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.
Tuesday 1 May 2007
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.
We should welcome Shisha ban
by Mohsin Asharia
The Department of Health recently confirmed that shisha cafés will also be affected by the smoking ban on July 1. As expected, the announcement outraged the British Muslim community.
Ibrahim el-Nour from the Edgware Road Association claimed that shisha should be exempt from the ban since it only contains “small amounts of tobacco” and that by enforcing the ban, “the government is showing disregard to the whole community.”
So what should we do? Organise a proshisha demonstration like the pro-Palestine marches we attend? Burn embassies like some Muslims did after the cartoons fiasco? Of course not. Rather, I suggest we support the ban.
Islam teaches that what is beneficial for us is permissible, and what is harmful for us should be avoided. Ayatollah Sistani is of the view that “smoking is not forbidden as such, but anyone who knows that it is harmful to his or her health should refrain.” It’s not rocket science, really. If you know that shisha is really harmful to your health, you should refrain. Sure, as the question to Ayatollah Sistani published in this newsletter on the opposite page shows, it’s not haram if it doesn’t cause considerable harm. But doesn’t it?
A World Health Organization report said that "using a waterpipe to smoke tobacco poses a serious potential health hazard to smokers and others from the smoke emitted,” Dr Alan Shidaheh of the American University, Beirut, said that “every recent study has found that shisha smoke contains large quantities of the chemicals that lead to heart disease, cancer, and addiction in cigarette smokers." That’s pretty harmful.
So why are we so reluctant to follow Ayatollah Sistani’s advice and refrain from that which is harmful? Rather than complaining about the government trying to force shisha cafés out of business and some Western conspiracy against Islam, why don’t we accept that this government is doing a good thing? I find it sad that the West seems to be enforcing Islamic principles more than the Muslims themselves. We go on about how Islam promotes a healthy life, and how not to consume pork or alcohol because they are bad for our health, but we see no problem in smoking shisha for hours on end. And when some scholars do claim that shisha is haram, we are quick to condemn them and twist the words around to mean something else.
It’s time that the Muslim community takes a step in the right direction. Rather than having to rely on government-enforced legislation to eradicate shisha from our community, we should be the ones, as followers of the message of Islam, that should be taking an active role in erasing such harmful effects of society.
Only then will people realise that Islam truly does appreciate the sanctity of human life.
-----------------------
SHISHA: THE FACTS
Smoking shisha for 45 mins gives 36x more tar, 15x more carbon monoxide and 70% more nicotine than a
cigarette-Thomas Eissenberg, Psychology prof, Virginia C. Uni
Shisha smokers are 5 times more likely to show signs of gum disease- Journal of Periodontology
Men who smoke shisha have 5x higher risk of lung cancer-Jane Henley, epidemiologist, American Cancer Society.
The Department of Health recently confirmed that shisha cafés will also be affected by the smoking ban on July 1. As expected, the announcement outraged the British Muslim community.
Ibrahim el-Nour from the Edgware Road Association claimed that shisha should be exempt from the ban since it only contains “small amounts of tobacco” and that by enforcing the ban, “the government is showing disregard to the whole community.”
So what should we do? Organise a proshisha demonstration like the pro-Palestine marches we attend? Burn embassies like some Muslims did after the cartoons fiasco? Of course not. Rather, I suggest we support the ban.
Islam teaches that what is beneficial for us is permissible, and what is harmful for us should be avoided. Ayatollah Sistani is of the view that “smoking is not forbidden as such, but anyone who knows that it is harmful to his or her health should refrain.” It’s not rocket science, really. If you know that shisha is really harmful to your health, you should refrain. Sure, as the question to Ayatollah Sistani published in this newsletter on the opposite page shows, it’s not haram if it doesn’t cause considerable harm. But doesn’t it?
A World Health Organization report said that "using a waterpipe to smoke tobacco poses a serious potential health hazard to smokers and others from the smoke emitted,” Dr Alan Shidaheh of the American University, Beirut, said that “every recent study has found that shisha smoke contains large quantities of the chemicals that lead to heart disease, cancer, and addiction in cigarette smokers." That’s pretty harmful.
So why are we so reluctant to follow Ayatollah Sistani’s advice and refrain from that which is harmful? Rather than complaining about the government trying to force shisha cafés out of business and some Western conspiracy against Islam, why don’t we accept that this government is doing a good thing? I find it sad that the West seems to be enforcing Islamic principles more than the Muslims themselves. We go on about how Islam promotes a healthy life, and how not to consume pork or alcohol because they are bad for our health, but we see no problem in smoking shisha for hours on end. And when some scholars do claim that shisha is haram, we are quick to condemn them and twist the words around to mean something else.
It’s time that the Muslim community takes a step in the right direction. Rather than having to rely on government-enforced legislation to eradicate shisha from our community, we should be the ones, as followers of the message of Islam, that should be taking an active role in erasing such harmful effects of society.
Only then will people realise that Islam truly does appreciate the sanctity of human life.
-----------------------
SHISHA: THE FACTS
Smoking shisha for 45 mins gives 36x more tar, 15x more carbon monoxide and 70% more nicotine than a
cigarette-Thomas Eissenberg, Psychology prof, Virginia C. Uni
Shisha smokers are 5 times more likely to show signs of gum disease- Journal of Periodontology
Men who smoke shisha have 5x higher risk of lung cancer-Jane Henley, epidemiologist, American Cancer Society.
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