The sadness and chaos in this world...

Assalaam Alaikum dear brothers and sisters,

Not sure where to start or what to say...

This world is an utter chaos at this time, Muslim or not muslim, mankind is suffering at the hands of the disbelievers!  May Allah SWT hasten the reappearance of our beloved Imam ATF... this world needs peace...

The religion that means peace is at suffering as well...  the hands of a few that are doing nothing but giving a bad name and reputation to this wonderful religion!  May  Allah SWT bless the hearts of those who are in suffering and pain and give them the strength to bear their huge losses.  Oh Allah! we pray to You and only You!  You are the Supreme, the Beneficent, the Merciful!  Oh Allah, Your justice is compared to no other, You are One and above all!  Oh Allah help those in need in suffering, help the innocent around the world in the name of your beloved Messenger Mohammad and his family! (PBUH&HF)

There is alot of suffering.. not sure where to start and where to go...

This past week has been utter chaos!
First I heard about the ChapelHill shootings of the killing of the beautiful three individuals, so young and so bright... It made my days so dark to think of the pain their families must be going through and MashAllah the strength they have to talk about it.  What is wonderful and in accordance to Islam is that they openly kept repeating not to be revengeful and that justice will take care of the wrong doers... I loved how Deah's sister was so strong and able to face public with the strength and dignity and talk about the three mashAllah.. May Allah SWT grant them all the sabr to bear their major losses... nothing can replace the wonderful young bright individuals that they were... but from Allah SWT we are and to Him we all shall return.

Right after this heartbreaking news, i heard of another lady of our community who was suffering from cancer who lost the battle. May Allah SWT bless her soul and give her family the strength to bear this loss.  Cancer is one disease that I hope and Pray Allah does not even give to the enemies... oh Allah help us to get rid of this illness and save our beings from going through the torture to bear the pain of this illness.  You are Shaafi, the one who gives the Healing for all illnesses!

Same day I heard another tragic news of a 22 year old boy in my family who passed away with brain hemorrhage suddenly.  No illnesses, a healthy young beautiful boy!  May Allah SWT give his parents sabr-e-jameel (highlest level of patience) upon loosing such a beautiful child.  I remember playing with him as a baby and admiring how beautiful that child was.  Who knew that we will all lose him so soon... May Allah SWT bless him with a place in Jannah inshAllah and have mercy on his family and friends to bear this loss.  Oh Allah, you create us and to You we shall all return!

Right around this same time I heard of the bombings in Pakistan... two to be exact and both in mosques while people were praying the Friday congregation prayers!  How insane does a human have to be to claim so many lives during prayer time?  How heartless can a person be!
Oh Allah have mercy on all those families that lost their loved ones... oh Allah You are Aadil (Just), we seek Your justice in getting rid of this jaahil (illiterate) group and having mercy on the believers.  This is not about being Shia'h or Sunni, it is about humanity!  Heartless ruthless people like these are out there killing innocent people in Your name... not knowing how Merciful you are and how You are the Almighty!  They think they have the power to do anything in Your beautiful name... Oh Allah we long for Your Justice!

To you all brothers and sisters... I hope and pray that you and your families keep safe... that no one you know is harmed in this way.. and that you get closer to understanding the beautiful religion of Islam and its peaceful teachings.. I hope you are able to find that Islam does not teach animosity and killings as these few have portrayed it as... InshAllah hoping and praying for peace in this world with the tawassul (intercession) of the 14 infalliables...

Iltimaas-e-Dua
Zehra

Moharram 1436- 2014

Assalaam Alaikum dear brothers and sisters in Islam,

It is with deep sorrow and grief that we welcome this month of Moharram... There is alot going on in this world, alot of sorrow, grief and pain for our fellow muslim brothers and sisters... we continue to pray for their well being and safety as we commemorate and remember the grief that our beloved Imam Hussain (A.S.) and his family went through during the tragedy of Karbala over 1400 years ago!

My sincere condolences to the Imam of our time, Imam ATF on the arrival of Moharram... we stand here today with grief and sadness calling upon our beloved Imam ATF... he is the imam of our time... the one we must all prepare and pray for!  inshAllah hoping and praying for his zahoor soon to eliminate the pain and misery that mankind at large is facing on this earth...  May Allah SWT hasten his appearance inshAllah...

As you all begin the commemoration in Moharram, please do not forget those in pain and misery in this world.  Please pray for them when you attend any majaalis inshAllah...

I will continue to post some majaalis updates by various lecturers and where they are reciting on this blog as we go through these months of Moharram and Safar...

JazakAllah,
Zehra

Blessings of Ramadaan 2014

Assalaam Alaikum dear brothers and sisters,

It has been a ramadaan with mixed emotions indeed.  At one end we are thankful to Allah SWT for blessing us with one more year of requesting for His mercy and blessings, but yet on the other hand this year we have seen alot of distruction for our muslim brothers and sisters including our dear brothers/sisters/children in Palestine/GAZA, our dear brothers/sisters and children in Iraq as well as in Pakistan.  We continue to pray for our dear brothers and sisters and hope that Allah SWT grants them relief soon.  We pray that He can send assistance to help the oppressed around the world.  We need our Imam ATF at this time!  This world has turned into chaos for all muslims and unfortunately in alot of cases by the so called claimed muslims!

This month is a month of blessings with several important dates of incidents that have occured in this month.

• 10th Ramadaan - Death Anniversary of Lady Khadija (Wife of Prophet Mohammad PBUH&HF)
• 15th Ramadaan - Birth Anniversary of Imam Hassan (PBUH&HF)
• 19th Ramadaan - Eve of Attack on Imam Ali (PBUH&HF) coinciding with one of the possible Shab-e-Qadr nights
• 21st Ramadaan - Eve of Death Anniversary of Imam Ali (PBUH&HF) coinciding with one of the possible Shab-e-Qadr nights
• 23rd Ramadaan - one of the possible Shab-e-Qadr night

I found an interesting video aired on TV on an urdu channel during the nights of the 19th-21st of Ramadaan.

Express TV Dr Aamir Liaqat show

I found it interesting how beautifully scholars are able to state the exceptional qualities of Imam Ali (PBUH&HF) and yet how the dispute over his khilafat divides this world into shias and sunnis who are out to kill each other literally!  I have come across some other videos as well from renowned Ahle Sunnat scholars that have given alot of facts that align with the shia beliefs, and yet there is this worldly debate on these topics... sad!

The unfortunate part is groups like ISIS that claim caliphate in current times and start their own so called sect of religion/regime and claim that they are muslims, are degrading the religous beliefs to the point where neither the Shia or the Sunni want to claim any association with them.  If the two main sects of Islam dont want to claim any association with this group, why are they even allowed to claim themselves as an "Islamic" militant group?   I wish there was a way to raise a voice and forbid them to even use the term "Islamic" as part of their name!  It is nothing but disgust and Islam is misused!

On the opposite front, there are the Israelis, who since the beginning of time have had issues with muslims across centuries!  Its nothing new, the hatred and animosity has always been there, and it is unfortunate that now they are displaying their emotions by killing men/women and children in the name of land, money and power.   I came across a very interesting article about Israels search for Imam Mehdi ATF!  Here is the link for those who might want to read through:

Why Is Israel looking for Imam Mahdi?

I hope and pray that the muslim brothers and sisters who are in oppression in this world are provided with help from Allah SWT to get out of their troubles.  May He hasten the reappearance of the Imam ATF to provide peace in this world.

Please continue to pray for the oppressed:

 

Iltimaas-e-Dua

Zehra

Dua for removal of Hardships...

Assalaam Alaikum dear brothers and sisters,

It is a sad state of affairs for the Shia world indeed.  Many lives are lost on a daily basis but the strong still stand strong to defend the religion Imam Hussain (A.S) saved thousands of years ago.  It is sad to see so many people die all over the world, muslim or non muslim.  May Allah SWT guide and protect all those who have strayed away from the path of Islam and May Allah SWT grant jannah to all those innocent lives lost in this chaos. 

Sadness everywhere, every nation debating and discussing the Iraq situation.  It is sad indeed that people would defame a religion in such a way.  The same religion who does not allow us to kill insects nor be cruel to animal!  These inhumane acts are conducted by so called muslims who claim to be sunni extremists.  It is not about Shia or Sunni anymore my dear brothers and sisters! It is now about humanity!

Any lover of Prophet Mohammad PBUH&HF cannot claim to hurt any other being of Allah SWT!  and if they do, they cannot call themselves muslims!  It is pure hypocrisy... and the sad part is, it is all as we near one of the most blessed months of the year, the holy month of Ramadan.  So many innocent lives will be lost this upcoming month in trying to put things to sane grounds. 

In such times, all of us can pray for peace and hope for justice for such people who claim to be humans!  Astagfurullah!  I am ashamed to call such people human who would go around killing innocent people and raping women just to claim that they are indeed performing Jehad!

Such people distort the meaning of religion.  If the Grand Ayatollah Seestani (May Allah SWT bless him with good health and long life) can stand up and command all Shias to defend the country, it is in my view the biggest command.  The beauty of his command is that he did not just tell shias to bear arms and go around rampaging and killing ppl!  He said to restrain yourselves the max that you can till you have to defend the country and religion!  subhanAllah... that indeed is Jehad...

Let us all pray for all innocent ones in this world in distress.  Lets get together to pray for peace and protection of all innocent people in distress all over the world!

DAILY RECITATION:

 

1. According to Imam Jafar bin Mohammad as Sadiq, to remove worries recite (i) al Kaafiroon (ii) al Ikhlas (iii) al Falaq (iv) an Naas three times daily.

 

2. Recite atleast 1 tasbih of Ayat e Kareema each day for the entire week!

 

 3.  Recite Dua of Imam e Zamana after every prayer

 

4.  Recite 99 names of Allah SWT regularly

 

5.  Recite Ziyarat-e-Ashura on a daily basis (Amaal can also be done for a duration of 40 days.  This is proven time and time again as a proven amal for hajaat.  Please recite for the safety and security of all momineen around the world who are facing hardships in this tough times)

 

 

Last but not the least, please recite 1x Surah Fatiha and 3x Surah Ikhlaas for the departed souls and the shohda who have lost their lives in these tough times.    May Allah SWT raise them with the 14 Masoomeen and grant them a place in Jannah.  May Allah protect those who are suffering or in distress in these tough times. 


Oh Allah! We need our Imam (ATF) to help save humanity! 

 

JazakAllah
Zehra

 

Holy Shrines under attack!

Assalaam Alaikum brothers and sisters,

It is with a heavy heart that we discuss this topic.  A topic very tragic and painful to lovers of the ahlulbayt (A.S), or for that matter, for any normal human being that has the fear of Allah SWT and the fear of akhira.

Hujr ibn Adi:
Hujr ibn 'Adi al-Kindi (died 660 CE) was a companion of the Prophet Muhammad. He was sentenced to death by the Umayyad Caliph Muawiyah  for his unwavering support and praise for Ali, the fourth Rashidun Caliph of Islam and the first Imam of the Shias.

An Ahle Sunnat scholar, Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi in his book Caliphs and Kings mentions highly of this companion of Rasool Allah (PBUH&HF).  Hujr, his son Humaam ibn Hajar, and some other companions are buried in Adra, in the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus.  On May 2, 2013, some extremists attacked the mossoleum and had the audacity to exhume his remains.  The body was taken to an unknown location and burried. 

This act and any such acts is beyond doubt beyond not only religous bounds, but also beyond humanity.  Every human, regardless of religion or race, has the right to be burried!  Such acts in the name of Islam are only done to defame the religion and show inhumane actions to the world in the name of religion.  What these individuals forget is that there is but ONE Supreme existence that has created all of us, who can destroy all of us as well.  What these individuals may think as an amusing act or an act showing bravery, is infact an act of cowardice!  They disrespect not only religion, but also Allah SWT.  They forget the curse of Allah SWT can destroy their entire nation or tribe. 

To make it worse, as if this disrespect was not enough, on March 26, 2014, the mosoleum of Ammar bin Yassir and Uwais al Qarni were attacked as well.  These were planned attacks with several attempts prior to this. 

Ammar bin Yassir:
He was one of the most loyal, humble, pious and brave companions of the Prophet Muhammad & Imam Ali, and he occupies a position of the highest prominence in Islam after his conversion.  He is also credited as the first Muslim to build a mosque in Islam.   

His mother was Sumayyah bint Khayyat and his father was Yasir ibn Amir. Yasir and Sumayyah were pagan converts to Islam who were tortured and crucified in the last year before the Hijra . ʻAmmār and his family were repeatedly tortured by Meccan polytheists.

In relation to Ammar ibn Yassir, the Holy Prophet (SAW) has stated:
‘Ammar is with truth and truth is with Ammar. Truth is always with him’

After living a life of torture, where both his parents were tortured and killed, this companion deserved the utmost respect for being a loyal follower of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH&HF).  Unfortunately the extremists did not even respect his position in Islam and managed to bomb and attack his shrine.

 Uwais al Qarni:
He was a philosopher from Yemen.  He lived during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad, but never met Prophet Muhammad personally. 
The Holy Prophet (SAW) has said in relation to Uwais al-Qarani:
"The sweet smell of Paradise is coming from the direction of Qaran. Uwais al-Qarani, I am eager to see you! Let anyone who meets him, convey my regards to him''

 He fought in the battle of Siffeen with Imam Ali (A.S) against Muawiyah I.

Now after hearing such high remarks from the Prophet (PBUH&HF) one can only conclude that these gentlemen were regarded very highly by the Prophet and his family (PBUH&HF).  Despite that, the extremists have the audacity to carry out such coward attacks in the name of Islam?

How do they call themselves "MUSLIM" extremists?  The religion of Islam will disown such persons.  As Allah SWT clearly states regarding cowards in Surah Hashr (Surah 59) in the Quran:

59:11

Hast thou not observed those who are hypocrites, (how) they tell their brethren who disbelieve among the People of the Scripture: If ye are driven out, we surely will go out with you, and we will never obey anyone against you, and if ye are attacked we verily will help you. And Allah beareth witness that they verily are liars.

 

59:12

(For) indeed if they are driven out they go not out with them, and indeed if they are attacked they help them not, and indeed if they had helped them they would have turned and fled, and then they would not have been victorious.

59:13

Ye are more awful as a fear in their bosoms than Allah. That is because they are a folk who understand not.

59:14

They will not fight against you in a body save in fortified villages or from behind walls. Their adversity among themselves is very great. Ye think of them as a whole whereas their hearts are divers. That is because they are a folk who have no sense.

 

59:15

On the likeness of those (who suffered) a short time before them, they taste the ill-effects of their own conduct, and theirs is painful punishment.

  
May Allah SWT guide us all and keep all muslimeen in His protection!
Lanatullahe Alaa Qaum e zalimeen....

Zehra

Interesting Links about the companions mentioned above:

Hajr ibn Adi (speech by Dr. Sayed Ammar Nakshawani)
Ammar bin Yassir (Speech by Dr. Sayed Ammar Nakshawani)
Malik al Ashtar and Uwais al Qarani (speech by Dr. Sayed Ammar Nakshawani)