in foreign languages as service to Islam and my
God."
To hear such things make me think to myself –
Subhanallah, the Qur’an can inspire such things! I
often used to ask converts how they discovered
Islam and why they were drawn to this beautiful
religion. One, in particular, told me he went to
church every Sunday but never really grasped the
religion and there was always something he felt he
wasn’t being told. I think the reason why he felt that
way was because they forced him into the religion
and suffocated him. He had read Surah Al Hamd and
said ever since he had heard its English translation it
stuck in his mind and drew him to Islam through the
power of speech, not sword.
There is also a hadith narrated by Bukhari and Muslim
that really shows how well Islam works even for
people who have not yet seen the beauty of it.
Hakim ibn Hizam said to Rusulillah (s.a.w.), "You know
that in the days before Islam I used to maintain family
ties, free slaves, and give charity. Will I be rewarded for
any of those deeds?" Rusulillah (s.a.w.) replied, "You
accepted Islam with all the good you did in the past."
This shows the beauty of Islam because even when
you are not a follower your thawab is carried on and
your past sin is all forgiven.
Even today Islam is the fastest growing religion in the
world and remains today, the most practical.
Music to your ears?
by Abbas Alidina
Music is present throughout the world, and is central
to defining and differentiating between varying
cultures as well as religious beliefs. Music has become
instilled as part of our everyday lives in
Western Society, played in cars, homes, restaurants
and shopping centres. With the development of
technology, people are constantly listening to music
on the go, using CD players, mp3 players and iPods,
making music one of the largest industries in the
world, with artists making millions writing songs, &
consumers spending thousands purchasing them.
Scholars in Islam unanimously agree that the majority
of genres of music are haram. Yet in society
today, most youths tend to see music as a so-called
“lesser sin”, listening to it at home, in their cars,
and even while watching TV, without thinking of
the consequences and effects this may have on
their mind, body and soul.
Ayatullah Shirazi writes in his book “Greater Sins,”
that playing instruments and listening to music is
classified as the 15th Greatest Sin in Islam which
was confirmed by Imam Ali ar-Rida (a.s.) who said
“to be engrossed in musical instruments is also a
Greater Sin.” The Holy Prophet has said, “Allah has
sent me as a mercy to the worlds, to guide the people.
And He ordered me to eradicate the playing of flute
and other instruments of music.” Yet youths question
the judgement of our Prophet and Imams by defying
their orders – in turn defying Allah – and continue
to listen to music. A sin such as music is one
which is amplified and leads to even greater sin. By
affecting your mind and influencing your desires,
music can lead to sins as grave as adultery.
Imam Ali (as) has been quoted as saying, “Angels
do not even enter a house that has wine, drum,
tambourine or a flute. Even the prayers of the inhabitants
of this house are unacceptable. They are deprived
of barakat.”
I ask those who listen to music,
how can the angels record any of our good acts
if they cannot enter our house? Your good deeds,
as well as those of your family are all wasted.
Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (as) has said “The playing of
violin promotes the growth of hypocrisy in the heart
like water assists the growth of vegetation (algae).” It is
no wonder that those who listen to music pray
their Salaat, and recite in Sura Fateha “Keep us on
the right path. The path of those whom Thou hast
favoured; Not the pat) of those who earn your anger,
nor of those who go astray” only to go and turn the
music back on within 5 minutes – a sign that their
hearts are already filled with hypocrisy.
Imam Ali ar-Rida (a.s.) said, “A person invites Divine
wrath when in his house instruments like flute, drum
and chess are played for forty days. If this man dies
within these forty days, his death would be of a
sinner and a transgressor. His place shall be in Hell.
And what a dreadful place it is!”
Not only are we destroying our own souls by filling
our heart with hypocrisy, we are causing those
living in our household to suffer for our sins, by
depriving them of blessings from Allah and causing
their prayers to be rejected.
The traditions concerning the signs of the last stage
of time before the return of our 12th Imam (a.s.)
mention “you shall see that music will be so prevalent
that no one will dissuade others nor will he find in himself
the need to do so. And you shall see that music
would be openly played even in the two sanctuaries (the
city of Makkah and Madinah.”
Those who have had the honour to visit the Holy
Land will have witnessed the sound of musical ringtones
being played inside the Haram, beside the
Ka’aba. It is clear how imminent the return of our
Imam is.
Looking at the Quran, we see many verses providing
undeniable evidence that music is haram. In Sura
Mu’minun, Allah describes to us what attributes a
believer. “Successful are the believers... who keep
away from vain words” (23:3) When asked, Imam
Ja’far as-Sadiq (as) said the vain words mentioned
above, is referring to the “words of the musicians.”
In Sura 22, Allah says “avoid the idols, and avoid false
words.” (22:30) These false words the Quran speaks
of, are the words of musicians – the words which
oppose reality and oppose Islam. The same words
that devalue hijab, advertise alcohol, and promote
materialism.
The Quran also says “There are those who do not
witness vain words. And when they walk past, they walk
by in a state of honour.” (25:72) When the righteous
people pass by a place where music is being played,
they pass by in a dignified manner, uninfluenced and
unimpressed. Imam Musa al-Kadhim (as) was passing
by the house of Bishr Haafi, where he heard the
sound of dance and music. At that moment a slavegirl
emerged from the house. The Imam asked, “Is
the owner of this house a free person or a slave?” She
replied, “He is a free man.” Hearing this, the Imam
remarked, “You speak the truth, for had he been a
slave, he would have feared his Master.”
When we compare the words of a musician to the
words of an Imam, we can see why the path of
Ahlul Bayt (as) is the Siratul Mustaqeem.
Our 4th Imam says “The rights of the tongue are that
you consider it too noble to say obscene words. And you
direct it towards good. And you direct it towards benefiting
your religion. And when you see your tongue engaging
in idle talk, you should refrain. Know that the tongue
is the witness to the existence of intellect.” When
speaking about the rights of the ear, our Imam
simply said “Know that your ears are the direct
pathway to your heart.” The subconscious
messages from the music we listen to, which promote
sexual desires, alcohol and drugs, enters and
fills our hearts.
A man of intellect will have a noble tongue. But in
the case of musicians today, who lack shame, selfrespect,
and any sense of nobility, their intellect
must be low. It is no wonder that the pop star’s of
today’s society – who act as role models for many
youths – are alcoholics, on the brink of psychological
breakdown. The reason behind their fall from
the mountain of success, despite having all the
money they could ever need, could only be explained
by a lack of faith and intellect, leaving a
gaping hole in their lives, forcing them to turn to
music, alcohol and sexual desires. Whereas a follower
of Ahlul Bayt (as) doesn’t need music, but
instead fills his heart with the belief in Allah and
love for the Ahlul Bayt (as.) We already have someone
to thank for the bounties and favours showered
upon us, and we have someone to turn to in
times of need. We don’t need music to channel our
emotion or express our love.
When contemplating the punishment regarding
music, we should not look at the sin, we
should look at who we’re sinning against –
The All-Mighty, The Magnificent Allah.
Music is present throughout the world, and is central
to defining and differentiating between varying
cultures as well as religious beliefs. Music has become
instilled as part of our everyday lives in
Western Society, played in cars, homes, restaurants
and shopping centres. With the development of
technology, people are constantly listening to music
on the go, using CD players, mp3 players and iPods,
making music one of the largest industries in the
world, with artists making millions writing songs, &
consumers spending thousands purchasing them.
Scholars in Islam unanimously agree that the majority
of genres of music are haram. Yet in society
today, most youths tend to see music as a so-called
“lesser sin”, listening to it at home, in their cars,
and even while watching TV, without thinking of
the consequences and effects this may have on
their mind, body and soul.
Ayatullah Shirazi writes in his book “Greater Sins,”
that playing instruments and listening to music is
classified as the 15th Greatest Sin in Islam which
was confirmed by Imam Ali ar-Rida (a.s.) who said
“to be engrossed in musical instruments is also a
Greater Sin.” The Holy Prophet has said, “Allah has
sent me as a mercy to the worlds, to guide the people.
And He ordered me to eradicate the playing of flute
and other instruments of music.” Yet youths question
the judgement of our Prophet and Imams by defying
their orders – in turn defying Allah – and continue
to listen to music. A sin such as music is one
which is amplified and leads to even greater sin. By
affecting your mind and influencing your desires,
music can lead to sins as grave as adultery.
Imam Ali (as) has been quoted as saying, “Angels
do not even enter a house that has wine, drum,
tambourine or a flute. Even the prayers of the inhabitants
of this house are unacceptable. They are deprived
of barakat.”
I ask those who listen to music,
how can the angels record any of our good acts
if they cannot enter our house? Your good deeds,
as well as those of your family are all wasted.
Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (as) has said “The playing of
violin promotes the growth of hypocrisy in the heart
like water assists the growth of vegetation (algae).” It is
no wonder that those who listen to music pray
their Salaat, and recite in Sura Fateha “Keep us on
the right path. The path of those whom Thou hast
favoured; Not the pat) of those who earn your anger,
nor of those who go astray” only to go and turn the
music back on within 5 minutes – a sign that their
hearts are already filled with hypocrisy.
Imam Ali ar-Rida (a.s.) said, “A person invites Divine
wrath when in his house instruments like flute, drum
and chess are played for forty days. If this man dies
within these forty days, his death would be of a
sinner and a transgressor. His place shall be in Hell.
And what a dreadful place it is!”
Not only are we destroying our own souls by filling
our heart with hypocrisy, we are causing those
living in our household to suffer for our sins, by
depriving them of blessings from Allah and causing
their prayers to be rejected.
The traditions concerning the signs of the last stage
of time before the return of our 12th Imam (a.s.)
mention “you shall see that music will be so prevalent
that no one will dissuade others nor will he find in himself
the need to do so. And you shall see that music
would be openly played even in the two sanctuaries (the
city of Makkah and Madinah.”
Those who have had the honour to visit the Holy
Land will have witnessed the sound of musical ringtones
being played inside the Haram, beside the
Ka’aba. It is clear how imminent the return of our
Imam is.
Looking at the Quran, we see many verses providing
undeniable evidence that music is haram. In Sura
Mu’minun, Allah describes to us what attributes a
believer. “Successful are the believers... who keep
away from vain words” (23:3) When asked, Imam
Ja’far as-Sadiq (as) said the vain words mentioned
above, is referring to the “words of the musicians.”
In Sura 22, Allah says “avoid the idols, and avoid false
words.” (22:30) These false words the Quran speaks
of, are the words of musicians – the words which
oppose reality and oppose Islam. The same words
that devalue hijab, advertise alcohol, and promote
materialism.
The Quran also says “There are those who do not
witness vain words. And when they walk past, they walk
by in a state of honour.” (25:72) When the righteous
people pass by a place where music is being played,
they pass by in a dignified manner, uninfluenced and
unimpressed. Imam Musa al-Kadhim (as) was passing
by the house of Bishr Haafi, where he heard the
sound of dance and music. At that moment a slavegirl
emerged from the house. The Imam asked, “Is
the owner of this house a free person or a slave?” She
replied, “He is a free man.” Hearing this, the Imam
remarked, “You speak the truth, for had he been a
slave, he would have feared his Master.”
When we compare the words of a musician to the
words of an Imam, we can see why the path of
Ahlul Bayt (as) is the Siratul Mustaqeem.
Our 4th Imam says “The rights of the tongue are that
you consider it too noble to say obscene words. And you
direct it towards good. And you direct it towards benefiting
your religion. And when you see your tongue engaging
in idle talk, you should refrain. Know that the tongue
is the witness to the existence of intellect.” When
speaking about the rights of the ear, our Imam
simply said “Know that your ears are the direct
pathway to your heart.” The subconscious
messages from the music we listen to, which promote
sexual desires, alcohol and drugs, enters and
fills our hearts.
A man of intellect will have a noble tongue. But in
the case of musicians today, who lack shame, selfrespect,
and any sense of nobility, their intellect
must be low. It is no wonder that the pop star’s of
today’s society – who act as role models for many
youths – are alcoholics, on the brink of psychological
breakdown. The reason behind their fall from
the mountain of success, despite having all the
money they could ever need, could only be explained
by a lack of faith and intellect, leaving a
gaping hole in their lives, forcing them to turn to
music, alcohol and sexual desires. Whereas a follower
of Ahlul Bayt (as) doesn’t need music, but
instead fills his heart with the belief in Allah and
love for the Ahlul Bayt (as.) We already have someone
to thank for the bounties and favours showered
upon us, and we have someone to turn to in
times of need. We don’t need music to channel our
emotion or express our love.
When contemplating the punishment regarding
music, we should not look at the sin, we
should look at who we’re sinning against –
The All-Mighty, The Magnificent Allah.
Why don't we pray Taraweeh?
by Mohsin Asharia
During Shahr Ramadhan many Muslims congregate after Isha prayers for Salatul Taraweeh.
The closest we get to praying it is watching Islam Channel from our living room. So why don’t we pray it? Is it
just laziness or is there something else behind it?
DID THE PROPHET (SAW) PRAY IT?
The Prophet is narrated to have prayed Tahajjud
(Namaze Shab) in Shahr Ramadhan, but not Taraweeh
as we know it today:
Sahih Bukhari Volume 2, Book 21, Number 248:
Narrated Abu Salma bin 'Abdur Rahman:
I asked 'Aisha, "How is the prayer of Allah's Apostle
during the month of Ramadan." She said, "Allah's
Apostle never exceeded eleven Rakat in Ramadan
or in other months; he used to offer four Rakat-
- do not ask me about their beauty and length, then
four Rakat, do not ask me about their beauty and
length, and then three Rakat." Aisha further said, "I
said, 'O Allah's Apostle! Do you sleep before offering the
Witr prayer?' He replied, 'O 'Aisha! My eyes sleep but
my heart remains awake'!"
In addition, he always prayed himself, making it
clear not to pray nafilah prayers in congregation:
Sahih Bukhari Volume 8, Book 73, Number 134:
Narrated Zaid bin Thabit:
Allah's Apostle made a small room (with a palm leaf
mat). Allah's Apostle came out (of his house) and
prayed in it. Some men came and joined him in his
prayer. Then again the next night they came for the
prayer, but Allah's Apostle delayed and did not come
out to them. So they raised their voices and knocked
the door with small stones (to draw his attention). He
came out to them in a state of anger, saying, "You are
still insisting (on your deed, i.e. Taraweeh prayer in the
mosque) that I thought that this prayer (Taraweeh)
might become obligatory on you. So you people,
offer this prayer at your homes, for the best
prayer of a person is the one which he offers at
home, except the compulsory (congregational)
prayer."
TARAWEEH CONGREGATION PRAYERS
The Taraweeh prayers were established in the time
of the Second Caliph, Umar bin Khattab:
Sahih Bukhari Volume 3, Book 32, Number 227:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "Whoever prayed at night the
whole month of Ramadan out of sincere Faith and
hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous
sins will be forgiven." Ibn Shihab (a sub-narrator) said,
"Allah's Apostle died and the people continued observing
that (i.e. Nawafil offered individually, not in congregation),
and it remained as it was during the Caliphate
of Abu Bakr and in the early days of 'Umar's Caliphate."
'Abdur Rahman bin 'Abdul Qari said, "I went out
in the company of 'Umar bin Al-Khattab one night in
Ramadan to the mosque and found the people praying
in different groups. A man praying alone or a man
praying with a little group behind him. So, 'Umar
said, 'In my opinion I would better collect these
(people) under the leadership of one Qari
(Reciter) (i.e. let them pray in congregation!)'.
So, he made up his mind to congregate them behind
Ubai bin Ka'b. Then on another night I went again in
his company and the people were praying behind their
reciter. On that, 'Umar remarked, 'What an excellent
Bid'a (i.e. innovation in religion) this is;
but the prayer which they do not perform, but sleep at
its time is better than the one they are offering.' He
meant the prayer in the last part of the night. (In those
days) people used to pray in the early part of the
night."
This hadith clearly shows that not only is Taraweeh
a “Bid’a”, in the Second Caliph’s own words, but it
was also established using his own “opinion”.
WHAT DO OUR IMAMS SAY ABOUT TARAWEEH?
Imams Baqir and Sadiq (as) narrate that the Prophet
(saw) said:
“Verily, the offering of nafila in congregation
during the nights of Ramadan is an innovation…
O people! do not say nafila prayers of Ramadan
in congregation….Without doubt, performing a minor
act of worship which is according to the sunna is better
than performing a major act of worship which is an
innovation.”
[al-Hurr al-`Amili, Wasa’il al-Shi`ah, volume 8, pg 45]
During Shahr Ramadhan many Muslims congregate after Isha prayers for Salatul Taraweeh.
The closest we get to praying it is watching Islam Channel from our living room. So why don’t we pray it? Is it
just laziness or is there something else behind it?
DID THE PROPHET (SAW) PRAY IT?
The Prophet is narrated to have prayed Tahajjud
(Namaze Shab) in Shahr Ramadhan, but not Taraweeh
as we know it today:
Sahih Bukhari Volume 2, Book 21, Number 248:
Narrated Abu Salma bin 'Abdur Rahman:
I asked 'Aisha, "How is the prayer of Allah's Apostle
during the month of Ramadan." She said, "Allah's
Apostle never exceeded eleven Rakat in Ramadan
or in other months; he used to offer four Rakat-
- do not ask me about their beauty and length, then
four Rakat, do not ask me about their beauty and
length, and then three Rakat." Aisha further said, "I
said, 'O Allah's Apostle! Do you sleep before offering the
Witr prayer?' He replied, 'O 'Aisha! My eyes sleep but
my heart remains awake'!"
In addition, he always prayed himself, making it
clear not to pray nafilah prayers in congregation:
Sahih Bukhari Volume 8, Book 73, Number 134:
Narrated Zaid bin Thabit:
Allah's Apostle made a small room (with a palm leaf
mat). Allah's Apostle came out (of his house) and
prayed in it. Some men came and joined him in his
prayer. Then again the next night they came for the
prayer, but Allah's Apostle delayed and did not come
out to them. So they raised their voices and knocked
the door with small stones (to draw his attention). He
came out to them in a state of anger, saying, "You are
still insisting (on your deed, i.e. Taraweeh prayer in the
mosque) that I thought that this prayer (Taraweeh)
might become obligatory on you. So you people,
offer this prayer at your homes, for the best
prayer of a person is the one which he offers at
home, except the compulsory (congregational)
prayer."
TARAWEEH CONGREGATION PRAYERS
The Taraweeh prayers were established in the time
of the Second Caliph, Umar bin Khattab:
Sahih Bukhari Volume 3, Book 32, Number 227:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "Whoever prayed at night the
whole month of Ramadan out of sincere Faith and
hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous
sins will be forgiven." Ibn Shihab (a sub-narrator) said,
"Allah's Apostle died and the people continued observing
that (i.e. Nawafil offered individually, not in congregation),
and it remained as it was during the Caliphate
of Abu Bakr and in the early days of 'Umar's Caliphate."
'Abdur Rahman bin 'Abdul Qari said, "I went out
in the company of 'Umar bin Al-Khattab one night in
Ramadan to the mosque and found the people praying
in different groups. A man praying alone or a man
praying with a little group behind him. So, 'Umar
said, 'In my opinion I would better collect these
(people) under the leadership of one Qari
(Reciter) (i.e. let them pray in congregation!)'.
So, he made up his mind to congregate them behind
Ubai bin Ka'b. Then on another night I went again in
his company and the people were praying behind their
reciter. On that, 'Umar remarked, 'What an excellent
Bid'a (i.e. innovation in religion) this is;
but the prayer which they do not perform, but sleep at
its time is better than the one they are offering.' He
meant the prayer in the last part of the night. (In those
days) people used to pray in the early part of the
night."
This hadith clearly shows that not only is Taraweeh
a “Bid’a”, in the Second Caliph’s own words, but it
was also established using his own “opinion”.
WHAT DO OUR IMAMS SAY ABOUT TARAWEEH?
Imams Baqir and Sadiq (as) narrate that the Prophet
(saw) said:
“Verily, the offering of nafila in congregation
during the nights of Ramadan is an innovation…
O people! do not say nafila prayers of Ramadan
in congregation….Without doubt, performing a minor
act of worship which is according to the sunna is better
than performing a major act of worship which is an
innovation.”
[al-Hurr al-`Amili, Wasa’il al-Shi`ah, volume 8, pg 45]
Imam Ali (as)
by Asiya Janmohamed
Shahr Ramadhan is a month where Allah (swt) has
stated that He has locked Shaytan away and He is
forgiving and merciful. There are many auspicious
nights such as Laylat-ul-Qadr, but it is also filled with
sadness for in this month, we commemorate the
death of Imam Ali (as).
Imam Ali (as) was a great man who had strength,
courage and bravery which every youth should strive
to gain. To this day Imam Ali (as) is a role model for
youths everywhere and we can see the status of
Imam Ali (as) when the Holy Prophet (saw) said, "I
am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate." This shows
the high position of Imam Ali (as) in Islamic history.
Every year on the 21st night of Shahr Ramadhan we
remember Imam Ali (as) and we strive to change our
daily lifestyles and look to him as a guide. Imam Ali
(as) lead a hard lifestyle but he kept his head up
until he was struck with a poisoned sword by Ibn
Muljim (la), three days before his death. He was
struck on the 18th of Ramadhan and suffered three
days of excruciating pain. Imam Ali knew that he was
to depart from this world soon and he had the courage
to face his death for it was his destiny.
I leave you
with some of Imam Ali’s (as) wise words:
"O people, you are, in this world, the target for the arrows
of death. With every drinking there is choking and with
every eating there is suffocation. You do not get any benefit
in it except by foregoing another (benefit) and no one
among you advances in age by a day except by the taking
away of a day from his life. Nothing more is added to his
eating unless it reduces what was there before. No mark
appears for him unless a mark disappears. Nothing new
comes into being unless the new becomes old. No new
crop comes up unless a crop has been reaped. Those
roots are gone whose off-shoots we are. How can an offshoot
live after the departure of its root?"
Shahr Ramadhan is a month where Allah (swt) has
stated that He has locked Shaytan away and He is
forgiving and merciful. There are many auspicious
nights such as Laylat-ul-Qadr, but it is also filled with
sadness for in this month, we commemorate the
death of Imam Ali (as).
Imam Ali (as) was a great man who had strength,
courage and bravery which every youth should strive
to gain. To this day Imam Ali (as) is a role model for
youths everywhere and we can see the status of
Imam Ali (as) when the Holy Prophet (saw) said, "I
am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate." This shows
the high position of Imam Ali (as) in Islamic history.
Every year on the 21st night of Shahr Ramadhan we
remember Imam Ali (as) and we strive to change our
daily lifestyles and look to him as a guide. Imam Ali
(as) lead a hard lifestyle but he kept his head up
until he was struck with a poisoned sword by Ibn
Muljim (la), three days before his death. He was
struck on the 18th of Ramadhan and suffered three
days of excruciating pain. Imam Ali knew that he was
to depart from this world soon and he had the courage
to face his death for it was his destiny.
I leave you
with some of Imam Ali’s (as) wise words:
"O people, you are, in this world, the target for the arrows
of death. With every drinking there is choking and with
every eating there is suffocation. You do not get any benefit
in it except by foregoing another (benefit) and no one
among you advances in age by a day except by the taking
away of a day from his life. Nothing more is added to his
eating unless it reduces what was there before. No mark
appears for him unless a mark disappears. Nothing new
comes into being unless the new becomes old. No new
crop comes up unless a crop has been reaped. Those
roots are gone whose off-shoots we are. How can an offshoot
live after the departure of its root?"
The real fast of the AhlulBayt
“O ye who believe” Fasting is prescribed to you that ye
may (learn) self-restraint…”- Qur’an 2:183
The word ‘Ramadhan’ is derived from the root
word ‘R-M-Dh’, which indicates ‘Heat’ and
‘Restlessness’. It is said that the name of the
month indicates the hardships which accompany a
fast like thirst and a comparative restlessness. But
the best explanation was given by the Holy
Prophet (saw) himself, who said: the Month of
Ramadhan “burns the sins and faults as fire burns the
wood”.
Imam Baqir (as) told one of his companions:
“O Jabir! Whoever, during the Month of Ramadhan,
fasts in days, stands for prayers in parts of nights,
controls his sexual desires and emotions, puts rein on
his tongue, keeps his eyes down, and does not injure
the feelings of others, will become as free from sin as
he was the day he was born”. Jabir said: “How tough
are these conditions!”
The month of Ramadhan gives us a chance to start
life afresh. Muslims should make resolutions during
this month, to act upon during the year. This is the
month when emotions remain under the control
of reason. Thoughts, in this month are not wiled,
feelings not hard. Forgiveness, generosity and love
of God through the love of His creatures are infused
in our soul. Naturally, it is the best time to
decide how we are going to live in the coming
year. We should know what do we want to
achieve and how.
Imam Ja’far Sadiq (as) has said your days of fasting
should not be like other ordinary days. When you fast,
all your senses; eyes, ears, tongue, hands and feet
must fast with you.” How?
Eyes: Keep your eyes off unlawful things and objects;
spend this most precious gift of God in good
cause and pious acts and read Qur’an and Du’as.
Ears: Abstain from hearing unlawful gossip, lies,
false statements, music and obscene topics. Pay
attention towards sermons and topics of learning.
Tongue: Do not tell lies or useless tales; do not
spread rumours or, damaging gossips about other
persons. Use the power of speech in spreading the
word of God; in creating goodwill in the society.
Hand: Do not injure others by your actions; instead
strive to help them as far as you can.
Feet: Do not go towards forbidden places. Do
not run between people creating strife. Go to
those places where God is remembered; your
movements should be to bring people together.
And above all, your heart and mind must be with
you in fasting. Because fast in its real sense, will
not be complete unless your thoughts, your emotions,
your actions – in short, all aspects of our life
– become pure, clean and free from blemish. Fasting
cleans our body from impurities. Likewise, it
must purify our hearts and minds from all impure
thoughts improper desires and undisciplined sensations.
Remember fasting and not implementing
these words of advice is not fasting but hunger.
“Many persons get nothing out of their fasts but hunger
and thirst, many more get nothing out of their
night prayers but exertions and sleepless nights. Wise
and sagacious persons are praiseworthy even if they do
not fast and sleep during the nights” – Imam Ali (as)
may (learn) self-restraint…”- Qur’an 2:183
The word ‘Ramadhan’ is derived from the root
word ‘R-M-Dh’, which indicates ‘Heat’ and
‘Restlessness’. It is said that the name of the
month indicates the hardships which accompany a
fast like thirst and a comparative restlessness. But
the best explanation was given by the Holy
Prophet (saw) himself, who said: the Month of
Ramadhan “burns the sins and faults as fire burns the
wood”.
Imam Baqir (as) told one of his companions:
“O Jabir! Whoever, during the Month of Ramadhan,
fasts in days, stands for prayers in parts of nights,
controls his sexual desires and emotions, puts rein on
his tongue, keeps his eyes down, and does not injure
the feelings of others, will become as free from sin as
he was the day he was born”. Jabir said: “How tough
are these conditions!”
The month of Ramadhan gives us a chance to start
life afresh. Muslims should make resolutions during
this month, to act upon during the year. This is the
month when emotions remain under the control
of reason. Thoughts, in this month are not wiled,
feelings not hard. Forgiveness, generosity and love
of God through the love of His creatures are infused
in our soul. Naturally, it is the best time to
decide how we are going to live in the coming
year. We should know what do we want to
achieve and how.
Imam Ja’far Sadiq (as) has said your days of fasting
should not be like other ordinary days. When you fast,
all your senses; eyes, ears, tongue, hands and feet
must fast with you.” How?
Eyes: Keep your eyes off unlawful things and objects;
spend this most precious gift of God in good
cause and pious acts and read Qur’an and Du’as.
Ears: Abstain from hearing unlawful gossip, lies,
false statements, music and obscene topics. Pay
attention towards sermons and topics of learning.
Tongue: Do not tell lies or useless tales; do not
spread rumours or, damaging gossips about other
persons. Use the power of speech in spreading the
word of God; in creating goodwill in the society.
Hand: Do not injure others by your actions; instead
strive to help them as far as you can.
Feet: Do not go towards forbidden places. Do
not run between people creating strife. Go to
those places where God is remembered; your
movements should be to bring people together.
And above all, your heart and mind must be with
you in fasting. Because fast in its real sense, will
not be complete unless your thoughts, your emotions,
your actions – in short, all aspects of our life
– become pure, clean and free from blemish. Fasting
cleans our body from impurities. Likewise, it
must purify our hearts and minds from all impure
thoughts improper desires and undisciplined sensations.
Remember fasting and not implementing
these words of advice is not fasting but hunger.
“Many persons get nothing out of their fasts but hunger
and thirst, many more get nothing out of their
night prayers but exertions and sleepless nights. Wise
and sagacious persons are praiseworthy even if they do
not fast and sleep during the nights” – Imam Ali (as)
Let's stop this moon nonsense!
by Mohsin Asharia
The Month of Ramadhan really is special. The daily
gatherings of the community at Islamic Centres
across the globe, poignant lectures to refresh the
mind and soul, and supplicating until dawn on the
Nights of Qadr, I hope I am not alone when I say I
miss this holy month when it finally leaves.
However, sadly, as the days of Shahr Ramadhan
draw to a close, often in our communities, rather
than making most of the remaining days to ask for
forgiveness of our sins, we are more preoccupied
with adding to them. How? Yes, you guessed it. I’m
referring to that rock nearly 400,000 km away that
we all seem to make such a fuss about. The moon.
Suddenly, we seem to forget about the importance
of the month of Ramadhan, and are more interested
in working out when Eid will be. When the
inevitable announcement comes and we figure that
the Hujjat Calendar got it wrong by one day, there
is uproar and we complain about how we won’t be
able to come for Eid prayers because we won’t be
able to take a day of work.
Funny, isn’t it, how the same problem doesn’t arise
when determining the day for Ashura? We don’t
seem to have a problem if Ashura is one day earlier
or later than we previously calculated. Why is that?
Maybe everyone wants an early Eid because it involves
one fewer fast. What a warped view this is!
Rather than seeing it as a burden, we should be
happy! An extra day with Shaytan locked up! An
extra day to ask for forgiveness of one’s sins! An
extra day in the Month of Allah (swt)! What
greater blessing could one ask for?
What I fail to understand is why it is such a big deal
when there are multiple Eids in the community.
Why is this such a bad thing? If Eid is such a great
day, why are you so sad if you get to celebrate it
twice? Sure, you may be fasting one day and not on
the next, but as Imam Ali (as) says,
“Eid is for him whose fasts have been accepted by
Allah, and whose worship has been appreciated by
Allah. Everyday in which you do not disobey Allah is a
day of Eid.”
This narration is telling us that it shouldn’t really
matter when Eid is. Our actions on this day are
more important. It is not 1st Shawwal that should
determine when our Eid is, rather our Eid should
be determined by not disobeying Allah (swt).
So this year, let’s not make a fuss about when Eid
is. Let’s not try to act as if we have PhD’s in Astronomy
and try to use complex phrases that we
don’t understand. Let’s just leave that to the experts
and instead focus on the true spirit of this
month, that of supplicating and asking for forgiveness
for our sins. That way, our Eid will be much
more worthy!
The Month of Ramadhan really is special. The daily
gatherings of the community at Islamic Centres
across the globe, poignant lectures to refresh the
mind and soul, and supplicating until dawn on the
Nights of Qadr, I hope I am not alone when I say I
miss this holy month when it finally leaves.
However, sadly, as the days of Shahr Ramadhan
draw to a close, often in our communities, rather
than making most of the remaining days to ask for
forgiveness of our sins, we are more preoccupied
with adding to them. How? Yes, you guessed it. I’m
referring to that rock nearly 400,000 km away that
we all seem to make such a fuss about. The moon.
Suddenly, we seem to forget about the importance
of the month of Ramadhan, and are more interested
in working out when Eid will be. When the
inevitable announcement comes and we figure that
the Hujjat Calendar got it wrong by one day, there
is uproar and we complain about how we won’t be
able to come for Eid prayers because we won’t be
able to take a day of work.
Funny, isn’t it, how the same problem doesn’t arise
when determining the day for Ashura? We don’t
seem to have a problem if Ashura is one day earlier
or later than we previously calculated. Why is that?
Maybe everyone wants an early Eid because it involves
one fewer fast. What a warped view this is!
Rather than seeing it as a burden, we should be
happy! An extra day with Shaytan locked up! An
extra day to ask for forgiveness of one’s sins! An
extra day in the Month of Allah (swt)! What
greater blessing could one ask for?
What I fail to understand is why it is such a big deal
when there are multiple Eids in the community.
Why is this such a bad thing? If Eid is such a great
day, why are you so sad if you get to celebrate it
twice? Sure, you may be fasting one day and not on
the next, but as Imam Ali (as) says,
“Eid is for him whose fasts have been accepted by
Allah, and whose worship has been appreciated by
Allah. Everyday in which you do not disobey Allah is a
day of Eid.”
This narration is telling us that it shouldn’t really
matter when Eid is. Our actions on this day are
more important. It is not 1st Shawwal that should
determine when our Eid is, rather our Eid should
be determined by not disobeying Allah (swt).
So this year, let’s not make a fuss about when Eid
is. Let’s not try to act as if we have PhD’s in Astronomy
and try to use complex phrases that we
don’t understand. Let’s just leave that to the experts
and instead focus on the true spirit of this
month, that of supplicating and asking for forgiveness
for our sins. That way, our Eid will be much
more worthy!
Disaffected Muslims
by Masuma Rahim
Muslims are the largest religious minority in the UK,
making up 3% of the population. We live, work and
socialise in one of the most diverse cities in the
world. Many of us were born, and have been educated,
here. As recently as ten years ago Britain was
the paragon or racial integration, an ideal the rest of
the world aspired to. We had none of the racial tension
ever-present in the USA or other regions of
Western Europe. So when, and how, did it all go
wrong? Have we entered an age where suspicion and
fear preside? Or are we only now seeing the social
problems that have resulted from 50 years of mass
immigration?
A recent UNICEF report highlighted the plight of
young people in Britain. Despite having the 4th largest
economy in the world the rich-poor divide is increasing.
The number of divorced or separated individuals
has soared to 3 million, whilst 8% of children live in
households where neither parent is employed. Immigrants,
unfortunately, are all too often educated to
only the lowest level and tend to come to Britain for
economic reasons, in order to make a better life for
their families. It is therefore no coincidence that the
least affluent parts of the UK tend to be those with
the highest levels of ethnic minorities – East London,
Blackburn, Burnley and Oldham. And it is these places
which have seen the greatest racial tensions over the
last five years.
It is unusual for areas with high poverty levels to have
outstanding academic institutions. This leads to an
entire generation of children lacking basic skills. The
widespread poverty of the areas they live in also encourages
them to leave school at the age of 16 to
work, either for themselves or to contribute to the
family. Furthermore, if the is little chance of studying
past the compulsory age due to finances, children are
less likely to concentrate their attentions on academic
performance. Whilst such an attitude is understandable
it leads to a situation where the population of a
poor area will always remain poor, undertaking the
low-skilled jobs which command the least pay. The
cycle cannot break and relative levels of poverty rise.
In Tower Hamlets, an area with a large immigrant
Muslim population, there are 143,000 individuals over
the age of 16. Of these, 49,000, well over , have no
qualifications at all. 35,000 are unemployed. Without
basic GCSEs regular employment will be difficult to
come by. These people are destined, at best, for a
lifetime of menial work; at worst, as criminals.
The lack of resources such as social housing leads to
high competition for government assistance from all
members of society. Whilst all citizens have an equal
right to such assistance, if a white Briton sees
‘foreigners’ obtaining benefits they feel they have a
greater right to, tensions run high and an ‘us’ and
‘them’ mentality develops. Equally, if an unemployed
white Briton sees immigrants with high incomes and
extravagant lifestyles, they will understandably be
angry. Whilst the view that immigrants exploit the UK
and its generous welfare system may be unfair, the
lack of resources ultimately breeds only anger. The
same is true of employment quotas, be they in the
army or state-funded schools selecting a candidate
because they are an ethnic or religious minority–the
ethnic majority are automatically deprived of the jobs
and education they would receive if the admissions
system was based purely on potential and excellence.
It is unsurprising that we live in a society divided.
Whilst it is imperative that Muslims do enter all fields
of work, we must show that we are capable of raising
talented individuals who genuinely deserve the positions
they aspire to. A failure to do so will lead to a
perception of us as being given a helping hand to progress.
We shouldn't need such helping hands.
Second and third-generation immigrants may well
count Britain as their home, but in the current political
situation are liable to be treated as outcasts. Non-
Caucasians are more likely to be stopped by police
than their white counterparts and our way of life is
regularly scrutinised, often unfairly or by those unqualified
to comment. Barely a day goes by without
the topic of racial integration being discussed in the
mainstream media. We are surrounded by images of a
society in breakdown, images further emphasised by
the rise of the far-right in British politics.
And then there is the issue of British foreign policy.
Muslims feel persecuted, both at home and abroad.
We're angry, and we're tired of being the scapegoats.
We're fed up of constantly having to defend our beliefs.
We want to live in peace, and allow our fellow
citizens to do the same. We experience social problems
that are rarely spoken of, be they alienation
within families, clashes between the culture of our
parents and the culture of the land we live in or domestic
violence. We face breakdown from within our
communities and harassment from without.
But what happens if we ignore the issues of race and
religion and look at the state of Britain as a whole?
We are left with a generation of individuals who live
in an exceptionally discontented age. Young people
from every section of society experience familial
breakdown, mental health problems, substance
addiction and poverty. The housing shortage affects
not only one ethnic group, but all of us. The capitalist
ideology, once revered, is starting to show its
cracks. We have bred a culture of selfishness and
lack of concern. Race isn’t the problem, our indifference
to our fellow man is. If every single one of us
stepped away from our ethnic, religious and political
identities we would find that we have more in common
that we realise. Every single person in the UK,
and the world, is my brother, and yours, in humanity.
There is no doubt that Muslims suffer at the
hands of others, but that is precisely why we need
to forge links within and across communities, in
order to make strengthen ourselves. It is easy to
blame the government or the media for our woes.
But when Imam Ali (as) and his followers were persecuted
by the enemies of Islam they refused to act
as second-class citizens. They held their heads high
and did what was right, not only for Muslims, but for
all people. Prophet Muhammed (saw) said, “None of
you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what
he wishes for himself”. He didn’t specify Muslims, or
Arabs, simply ‘your brother’. If we truly are his
followers it is our duty to follow this maxim.
So how can we show that we are ready to participate
in all aspects of life? We need to vote in elections.
We don’t need to vote only for the George
Galloways of this world who appeal to our religious
sympathies, rather for those who promote a fairer
society, who stand for the principles the Ahlul Bayt
stood for, whether they are of our faith, another or
none. That holy family spent from their own wealth
to feed all those in need, but today our biggest priority
is a government which lowers taxes, no matter
what the cost to society. We may not live in an
Islamic state but we can still vote for those who
govern according to Islamic ideals.
But there is more to be done than simply voting.
We need to get involved politically, be that by
standing for office or simply by making our voices
heard. We need to be knowledgeable about the
issues of the day, taking an interest in all topics. We
need to understand global history and economics
before we can understand what kind of future we
want and to achieve it. We need, perhaps most
importantly, to protest for our rights. Not simply
our right to practice our religion freely but for the
rights of all people. We need to speak out against
the laws banning demonstrations on the steps of
Parliament. We need to campaign against the corrupt
arms trade and fight for the just treatment of
all prisoners, be they in Guantanamo or Pentonville.
And we need to show that, as Muslims, we care not
only for ourselves but for all people; we need to
accept that our co-religionists are capable of perpetrating
crimes as heinous as any. Whilst the victims
of events in Bosnia, Chechnya and Palestine must
not be forgotten, there are many others whose
cause needs to be spoken about. We must accept
that millions of Christians have been slaughtered by
Indonesian Muslims. We have to acknowledge that
Muslims kill other Muslims, often for no good reason.
Because whilst we deny, or ignore, these
charges, we are colluding with the guilty, we show
ourselves to be indifferent to others and we bring
our entire faith into disrepute.
But integration doesn’t mean assimilation. I can be
British, wear hijab, and go to Hajj. I can fight against
unfair laws whilst enjoining the good and forbidding
the evil; indeed, campaigning for the rights of the
downtrodden is beautiful in the eyes of Allah (swt).
Our faith does not restrict us from being active
members of society. We may feel under attack from
the powers that be, but the only way we can win is
by fighting back, in earnest. If every single Muslim in
this country made the change from passive observer
to active participant we could change the world.
We are at a crossroads. We can continue to live
our lives as individuals, or we can mobilise ourselves
into a force to be reckoned with. If Islam is to survive
we need to radically change the way we think
about both ourselves and others. We are an ummah
divided, unable to unite on the basic points of our
faith. We live in a global society, and remaining insular
will do us more harm than good. Unless we
forge links with those outside our own religion we
will crumble. The opportunities for change are
manifold. Interfaith groups, universities and the
Internet are open to us. We are lucky to have freedom
of speech in this country, a freedom that many
of our brothers and sisters can only dream of. We
need to utilise that freedom, to use it to its utmost
potential. We have something to say, and we need
to say it. For whilst we, in 21st century Britain, may
face more difficulties than our parents ever did, we
have the means to change the world. Not to do so
makes a mockery of both us, and our faith.
Muslims are the largest religious minority in the UK,
making up 3% of the population. We live, work and
socialise in one of the most diverse cities in the
world. Many of us were born, and have been educated,
here. As recently as ten years ago Britain was
the paragon or racial integration, an ideal the rest of
the world aspired to. We had none of the racial tension
ever-present in the USA or other regions of
Western Europe. So when, and how, did it all go
wrong? Have we entered an age where suspicion and
fear preside? Or are we only now seeing the social
problems that have resulted from 50 years of mass
immigration?
A recent UNICEF report highlighted the plight of
young people in Britain. Despite having the 4th largest
economy in the world the rich-poor divide is increasing.
The number of divorced or separated individuals
has soared to 3 million, whilst 8% of children live in
households where neither parent is employed. Immigrants,
unfortunately, are all too often educated to
only the lowest level and tend to come to Britain for
economic reasons, in order to make a better life for
their families. It is therefore no coincidence that the
least affluent parts of the UK tend to be those with
the highest levels of ethnic minorities – East London,
Blackburn, Burnley and Oldham. And it is these places
which have seen the greatest racial tensions over the
last five years.
It is unusual for areas with high poverty levels to have
outstanding academic institutions. This leads to an
entire generation of children lacking basic skills. The
widespread poverty of the areas they live in also encourages
them to leave school at the age of 16 to
work, either for themselves or to contribute to the
family. Furthermore, if the is little chance of studying
past the compulsory age due to finances, children are
less likely to concentrate their attentions on academic
performance. Whilst such an attitude is understandable
it leads to a situation where the population of a
poor area will always remain poor, undertaking the
low-skilled jobs which command the least pay. The
cycle cannot break and relative levels of poverty rise.
In Tower Hamlets, an area with a large immigrant
Muslim population, there are 143,000 individuals over
the age of 16. Of these, 49,000, well over , have no
qualifications at all. 35,000 are unemployed. Without
basic GCSEs regular employment will be difficult to
come by. These people are destined, at best, for a
lifetime of menial work; at worst, as criminals.
The lack of resources such as social housing leads to
high competition for government assistance from all
members of society. Whilst all citizens have an equal
right to such assistance, if a white Briton sees
‘foreigners’ obtaining benefits they feel they have a
greater right to, tensions run high and an ‘us’ and
‘them’ mentality develops. Equally, if an unemployed
white Briton sees immigrants with high incomes and
extravagant lifestyles, they will understandably be
angry. Whilst the view that immigrants exploit the UK
and its generous welfare system may be unfair, the
lack of resources ultimately breeds only anger. The
same is true of employment quotas, be they in the
army or state-funded schools selecting a candidate
because they are an ethnic or religious minority–the
ethnic majority are automatically deprived of the jobs
and education they would receive if the admissions
system was based purely on potential and excellence.
It is unsurprising that we live in a society divided.
Whilst it is imperative that Muslims do enter all fields
of work, we must show that we are capable of raising
talented individuals who genuinely deserve the positions
they aspire to. A failure to do so will lead to a
perception of us as being given a helping hand to progress.
We shouldn't need such helping hands.
Second and third-generation immigrants may well
count Britain as their home, but in the current political
situation are liable to be treated as outcasts. Non-
Caucasians are more likely to be stopped by police
than their white counterparts and our way of life is
regularly scrutinised, often unfairly or by those unqualified
to comment. Barely a day goes by without
the topic of racial integration being discussed in the
mainstream media. We are surrounded by images of a
society in breakdown, images further emphasised by
the rise of the far-right in British politics.
And then there is the issue of British foreign policy.
Muslims feel persecuted, both at home and abroad.
We're angry, and we're tired of being the scapegoats.
We're fed up of constantly having to defend our beliefs.
We want to live in peace, and allow our fellow
citizens to do the same. We experience social problems
that are rarely spoken of, be they alienation
within families, clashes between the culture of our
parents and the culture of the land we live in or domestic
violence. We face breakdown from within our
communities and harassment from without.
But what happens if we ignore the issues of race and
religion and look at the state of Britain as a whole?
We are left with a generation of individuals who live
in an exceptionally discontented age. Young people
from every section of society experience familial
breakdown, mental health problems, substance
addiction and poverty. The housing shortage affects
not only one ethnic group, but all of us. The capitalist
ideology, once revered, is starting to show its
cracks. We have bred a culture of selfishness and
lack of concern. Race isn’t the problem, our indifference
to our fellow man is. If every single one of us
stepped away from our ethnic, religious and political
identities we would find that we have more in common
that we realise. Every single person in the UK,
and the world, is my brother, and yours, in humanity.
There is no doubt that Muslims suffer at the
hands of others, but that is precisely why we need
to forge links within and across communities, in
order to make strengthen ourselves. It is easy to
blame the government or the media for our woes.
But when Imam Ali (as) and his followers were persecuted
by the enemies of Islam they refused to act
as second-class citizens. They held their heads high
and did what was right, not only for Muslims, but for
all people. Prophet Muhammed (saw) said, “None of
you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what
he wishes for himself”. He didn’t specify Muslims, or
Arabs, simply ‘your brother’. If we truly are his
followers it is our duty to follow this maxim.
So how can we show that we are ready to participate
in all aspects of life? We need to vote in elections.
We don’t need to vote only for the George
Galloways of this world who appeal to our religious
sympathies, rather for those who promote a fairer
society, who stand for the principles the Ahlul Bayt
stood for, whether they are of our faith, another or
none. That holy family spent from their own wealth
to feed all those in need, but today our biggest priority
is a government which lowers taxes, no matter
what the cost to society. We may not live in an
Islamic state but we can still vote for those who
govern according to Islamic ideals.
But there is more to be done than simply voting.
We need to get involved politically, be that by
standing for office or simply by making our voices
heard. We need to be knowledgeable about the
issues of the day, taking an interest in all topics. We
need to understand global history and economics
before we can understand what kind of future we
want and to achieve it. We need, perhaps most
importantly, to protest for our rights. Not simply
our right to practice our religion freely but for the
rights of all people. We need to speak out against
the laws banning demonstrations on the steps of
Parliament. We need to campaign against the corrupt
arms trade and fight for the just treatment of
all prisoners, be they in Guantanamo or Pentonville.
And we need to show that, as Muslims, we care not
only for ourselves but for all people; we need to
accept that our co-religionists are capable of perpetrating
crimes as heinous as any. Whilst the victims
of events in Bosnia, Chechnya and Palestine must
not be forgotten, there are many others whose
cause needs to be spoken about. We must accept
that millions of Christians have been slaughtered by
Indonesian Muslims. We have to acknowledge that
Muslims kill other Muslims, often for no good reason.
Because whilst we deny, or ignore, these
charges, we are colluding with the guilty, we show
ourselves to be indifferent to others and we bring
our entire faith into disrepute.
But integration doesn’t mean assimilation. I can be
British, wear hijab, and go to Hajj. I can fight against
unfair laws whilst enjoining the good and forbidding
the evil; indeed, campaigning for the rights of the
downtrodden is beautiful in the eyes of Allah (swt).
Our faith does not restrict us from being active
members of society. We may feel under attack from
the powers that be, but the only way we can win is
by fighting back, in earnest. If every single Muslim in
this country made the change from passive observer
to active participant we could change the world.
We are at a crossroads. We can continue to live
our lives as individuals, or we can mobilise ourselves
into a force to be reckoned with. If Islam is to survive
we need to radically change the way we think
about both ourselves and others. We are an ummah
divided, unable to unite on the basic points of our
faith. We live in a global society, and remaining insular
will do us more harm than good. Unless we
forge links with those outside our own religion we
will crumble. The opportunities for change are
manifold. Interfaith groups, universities and the
Internet are open to us. We are lucky to have freedom
of speech in this country, a freedom that many
of our brothers and sisters can only dream of. We
need to utilise that freedom, to use it to its utmost
potential. We have something to say, and we need
to say it. For whilst we, in 21st century Britain, may
face more difficulties than our parents ever did, we
have the means to change the world. Not to do so
makes a mockery of both us, and our faith.
What is Dua Iftitah?
Dua Iftitah is recited daily during the nights of the
holy month of Ramadhan but do we really appreciate
the concept behind this dua? Although the English
translation of the dua is readily available in many
dua books and even on powerpoint presentations,
the core understanding isn’t.
Our beloved Twelfth Imam (ajfs) taught this dua to
the Shias in order that we can better our attitude
towards our Lord, and what better month for one
to do so than the Holy Month of Ramadhan. The
dua can be split into two parts (i) man’s relationship
with his Lord and (ii) divine leaders.
MAN’S RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS LORD
• Here we firstly glorify and praise Allah (swt) so
as to remind us of the magnitude of his greatness
and also to instil a sense of fear and hope into our
hearts
• As the dua the develops we now focus on the
oneness of Allah (swt), in order that the supplicant
realises that it is only Him that we can rely and turn
to.
• Subsequently Allah’s generosity is now described
which reminds the supplicant of how much
we have been given but yet still we are ungrateful,
we still complain and we still turn away.
The attention now turns to the relationship between
man and his Lord. One can notice how ironic
it is that it is our Lord who is lovingly and mercifully
inviting us to him, yet it is us, the needy insignificant
man, who requires him. Allah (swt) has love for his
creatures and this is why he treats us better than we
deserve. It is up to man to realise this and respond
and return this love to our Lord.
DIVINE LEADERS
• Once we have acknowledged the greatness of
Allah (swt), the dua swiftly moves on to the recognition
of our divine leaders. Naturally our first blessings
are sent to the greatest human being of all, the Holy
Prophet(pbuh). With our salwaats we strengthen our
remembrance of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and the
inspiration to follow his path.
• The m’asumeen are now in our thoughts and
prayed for. These are the true successors of the
Holy Prophet, of whom the Shia have true faith in as
they were divinely appointed by Allah (swt)
• The final part of the dua reflects on the Twelfth
Imam and his reappearance. The supplicant is praying
for the help and victory for the Twelfth Imam in an
effort to remind him of his responsibilities and his
preparation whilst he waits for the return of the
Imam.
Dua Iftitah is a supplication for our needs and a teaching
of the roots of faith. This dua can help to plan a
way of life but it remains on us to act upon it as we
recite it during the nights of the Holy month of Ramadhan.
holy month of Ramadhan but do we really appreciate
the concept behind this dua? Although the English
translation of the dua is readily available in many
dua books and even on powerpoint presentations,
the core understanding isn’t.
Our beloved Twelfth Imam (ajfs) taught this dua to
the Shias in order that we can better our attitude
towards our Lord, and what better month for one
to do so than the Holy Month of Ramadhan. The
dua can be split into two parts (i) man’s relationship
with his Lord and (ii) divine leaders.
MAN’S RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS LORD
• Here we firstly glorify and praise Allah (swt) so
as to remind us of the magnitude of his greatness
and also to instil a sense of fear and hope into our
hearts
• As the dua the develops we now focus on the
oneness of Allah (swt), in order that the supplicant
realises that it is only Him that we can rely and turn
to.
• Subsequently Allah’s generosity is now described
which reminds the supplicant of how much
we have been given but yet still we are ungrateful,
we still complain and we still turn away.
The attention now turns to the relationship between
man and his Lord. One can notice how ironic
it is that it is our Lord who is lovingly and mercifully
inviting us to him, yet it is us, the needy insignificant
man, who requires him. Allah (swt) has love for his
creatures and this is why he treats us better than we
deserve. It is up to man to realise this and respond
and return this love to our Lord.
DIVINE LEADERS
• Once we have acknowledged the greatness of
Allah (swt), the dua swiftly moves on to the recognition
of our divine leaders. Naturally our first blessings
are sent to the greatest human being of all, the Holy
Prophet(pbuh). With our salwaats we strengthen our
remembrance of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and the
inspiration to follow his path.
• The m’asumeen are now in our thoughts and
prayed for. These are the true successors of the
Holy Prophet, of whom the Shia have true faith in as
they were divinely appointed by Allah (swt)
• The final part of the dua reflects on the Twelfth
Imam and his reappearance. The supplicant is praying
for the help and victory for the Twelfth Imam in an
effort to remind him of his responsibilities and his
preparation whilst he waits for the return of the
Imam.
Dua Iftitah is a supplication for our needs and a teaching
of the roots of faith. This dua can help to plan a
way of life but it remains on us to act upon it as we
recite it during the nights of the Holy month of Ramadhan.
The path I took to reach the truth
by Jason Richardson
I awoke frozen to my bed, transfixed in a dream-like
state unable to move. The morning light shone
through my window into my room, my eyes hardly
open, my arms outstretched, my legs bent. I could
only see through the bottom part of my eyes, I tried
to move my arms, but each time I gained an inch
forward, a windy presence would push my arms back
down, into a position. A position I realised resembled
that a person on a cross. I could not move my
lips, I shouted out in my mind to God, to save me. I
awoke…
Before I had this spiritual experience, I had been
preoccupied with the notion of Jesus in the Bible. As
a previous Christian I used to believe Jesus (pbuh)
was God, our saviour sent down to die for our sins,
the most compassionate being ever to live. The one
who set the whole world an example of real justice,
in a parable by Jesus (pbuh) where some people were
about to stone a woman for adultery, he stated: ‘Let
the first man not guilty of sin cast the first stone’.
Not one person could throw the stone, and the only
person who remained before with the women was
Jesus (pbuh), a sinless being. This example showed
me real compassion, and a person who we all could
understand and relate to, through our own personal
experiences, the human God.
When I reached university I decided to live a little for
a few months. I told (Jesus) God to give me some
time to enjoy university life, but still tried my best to
retain a good life in terms of my religion.
I met a person at the beginning of the year that had
been looking into Islam for the past year but had not
taken the step to revert. At first we argued about
Islam and Christianity. I used to argue and stay things
about Islam such as who was the Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh)? Didn’t he have loads of wives and wasn’t he
always fighting and killing people? But more importantly
I used to believe he was a false prophet who
came and said that Jesus was no more than a man, a
prophet. This was before I had even read the Quran.
I had the notion that by the end of University I would
bring the person back to Christianity the true religion.
How wrong I was.
For the next few months, nothing much happened
until about a month before the exam period. For
some reason, I met up with this person again and this
time they had become a Muslim. I was shocked and I
wanted to know
more, but no way was I ever going to become a Muslim.
I was a Christian and I believed I was going to be
one for ever. I gave the person my Bible, they gave
me their Quran, we debated and argued for about a
month, we discussed such issues as Jesus (pbuh)
being God, Mohammed (pbuh) and his many wives. It
got to stage were we parted and decided that you
believe in what you believe and I believe in what I
believe, but during the two weeks before my exams
everything changed.
During the first week, I was highly motivated, the
introduction of the Quran and the debates had
strengthen my beliefs in my own faith. I wasn’t telling
God to give me time anymore - I was ready to live
for him again.
I decided to pick up the Bible again. I even went to
Muslim lectures, where one Sayed (lecturer) asked
me if I had any questions. I answered: ‘Who is Jesus
(pbuh) in the Quran?’
He replied ‘the spirit of God’. I was amazed: I remember
feeling a sense of gratitude to God for confirming
to me, as we Christians believe that Jesus was
the spirit of God, e.g. in essence God.
I thanked God and remember during the first week
meeting up with some Christian friends at my university
halls to discuss Jesus (pbuh), to pray. I was living
for Jesus (pbuh) again.
But I got my first shock when I started to ask my
Christian friends who was Jesus (pbuh), some said he
was but a man, others a God, one went as far as to
say he was human while he was alive, but when he
died he become God, I wonder why God would let
his people be so confused over such an important
issue as God, this led me to ask myself why do I believe
Jesus (pbuh) is God.
So I decided to really look at the Bible. I found not
one verse in the Bible were Jesus (pbuh) clearly
states he is God, another verse stated no one knows
when the world will end, not even the son, only the
father, thus meaning that the son, Jesus, was not allknowing,
a requirement of God. Also how can God
need to be sustained? Jesus ate food, he slept, he
died, he stated in Matthew that our God is one God,
and that we should love him with all our heart.
I decided to ask God for help: I prayed one night for
God to help me to the right path: if Christianity is
the right way then guide me, if Islam is the correct
way, then God, may your will be done.
As I awoke from the dream which I spoke about at
the beginning: I asked God what was the meaning of
that experience, I heard a voice reply ‘Why would I
send down myself to commit suicide, I am the Alpha
and omega, the being and the end, I was neither
born nor die, these Christians who say such thing
are in grave error’.
I was devastated, but at the same time amazed, why
did God answer my prayer, it seemed to me that
God was directing me away from Christianity, from
that day I looked at Islam with an open mind.
My next religious experience was during the next
week, I had just finished talking to my friend on msn,
and I felt the need to lie down. This time I heard the
word ‘Allah’, and it continued: ‘I am Allah who created
the heavens and the earth, the moon and the
skies, thunder and lightning….the wonders and signs
are for all my people to see, all things are created by
me and from me’.
The word that could describe this feeling I had was
“wow”! I had asked God to show me the truth and
he had, I felt so humbled that he choose to answer
my prayer, I related to my Muslim friend the words I
had heard, the person was amazed and told me
most of what I had said was in the Quran but yet I
had only read the first few pages in all these months.
A few months later I did my Shahadah and become a
Muslim. Looking back I thank God, Allah for directing
me to the right path. Islam is the complete region
and the perfect way of life and the fullest way
of living for God. God is one and has no partners,
and is the most compassionate and merciful
I awoke frozen to my bed, transfixed in a dream-like
state unable to move. The morning light shone
through my window into my room, my eyes hardly
open, my arms outstretched, my legs bent. I could
only see through the bottom part of my eyes, I tried
to move my arms, but each time I gained an inch
forward, a windy presence would push my arms back
down, into a position. A position I realised resembled
that a person on a cross. I could not move my
lips, I shouted out in my mind to God, to save me. I
awoke…
Before I had this spiritual experience, I had been
preoccupied with the notion of Jesus in the Bible. As
a previous Christian I used to believe Jesus (pbuh)
was God, our saviour sent down to die for our sins,
the most compassionate being ever to live. The one
who set the whole world an example of real justice,
in a parable by Jesus (pbuh) where some people were
about to stone a woman for adultery, he stated: ‘Let
the first man not guilty of sin cast the first stone’.
Not one person could throw the stone, and the only
person who remained before with the women was
Jesus (pbuh), a sinless being. This example showed
me real compassion, and a person who we all could
understand and relate to, through our own personal
experiences, the human God.
When I reached university I decided to live a little for
a few months. I told (Jesus) God to give me some
time to enjoy university life, but still tried my best to
retain a good life in terms of my religion.
I met a person at the beginning of the year that had
been looking into Islam for the past year but had not
taken the step to revert. At first we argued about
Islam and Christianity. I used to argue and stay things
about Islam such as who was the Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh)? Didn’t he have loads of wives and wasn’t he
always fighting and killing people? But more importantly
I used to believe he was a false prophet who
came and said that Jesus was no more than a man, a
prophet. This was before I had even read the Quran.
I had the notion that by the end of University I would
bring the person back to Christianity the true religion.
How wrong I was.
For the next few months, nothing much happened
until about a month before the exam period. For
some reason, I met up with this person again and this
time they had become a Muslim. I was shocked and I
wanted to know
more, but no way was I ever going to become a Muslim.
I was a Christian and I believed I was going to be
one for ever. I gave the person my Bible, they gave
me their Quran, we debated and argued for about a
month, we discussed such issues as Jesus (pbuh)
being God, Mohammed (pbuh) and his many wives. It
got to stage were we parted and decided that you
believe in what you believe and I believe in what I
believe, but during the two weeks before my exams
everything changed.
During the first week, I was highly motivated, the
introduction of the Quran and the debates had
strengthen my beliefs in my own faith. I wasn’t telling
God to give me time anymore - I was ready to live
for him again.
I decided to pick up the Bible again. I even went to
Muslim lectures, where one Sayed (lecturer) asked
me if I had any questions. I answered: ‘Who is Jesus
(pbuh) in the Quran?’
He replied ‘the spirit of God’. I was amazed: I remember
feeling a sense of gratitude to God for confirming
to me, as we Christians believe that Jesus was
the spirit of God, e.g. in essence God.
I thanked God and remember during the first week
meeting up with some Christian friends at my university
halls to discuss Jesus (pbuh), to pray. I was living
for Jesus (pbuh) again.
But I got my first shock when I started to ask my
Christian friends who was Jesus (pbuh), some said he
was but a man, others a God, one went as far as to
say he was human while he was alive, but when he
died he become God, I wonder why God would let
his people be so confused over such an important
issue as God, this led me to ask myself why do I believe
Jesus (pbuh) is God.
So I decided to really look at the Bible. I found not
one verse in the Bible were Jesus (pbuh) clearly
states he is God, another verse stated no one knows
when the world will end, not even the son, only the
father, thus meaning that the son, Jesus, was not allknowing,
a requirement of God. Also how can God
need to be sustained? Jesus ate food, he slept, he
died, he stated in Matthew that our God is one God,
and that we should love him with all our heart.
I decided to ask God for help: I prayed one night for
God to help me to the right path: if Christianity is
the right way then guide me, if Islam is the correct
way, then God, may your will be done.
As I awoke from the dream which I spoke about at
the beginning: I asked God what was the meaning of
that experience, I heard a voice reply ‘Why would I
send down myself to commit suicide, I am the Alpha
and omega, the being and the end, I was neither
born nor die, these Christians who say such thing
are in grave error’.
I was devastated, but at the same time amazed, why
did God answer my prayer, it seemed to me that
God was directing me away from Christianity, from
that day I looked at Islam with an open mind.
My next religious experience was during the next
week, I had just finished talking to my friend on msn,
and I felt the need to lie down. This time I heard the
word ‘Allah’, and it continued: ‘I am Allah who created
the heavens and the earth, the moon and the
skies, thunder and lightning….the wonders and signs
are for all my people to see, all things are created by
me and from me’.
The word that could describe this feeling I had was
“wow”! I had asked God to show me the truth and
he had, I felt so humbled that he choose to answer
my prayer, I related to my Muslim friend the words I
had heard, the person was amazed and told me
most of what I had said was in the Quran but yet I
had only read the first few pages in all these months.
A few months later I did my Shahadah and become a
Muslim. Looking back I thank God, Allah for directing
me to the right path. Islam is the complete region
and the perfect way of life and the fullest way
of living for God. God is one and has no partners,
and is the most compassionate and merciful
The Night of Qadr
by Hassan Janmohamed
Laylatul Qadr is a night with light, grace, mercy.
blessing, goodness, spiritual safety and felicity that
which is unique in any respect. Imam Baqir (as) was
asked if he knew which night Laylatul Qadr was, and
replied: “How do we not know it whereas the angels go
round us therein?” (1)
When angels came and greeted Abraham (as)
(Qur’an 11:69), and gave him glad tidings of a son
(Isaac), it is said that all this world was worthless in
comparison with the delight that Abraham (as) took
in that greeting. Now consider that the Night of
Qadr is one on which Angels come to the believers,
in groups, and greet them. How delightful it is!
When Abraham was thrown into the fire by Nimrod,
Angels came and greeted him and made him safe. So
doesn’t the Fire of Hell, with Angels’ greeting to
believers on the Night of Qadr, become cool and a
means of safety for the believers? (2)
EXPLANATION:
WHY IS IT CALLED THE NIGHT OF QADR?
A lot of ideas are stated:
(1) The most common opinion: Because all the affairs
and the destinies of men for a year are determined
that night. 44:3-4 serves as witness to this idea: We
sent it down during a night: For We (ever) wish to warn
(against Evil). On that (night) is made distinct every affair
of wisdom. This meaning harmonizes with numerous
narrations saying: On that night the affairs and destinies
of men are determined; sustenance, the end of lives and
other affairs are made distinct and clear.
(2) It is of great importance and honour, as stated in
22:74: No just estimate have they made of Allah....
(3) The Qur’an, with all its grand rank, was descended
to the grand Apostle of Allah by the means
of His grand angel on this night.
(4) The person who keeps vigil on that night obtains
a grand rank.
(5) One of the meanings of /qadr/ is 'restriction' used
in 65:7: and the man whose resources are restricted.
There descend so many angels on that night that the
expanse of the Earth is restricted and does not have
enough room for all of them.
WHICH NIGHT IS THE NIGHT OF HONOUR?
The Night of Honour is definitely in the month of
Ramadan since the verses of the Qur'an attest to
this. eg 2:185 says: Ramadan is the (month) in which
was sent down the Qur'an... , and in Sura Qadr it says:
Surely We sent it down on the Night of Honour.
But, which night does it refer to? Commentators and
literalists point to a night on the calendar, but there
is no agreement as to which it is. The 1st, 17th, 19th,
21st, 23rd, 27th, or 29th night of Ramadan have all
been suggested.
But the most popular narration is that it is in the last
ten nights, emphasizing on the 21st to 29th night.
The evidence is referred to in a narration that the
Prophet (saw) kept vigil and was busy praying all the
last ten nights of Ramadan. But, in numerous narrations,
from Ahlul-Bait, the 23rd night is emphasized,
while the narrations of Sunni scholars tend toward
the 27th night.
A narration from Imam Sadiq (as) denotes that the
Night of Honour is the 21st or 23rd night of Ramadan,
and when a man insisted and asked that if he
could not worship on both of them, then, which one
he would choose, he (p.b.u.h.) replied: How easy is
two nights for what you seek!. (3)
A further narration from Imam Sadiq (as) says: Determining
the proportions is in the Night of Honour, the
19th night; its confirmation is on the 21st night, and its
signing is on the 23rd night. (4) Thus, the senses of all
narrations gather together. However, a kind of mystic
ambiguity covers the Night of Honour and the
reason will be discussed later.
WHY IS THE NIGHT OF HONOUR A MYSTERY?
Many commentators believe that the Night of Honour
is hidden so people consider all the nights as
important, because Allah has hidden His pleasure in
all kinds of obedience and worship so that people
practise all of them, and He has hidden His wrath in
sinning, in general, so that they avoid all kinds of sin.
He has hidden His votaries among all members so
that everyone will be honored. He has concealed the
supplication to which He listens among all supplications,
and devotees refer to all of them when they
call on Him. He has hidden /ismi-a'zam/, His Greatest
Name, among His several universal names so that
they will remember and consider all the divine names
of the Lord. The time of their death is hidden so that
they will always be prepared. And this is a fitting
philosophy.
WAS THERE THE NIGHT OF HONOUR FOR FORMER
NATIONS?
The verses of this Sura appparently show that the
Night of Honour is not specialized to the time of the
descent of the Qur'an and the period of the Call of
the Messenger of Islam, but it repeats annually until
the end of this world.
The application of the verb /tanazzala/, in the Sura,
which is in the future tense and indicates the continuity
of the verb, and also using: Peace! It is till the
rising of the dawn, which is a noun phrase, shows
perpetuality. Besides, there are also many narrations
which, perhaps, on the frequency of successive transmission
attest to the idea. Now, the question is that
whether the old communities, too, had it or not.
Many narrations suggest this is of the divine blessings
endowed to this group of people, Muslims. In a tradition,
the holy Prophet (saw) is narrated to have said:
Surely Allah has bestowed on my community the Night of
Honour which He did not give to any of those (peoples)
who were before them (5) In commenting on the
above verses there are some other narrations that
indicate the same idea.
HOW IS THE NIGHT OF HONOUR BETTER THAN
A THOUSAND MONTHS?
This night being better than 1000 months is for the
value of worshipping and keeping vigil on that night.
The narrations on the virtue of the Night of Honour
and worship on it are abundantly mentioned in both
Sunni and Shia books, certifying this meaning. Furthermore,
the descent of the Qur'an on this Night
and the descent of the divine blessings and Grace in
it cause the night to be better than a thousand
months.
Imam Sadiq (as) told Ali bin Abu Hamzah Thamaly:
Seek the virtue of the Night of Honour on the 21st and
23rd night and do say one hundred rak'at prayers on
either of them and if you can, do keep vigil both nights till
the break of dawn, and perform ritual bathing therein.
Abu-Hamzah says he asked Imam Sadiq if he could
not pray so many prayers standing, what should he
do. He replied: Pray in the sitting position. He then
asked if he could not do that, what should he do.
The answer: Pray in bed, and it does not matter if you
sleep a little at the beginning of the night and then begin
praying because, in Ramadan, the gates of Heaven are
open, Satans are bound in chains and the deeds of the
believers are accepted. What a good month Ramadan
is! . (6)
WHY DID THE QUR'AN DESCEND ON THIS
NIGHT?
We should be aware of the moments that our fate
forms and not spend the time in negligence and
sleeping, otherwise our destiny will be regretful.
As the Qur'an is a book of destiny and leads to the
path of happiness and guidance, for Man, it should be
sent down on the Night of Honour, the night of
determining fates. What a nice connection there is
between 'the Qur'an' and the Night of Honour! And
how meaningful their relation with each other is!
SUPPLICATION :
O Lord! Bestow on us such a wakefulness and acknowledgement
that we take sufficient benefit from the virtue
of the Night of Honour.
O Lord! We hope, only, that our predestined fates be
determined based on Your Grace.
O Lord! Do not put us among those who are deprived
from this month, because it is the worst deprivation.
REFERENCES
(1) Borhan, Commentary, vol, 4, p. 488, tradition 29.
(2) Tafsir-i-Fakhr-i-Razi Commentary, vol. 32, p. 36.
(3) Nur-ath-Thaqalayn, vol. 5, p. 625, Tradition 58.
(4) Nur-ath-Thaqalayn, vol. 5, p. 626, Tradition 62.
(5) Durr-aI -Manthur, vol . 6, p. 371.
(9) Nur-ath-Thaqalayn, vol. 5, p. 626, tradition 58.
Laylatul Qadr is a night with light, grace, mercy.
blessing, goodness, spiritual safety and felicity that
which is unique in any respect. Imam Baqir (as) was
asked if he knew which night Laylatul Qadr was, and
replied: “How do we not know it whereas the angels go
round us therein?” (1)
When angels came and greeted Abraham (as)
(Qur’an 11:69), and gave him glad tidings of a son
(Isaac), it is said that all this world was worthless in
comparison with the delight that Abraham (as) took
in that greeting. Now consider that the Night of
Qadr is one on which Angels come to the believers,
in groups, and greet them. How delightful it is!
When Abraham was thrown into the fire by Nimrod,
Angels came and greeted him and made him safe. So
doesn’t the Fire of Hell, with Angels’ greeting to
believers on the Night of Qadr, become cool and a
means of safety for the believers? (2)
EXPLANATION:
WHY IS IT CALLED THE NIGHT OF QADR?
A lot of ideas are stated:
(1) The most common opinion: Because all the affairs
and the destinies of men for a year are determined
that night. 44:3-4 serves as witness to this idea: We
sent it down during a night: For We (ever) wish to warn
(against Evil). On that (night) is made distinct every affair
of wisdom. This meaning harmonizes with numerous
narrations saying: On that night the affairs and destinies
of men are determined; sustenance, the end of lives and
other affairs are made distinct and clear.
(2) It is of great importance and honour, as stated in
22:74: No just estimate have they made of Allah....
(3) The Qur’an, with all its grand rank, was descended
to the grand Apostle of Allah by the means
of His grand angel on this night.
(4) The person who keeps vigil on that night obtains
a grand rank.
(5) One of the meanings of /qadr/ is 'restriction' used
in 65:7: and the man whose resources are restricted.
There descend so many angels on that night that the
expanse of the Earth is restricted and does not have
enough room for all of them.
WHICH NIGHT IS THE NIGHT OF HONOUR?
The Night of Honour is definitely in the month of
Ramadan since the verses of the Qur'an attest to
this. eg 2:185 says: Ramadan is the (month) in which
was sent down the Qur'an... , and in Sura Qadr it says:
Surely We sent it down on the Night of Honour.
But, which night does it refer to? Commentators and
literalists point to a night on the calendar, but there
is no agreement as to which it is. The 1st, 17th, 19th,
21st, 23rd, 27th, or 29th night of Ramadan have all
been suggested.
But the most popular narration is that it is in the last
ten nights, emphasizing on the 21st to 29th night.
The evidence is referred to in a narration that the
Prophet (saw) kept vigil and was busy praying all the
last ten nights of Ramadan. But, in numerous narrations,
from Ahlul-Bait, the 23rd night is emphasized,
while the narrations of Sunni scholars tend toward
the 27th night.
A narration from Imam Sadiq (as) denotes that the
Night of Honour is the 21st or 23rd night of Ramadan,
and when a man insisted and asked that if he
could not worship on both of them, then, which one
he would choose, he (p.b.u.h.) replied: How easy is
two nights for what you seek!. (3)
A further narration from Imam Sadiq (as) says: Determining
the proportions is in the Night of Honour, the
19th night; its confirmation is on the 21st night, and its
signing is on the 23rd night. (4) Thus, the senses of all
narrations gather together. However, a kind of mystic
ambiguity covers the Night of Honour and the
reason will be discussed later.
WHY IS THE NIGHT OF HONOUR A MYSTERY?
Many commentators believe that the Night of Honour
is hidden so people consider all the nights as
important, because Allah has hidden His pleasure in
all kinds of obedience and worship so that people
practise all of them, and He has hidden His wrath in
sinning, in general, so that they avoid all kinds of sin.
He has hidden His votaries among all members so
that everyone will be honored. He has concealed the
supplication to which He listens among all supplications,
and devotees refer to all of them when they
call on Him. He has hidden /ismi-a'zam/, His Greatest
Name, among His several universal names so that
they will remember and consider all the divine names
of the Lord. The time of their death is hidden so that
they will always be prepared. And this is a fitting
philosophy.
WAS THERE THE NIGHT OF HONOUR FOR FORMER
NATIONS?
The verses of this Sura appparently show that the
Night of Honour is not specialized to the time of the
descent of the Qur'an and the period of the Call of
the Messenger of Islam, but it repeats annually until
the end of this world.
The application of the verb /tanazzala/, in the Sura,
which is in the future tense and indicates the continuity
of the verb, and also using: Peace! It is till the
rising of the dawn, which is a noun phrase, shows
perpetuality. Besides, there are also many narrations
which, perhaps, on the frequency of successive transmission
attest to the idea. Now, the question is that
whether the old communities, too, had it or not.
Many narrations suggest this is of the divine blessings
endowed to this group of people, Muslims. In a tradition,
the holy Prophet (saw) is narrated to have said:
Surely Allah has bestowed on my community the Night of
Honour which He did not give to any of those (peoples)
who were before them (5) In commenting on the
above verses there are some other narrations that
indicate the same idea.
HOW IS THE NIGHT OF HONOUR BETTER THAN
A THOUSAND MONTHS?
This night being better than 1000 months is for the
value of worshipping and keeping vigil on that night.
The narrations on the virtue of the Night of Honour
and worship on it are abundantly mentioned in both
Sunni and Shia books, certifying this meaning. Furthermore,
the descent of the Qur'an on this Night
and the descent of the divine blessings and Grace in
it cause the night to be better than a thousand
months.
Imam Sadiq (as) told Ali bin Abu Hamzah Thamaly:
Seek the virtue of the Night of Honour on the 21st and
23rd night and do say one hundred rak'at prayers on
either of them and if you can, do keep vigil both nights till
the break of dawn, and perform ritual bathing therein.
Abu-Hamzah says he asked Imam Sadiq if he could
not pray so many prayers standing, what should he
do. He replied: Pray in the sitting position. He then
asked if he could not do that, what should he do.
The answer: Pray in bed, and it does not matter if you
sleep a little at the beginning of the night and then begin
praying because, in Ramadan, the gates of Heaven are
open, Satans are bound in chains and the deeds of the
believers are accepted. What a good month Ramadan
is! . (6)
WHY DID THE QUR'AN DESCEND ON THIS
NIGHT?
We should be aware of the moments that our fate
forms and not spend the time in negligence and
sleeping, otherwise our destiny will be regretful.
As the Qur'an is a book of destiny and leads to the
path of happiness and guidance, for Man, it should be
sent down on the Night of Honour, the night of
determining fates. What a nice connection there is
between 'the Qur'an' and the Night of Honour! And
how meaningful their relation with each other is!
SUPPLICATION :
O Lord! Bestow on us such a wakefulness and acknowledgement
that we take sufficient benefit from the virtue
of the Night of Honour.
O Lord! We hope, only, that our predestined fates be
determined based on Your Grace.
O Lord! Do not put us among those who are deprived
from this month, because it is the worst deprivation.
REFERENCES
(1) Borhan, Commentary, vol, 4, p. 488, tradition 29.
(2) Tafsir-i-Fakhr-i-Razi Commentary, vol. 32, p. 36.
(3) Nur-ath-Thaqalayn, vol. 5, p. 625, Tradition 58.
(4) Nur-ath-Thaqalayn, vol. 5, p. 626, Tradition 62.
(5) Durr-aI -Manthur, vol . 6, p. 371.
(9) Nur-ath-Thaqalayn, vol. 5, p. 626, tradition 58.
The relation between Allah (swt) and humanity
The relationship between Allah (swt) and Humanity focuses around a central pivot of subservience between
a Master and His Servant. It is one of total submission to and acceptance of the one and only Allah (swt) and His Will.
The difference between humans and other forms of creation is that they have been given the ability to choose – the doctrine of free will. When the heart submits to Allah (swt), then the whole person has completely submitted to Allah (swt). At this level of total and complete submission, the relationship between Allah (swt) and the human is one of complete peace.
As Allah (swt) is the Creator, then He will care for and provide for His Creation as He is well aware of their needs and requirements. This is exemplified in His immanency. There is a Quranic verse that states: “Allah (swt) is closer to you than your jugular vein”.
However, Allah (swt) is also known through His transcendence – His ‘otherness’. There is a dichotomy here between these two attributes of Allah (swt). He cannot be compared in any way to humans as He is the Wajib Al Wudud – the Necessary Existence and we are contingent beings – totally dependent on Him.
Humans are born sinless and are responsible for the sins that they commit intentionally. Recognising human nature, Allah (swt) the Most Merciful, accepts man’s sincere repentance and forgives his sins. Man is created to serve Allah and Allah (swt) has entrusted man with the responsibility of being His deputies and representatives on this earth.
As humans have been entrusted with the gift of life, man’s physical being, wealth, family relationships, communities, environment and the earth are intrinsic parts of man’s responsibility to Allah (swt). Humans must realise that although they do not see Allah (swt), He sees them and He must be worshipped as though He is visible to human eyes.
It must be realised that there are no veils hindering the unique two-way communication from the Creator to His Creation. There are veils, however, going upwards from the servant to His Master. These veils have been created by the servant himself and he must endure to eradicate these pitfalls.
Humans must realise that they are descendents of Prophet Adam(a.s) and have been created from dust and to dust they will return. It is only their total reliance -tawakkul- and faith in Allah (swt), His Prophet (saw) and His Family (as) and by enacting and abiding by the Quran and the Shariah that they will gain the pleasure of Allah(swt).
The heart must continue to rotate around a central pivot and must not be attracted along its axis by the materialistic pleasures of this world.
This is how I see my relationship with Allah (swt), He is the source of quench for my thirst in life and to this fountain I will willingly return when beckoned by His call.
Ameen.
By Sister Zeenat Rattansey
a Master and His Servant. It is one of total submission to and acceptance of the one and only Allah (swt) and His Will.
The difference between humans and other forms of creation is that they have been given the ability to choose – the doctrine of free will. When the heart submits to Allah (swt), then the whole person has completely submitted to Allah (swt). At this level of total and complete submission, the relationship between Allah (swt) and the human is one of complete peace.
As Allah (swt) is the Creator, then He will care for and provide for His Creation as He is well aware of their needs and requirements. This is exemplified in His immanency. There is a Quranic verse that states: “Allah (swt) is closer to you than your jugular vein”.
However, Allah (swt) is also known through His transcendence – His ‘otherness’. There is a dichotomy here between these two attributes of Allah (swt). He cannot be compared in any way to humans as He is the Wajib Al Wudud – the Necessary Existence and we are contingent beings – totally dependent on Him.
Humans are born sinless and are responsible for the sins that they commit intentionally. Recognising human nature, Allah (swt) the Most Merciful, accepts man’s sincere repentance and forgives his sins. Man is created to serve Allah and Allah (swt) has entrusted man with the responsibility of being His deputies and representatives on this earth.
As humans have been entrusted with the gift of life, man’s physical being, wealth, family relationships, communities, environment and the earth are intrinsic parts of man’s responsibility to Allah (swt). Humans must realise that although they do not see Allah (swt), He sees them and He must be worshipped as though He is visible to human eyes.
It must be realised that there are no veils hindering the unique two-way communication from the Creator to His Creation. There are veils, however, going upwards from the servant to His Master. These veils have been created by the servant himself and he must endure to eradicate these pitfalls.
Humans must realise that they are descendents of Prophet Adam(a.s) and have been created from dust and to dust they will return. It is only their total reliance -tawakkul- and faith in Allah (swt), His Prophet (saw) and His Family (as) and by enacting and abiding by the Quran and the Shariah that they will gain the pleasure of Allah(swt).
The heart must continue to rotate around a central pivot and must not be attracted along its axis by the materialistic pleasures of this world.
This is how I see my relationship with Allah (swt), He is the source of quench for my thirst in life and to this fountain I will willingly return when beckoned by His call.
Ameen.
By Sister Zeenat Rattansey
Devouring the flesh of your Marja
by Mohsin Asharia
When our 12th Imam (may Allah (swt) hasten his reappearance) went into occultation, he left a clear message to the believers:
"And as for the future occurrences, refer to the narrators of our traditions because they are my proof upon you and I am the proof of Allah."
The 11th Imam (as) had already made this quite clear when he said:
"It is obligatory for the populace to follow the jurist who refrains from committing wrong, mentions his faith, opposes carnal desire and obeys Allah's command."
It’s pretty evident from these and other traditions that Taqleed is wajib (if one doesn’t practise Ihtiyat or Ijtehad) and following one’s Mujtahid is also obligatory. Indeed the status of these scholars is beyond doubt.
Imam Ali (as) said: “The reward of a religious scholar is greater than the reward of a person who is fasting on days and establishes prayers during the night and fights in the Holy War for the sake of Allah. And, when a religious scholar dies, there will appear a gap in Islam which cannot be compensated except by a replacement of that (kind).” Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 2, p. 43
We can see that these jurists and maraje occupy a most high position in the eyes of Allah (swt).
So it is sad, when the month of Ramadhan draws to a close and the perennial debates about Eid begin, that we see some members of the community talking about these scholars as if they are pieces of trash.
“Why is that mujtahid causing disunity in our community? We never used to have these problems!” and “He’s living in a third-world country! What does he know about astronomy?” do not seem out of place in these “discussions”. It’s sickening. And it has to stop.
The Maraje begin studying from the moment they can talk and continue for decades. They sacrifice the things we take for granted solely for the pleasure of Allah. They scrutinize every single verse in the Qur’an, and inspect every word and every narrator of every hadith before they come up with a ruling. So what do we do to thank them? “I don’t agree with that ruling! It doesn’t make sense!”
We, many of whom have never even picked up a book, have the guts to try and correct the representative of our Imam (ajfs) . Not only that, some of us even try to find a way out! “Can I follow a different marja on this matter?” How laughable! You’ve put your faith in this jurist because you believe him to be the most knowledgeable, and now you wish to change solely because the ruling doesn’t suit you?
But what is more ludicrous, bordering on humorous, is that after doing all of this, some of us have the stomach to go on and pray for the 12th Imam’s reappearance to fight for him. Yeah right! For some reason, I doubt the Imam will want the very people who slander his representatives in his army!
So let’s do ourselves a favour this month of Ramadhan. Rather than backbiting about the maraje that we are supposed to be following, let’s make a vow to replace those words with kindness, compassion, and mercy for the people who have sacrificed their lives to help us attain salvation.
When our 12th Imam (may Allah (swt) hasten his reappearance) went into occultation, he left a clear message to the believers:
"And as for the future occurrences, refer to the narrators of our traditions because they are my proof upon you and I am the proof of Allah."
The 11th Imam (as) had already made this quite clear when he said:
"It is obligatory for the populace to follow the jurist who refrains from committing wrong, mentions his faith, opposes carnal desire and obeys Allah's command."
It’s pretty evident from these and other traditions that Taqleed is wajib (if one doesn’t practise Ihtiyat or Ijtehad) and following one’s Mujtahid is also obligatory. Indeed the status of these scholars is beyond doubt.
Imam Ali (as) said: “The reward of a religious scholar is greater than the reward of a person who is fasting on days and establishes prayers during the night and fights in the Holy War for the sake of Allah. And, when a religious scholar dies, there will appear a gap in Islam which cannot be compensated except by a replacement of that (kind).” Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 2, p. 43
We can see that these jurists and maraje occupy a most high position in the eyes of Allah (swt).
So it is sad, when the month of Ramadhan draws to a close and the perennial debates about Eid begin, that we see some members of the community talking about these scholars as if they are pieces of trash.
“Why is that mujtahid causing disunity in our community? We never used to have these problems!” and “He’s living in a third-world country! What does he know about astronomy?” do not seem out of place in these “discussions”. It’s sickening. And it has to stop.
The Maraje begin studying from the moment they can talk and continue for decades. They sacrifice the things we take for granted solely for the pleasure of Allah. They scrutinize every single verse in the Qur’an, and inspect every word and every narrator of every hadith before they come up with a ruling. So what do we do to thank them? “I don’t agree with that ruling! It doesn’t make sense!”
We, many of whom have never even picked up a book, have the guts to try and correct the representative of our Imam (ajfs) . Not only that, some of us even try to find a way out! “Can I follow a different marja on this matter?” How laughable! You’ve put your faith in this jurist because you believe him to be the most knowledgeable, and now you wish to change solely because the ruling doesn’t suit you?
But what is more ludicrous, bordering on humorous, is that after doing all of this, some of us have the stomach to go on and pray for the 12th Imam’s reappearance to fight for him. Yeah right! For some reason, I doubt the Imam will want the very people who slander his representatives in his army!
So let’s do ourselves a favour this month of Ramadhan. Rather than backbiting about the maraje that we are supposed to be following, let’s make a vow to replace those words with kindness, compassion, and mercy for the people who have sacrificed their lives to help us attain salvation.
Tuesday 1 May 2007
Sham 2007
by Sara Haider
The eight days we spent in Shaam were spiritually uplifting, socially engaging, emotionally reviving, mentally
challenging and a whole lot more. There was not a single person on the trip that felt ready to say Allah Hafis to Lady Zainab and the atmosphere of Shaam on the Monday afternoon that we left.
Never have I been so willing to give up my sleep, however with such a beautiful opportunity for development
at hand it was impossible to forsake this invitation from Lady Zainab.
Every aspect of the trip was organised to the core detail, the days were filled with educational and spiritual activities that made the whole experience an inspiring one, that will InshAllah lead us all to becoming better Muslims, and better Shi’as. We were so well pampered, with excellent food, luxurious accommodation, extremely comfortable travel- our every need was catered for.
We were blessed to have wonderful speakers accompany us on the trip, who were so willing to share their knowledge with us, and answer our endless questions. No doubt we exhausted them but their conduct and akhlaq was an example to us all. Every moment was made use of with lectures and question & answer sessions on bus journeys, as well as additional sessions slotted into the mornings and nights.
This was supplemented with excellent nauha, mersia, and qasida reciters such as Uncle Ramazan Ali and the ‘‘Shi’as from South London’’. The latter, in particular, ensured tabarra was well and truly alive, and praise of Imam Ali was a constant utterance.
As our departure drew nigh, many of us began discussing our aspirations and areas we intended on improving upon- everyone had been motivated by the knowledge gained to improve and prepare ourselves for the return of the Hujjat, the 12th Imam (AS). We had all recognised that we have an aim, and each of us is more than
capable of making this world a better place, if we just put our mind to it. This was the message passed on to us by truly moving speakers such as Mohammad Jaffer, and the work already being done by himself, and Syed Modarresi were illustrations of the plethora of opportunities for us to get involved in.
One cannot underestimate the value of engaging with other Muslim brothers and sisters to share experiences and engage in discussions of how to balance our ‘deen and duniya’ demands. This trip gives you the opportunity to grow as a person mentally and emotionally. The scholars do not enforce on you what to change about your life to lead a more Islamic lifestyle, but point you in the right direction to find your own ideals and aspirations. The journey does not just end after the duration of the stay in Syria, but continues by practically implementing Islam upon your return. Without a doubt, Sham 2007 was a life changing and delightful experience.
Hyderi Youth would like to thank the organisers, speakers and volunteers on this trip. May Allah reward
you all inshallah.
The eight days we spent in Shaam were spiritually uplifting, socially engaging, emotionally reviving, mentally
challenging and a whole lot more. There was not a single person on the trip that felt ready to say Allah Hafis to Lady Zainab and the atmosphere of Shaam on the Monday afternoon that we left.
Never have I been so willing to give up my sleep, however with such a beautiful opportunity for development
at hand it was impossible to forsake this invitation from Lady Zainab.
Every aspect of the trip was organised to the core detail, the days were filled with educational and spiritual activities that made the whole experience an inspiring one, that will InshAllah lead us all to becoming better Muslims, and better Shi’as. We were so well pampered, with excellent food, luxurious accommodation, extremely comfortable travel- our every need was catered for.
We were blessed to have wonderful speakers accompany us on the trip, who were so willing to share their knowledge with us, and answer our endless questions. No doubt we exhausted them but their conduct and akhlaq was an example to us all. Every moment was made use of with lectures and question & answer sessions on bus journeys, as well as additional sessions slotted into the mornings and nights.
This was supplemented with excellent nauha, mersia, and qasida reciters such as Uncle Ramazan Ali and the ‘‘Shi’as from South London’’. The latter, in particular, ensured tabarra was well and truly alive, and praise of Imam Ali was a constant utterance.
As our departure drew nigh, many of us began discussing our aspirations and areas we intended on improving upon- everyone had been motivated by the knowledge gained to improve and prepare ourselves for the return of the Hujjat, the 12th Imam (AS). We had all recognised that we have an aim, and each of us is more than
capable of making this world a better place, if we just put our mind to it. This was the message passed on to us by truly moving speakers such as Mohammad Jaffer, and the work already being done by himself, and Syed Modarresi were illustrations of the plethora of opportunities for us to get involved in.
One cannot underestimate the value of engaging with other Muslim brothers and sisters to share experiences and engage in discussions of how to balance our ‘deen and duniya’ demands. This trip gives you the opportunity to grow as a person mentally and emotionally. The scholars do not enforce on you what to change about your life to lead a more Islamic lifestyle, but point you in the right direction to find your own ideals and aspirations. The journey does not just end after the duration of the stay in Syria, but continues by practically implementing Islam upon your return. Without a doubt, Sham 2007 was a life changing and delightful experience.
Hyderi Youth would like to thank the organisers, speakers and volunteers on this trip. May Allah reward
you all inshallah.
Intercession: is it really allowed in Islam?
by Hasnain Asharia, based on the lecture by Syed Ammar Nakshawani
Some people claim that asking for help to other than Allah is polytheism. Such people should never go to a doctor when they become sick because this is polytheism. By them going to the doctor, they are seeking help from a specialist even though Allah is there to seek help from. We see from revelation that intercession must occur, for example Allah sends his message to the Prophets and the Prophets portray the message to mankind; hence this is a form of intercession. Therefore on Yawmul Qiyamah we can see that mankind will be in need of help and so the Prophets will intercede for them to Allah. Still weary of this; let us go to the Holy Book.
What they fail to understand is that if we seek help from anybody, we do it with the understanding that he by his own cannot help us without Allah’s permission. If one calls Prophet Muhammad (SAW) or Imam Ali (AS) for help, he is, in fact, calling Allah for help through intermediary of the Prophet or the Imams, and he does that with the understanding that the Prophet or the Imams do not have any independent power, but rather what they have is ‘credit’ in front of Allah and that Allah does not put down their requests if they pray to Allah on my behalf. Imam Ali and all the martyrs are alive as Quran clearly testifies, though they are not on the earth. So please do not treat them as dead. Allah states in Quran:
Think not of those who are martyred in the way of Allah as dead. Nay! They are living, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord." (Qur’an 3:169 and 2:154)
In fact all of our Imams except Imam Mahdi (aj)were martyred either by the sword or by poison. So they should not be called dead since they are alive according to the Quran. Thus we can make Tawassul to them the same way that the Shia of Moses made Tawassul to Moses:
"And he (Moses) went into the city at a time when people (of the city) were not watching, so he found therein two men fighting, one being of his Shia and the other being his enemy, and the one who was of his Shia cried out to him for help against the one who was of his enemy" (Quran 28:15)
Two things which distinguish Tawassul and Shirk should be noted here. First, we do not believe that the Prophet and Imams have any independent power from Allah. Second, Allah is the one who assigned the intermediate. The idol worshipers used a wrong intermediate, and that was another reason why it was condemned. Such evidence can be found in the Quran, 2:48, 6:70, 6:94 and 74:48.
These verses are often displayed to refute the idea of intercession, however we have just discussed that these verses are out of context and are directed to the idol worshippers for taking the wrong intermediary.
Let us now examine verses of the Quran which portray the acceptance of intercession. We see in the Quran that had the sinners asked the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) to ask Allah for their forgiveness, Allah would have forgiven them.
"when they had wronged themselves , they had but come unto thee and asked forgiveness of Allah and asked forgiveness of the messenger , they would have found Allah Forgiving , Merciful." (Quran 4: 64)
Another example in history involving our beloved Prophet Muhammed (SAW) is mentioned in Surah Munafiqoon; if the hypocrites only turned to the Prophet (SAW) to ask forgiveness for them from Allah, they would have been forgiven, but their arrogance did not let them.
"Come! The messenger of Allah will ask forgiveness for you! they avert their faces and thou seest them turning away , disdainful." (Quran 63:5)
A famous example is in Ayaatul Kursee where it states that intercession can occur on Yawmul Qiyamah by Allah's permission.
"Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permitteth?" (Quran 2:255)
Other examples include Quran 19:87, 20:109, 53:26, 21:28, 43:86, and 5:35 (left).
Finally there is a famous hadith, which is accepted unanimously by Shia and Sunnis, that states intercession can occur through the scholars and martyrs. Therefore the martyr of Kerabala, Imam Al-Hussayn (as) or the
martyr in Kufa Imam Ali (as) struck down while in Sujood. Were they not both scholars as well? Most surely they fit both categories.
Inshallah this has clarified the topic. Though it may be rather long winded, it must be addressed as it is a very common misconception. May Allah (swt) guide us all to the Siratul Mustaqeem.
Allah Alam. Anything good I have said is from Allah and any mistake is most surely from me.
Some people claim that asking for help to other than Allah is polytheism. Such people should never go to a doctor when they become sick because this is polytheism. By them going to the doctor, they are seeking help from a specialist even though Allah is there to seek help from. We see from revelation that intercession must occur, for example Allah sends his message to the Prophets and the Prophets portray the message to mankind; hence this is a form of intercession. Therefore on Yawmul Qiyamah we can see that mankind will be in need of help and so the Prophets will intercede for them to Allah. Still weary of this; let us go to the Holy Book.
What they fail to understand is that if we seek help from anybody, we do it with the understanding that he by his own cannot help us without Allah’s permission. If one calls Prophet Muhammad (SAW) or Imam Ali (AS) for help, he is, in fact, calling Allah for help through intermediary of the Prophet or the Imams, and he does that with the understanding that the Prophet or the Imams do not have any independent power, but rather what they have is ‘credit’ in front of Allah and that Allah does not put down their requests if they pray to Allah on my behalf. Imam Ali and all the martyrs are alive as Quran clearly testifies, though they are not on the earth. So please do not treat them as dead. Allah states in Quran:
Think not of those who are martyred in the way of Allah as dead. Nay! They are living, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord." (Qur’an 3:169 and 2:154)
In fact all of our Imams except Imam Mahdi (aj)were martyred either by the sword or by poison. So they should not be called dead since they are alive according to the Quran. Thus we can make Tawassul to them the same way that the Shia of Moses made Tawassul to Moses:
"And he (Moses) went into the city at a time when people (of the city) were not watching, so he found therein two men fighting, one being of his Shia and the other being his enemy, and the one who was of his Shia cried out to him for help against the one who was of his enemy" (Quran 28:15)
Two things which distinguish Tawassul and Shirk should be noted here. First, we do not believe that the Prophet and Imams have any independent power from Allah. Second, Allah is the one who assigned the intermediate. The idol worshipers used a wrong intermediate, and that was another reason why it was condemned. Such evidence can be found in the Quran, 2:48, 6:70, 6:94 and 74:48.
These verses are often displayed to refute the idea of intercession, however we have just discussed that these verses are out of context and are directed to the idol worshippers for taking the wrong intermediary.
Let us now examine verses of the Quran which portray the acceptance of intercession. We see in the Quran that had the sinners asked the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) to ask Allah for their forgiveness, Allah would have forgiven them.
"when they had wronged themselves , they had but come unto thee and asked forgiveness of Allah and asked forgiveness of the messenger , they would have found Allah Forgiving , Merciful." (Quran 4: 64)
Another example in history involving our beloved Prophet Muhammed (SAW) is mentioned in Surah Munafiqoon; if the hypocrites only turned to the Prophet (SAW) to ask forgiveness for them from Allah, they would have been forgiven, but their arrogance did not let them.
"Come! The messenger of Allah will ask forgiveness for you! they avert their faces and thou seest them turning away , disdainful." (Quran 63:5)
A famous example is in Ayaatul Kursee where it states that intercession can occur on Yawmul Qiyamah by Allah's permission.
"Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permitteth?" (Quran 2:255)
Other examples include Quran 19:87, 20:109, 53:26, 21:28, 43:86, and 5:35 (left).
Finally there is a famous hadith, which is accepted unanimously by Shia and Sunnis, that states intercession can occur through the scholars and martyrs. Therefore the martyr of Kerabala, Imam Al-Hussayn (as) or the
martyr in Kufa Imam Ali (as) struck down while in Sujood. Were they not both scholars as well? Most surely they fit both categories.
Inshallah this has clarified the topic. Though it may be rather long winded, it must be addressed as it is a very common misconception. May Allah (swt) guide us all to the Siratul Mustaqeem.
Allah Alam. Anything good I have said is from Allah and any mistake is most surely from me.
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