Archive for category: muharram

In a statement released to mark the beginning of the sorrowful month of Muharram, Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem-Shirazi emphasized the need to avoid things which cause division among Muslims.

His Eminence explained that even if we travel the world over we will never find an event like Ashura in any time or place. Many people do not realize this fact but every year its magnitude becomes more visible. There is no event in all of human history which is as rejuvenating as the event of Ashura was. “Ashura unites both the followers of the Ahlul-Bayt (A) and Muslims as a whole and it also injects new blood which is filled with courage and bravery into the veins of the lovers of Imam Husayn (A) which powers them against the oppressors. Ashura also leads to the purification of the soul and develops ones morality and helps one turn toward God in repentance,” Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi explained.

In his statement, Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi stated that evidence shows that more than any previous year, this Muharram’s mourning ceremonies for the Ahlul-Bayt (A) will be more passionate and more splendid. He stated that he hopes that all mourners, speakers and elegists do not forget how powerful Ashura can be.

The renowned source of emulation gave several pieces of advice to the believers on how to conduct themselves during this holy and sorrowful time.

First and foremost, he emphasized that the believers should try to partake in traditional mourning ceremonies which are the most pleasing to the Ahlul-Bayt (A) and to avoid any forms which are offensive and unbefitting to the dignity of the holy martyrs of Karbala.

When the mourners mourn the martyrs of Karbala, they should understand the objectives of Imam Husayn’s (A) uprising and the speakers and elegists should help the people to become familiar with the Imam’s objectives.

Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi encouraged mourners, especially the youth, to prevent the exploitation of mourning ceremonies by political and factional groups. Muslims should avoid forms of mourning which causes conflict between Muslims and gives the enemies excuses to attack Muslims, such as self-flagellation and insulting the sanctities of our Sunni brethren, emphasizing that any abuse will come at a great cost to the peace and security of Shi’ites throughout the world and will only serve our enemies. He said this in reference to attacks by Takfiri terrorists on Shi’ite mourners which occur every Muharram throughout the Islamic world, especially in Iraq and Pakistan.

His Eminence encouraged the believers to take advantage of the two-month long period of mourning that encompasses Muharram and Safar, saying mourning has great spiritual and moral effects on the soul. He especially encouraged the youth to participate with full vigour. He stated that commemorating the tragic martyrdom of Imam Husayn (A), his beloved family (A), and righteous companions (RA) on the plains of Karbala is a “thorn in the eyes of the enemies of Islam.”

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NIGERIA – The Leader of the Shiite Islamic Movement Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky further spoke on the issue of Ashura tragedy on the 3rd day of Ashura gathering in Zaria, Nigeria. He said, the issue of Karbala is a test for the  Believers  and as for Unbelievers they  can never  outmaneuver Allah. Imam Husain (A) and his followers were tested and they passed the test.

This is one of the ways Allah test those who have faith, and those who are faithless and went astray after clear evidence to them is the curse of Allah.

Karbala, where Imam Hussain (A) and his followers were killed, is now a city of millions. The desert of karbala is a land of glory as Occupiers of Heaven see light emanating from the land of Karbala. Its sand is used for prostration during Sallah for its blessings.  The killings of Imam Husain (A)  on the land was foretold by the holy Prophet as reported.

On the killing of the holy Imam, Sheikh said Allah executes his affairs base on wisdom, thus, left this to happen while He is ever powerful to abort it. There is wisdom behind the incident. Also, He sent his messengers  to guide people to  the rights. Others attempted to kill them to frustrate the message. Allah in his wisdom protected Prophet Muhammad(SAWA)  against being killed,  at which killing  him means ‘killing’ the message altogether. The prophet succeeded in delivering the message of Allah amid much sufferings and persecution in the process.

The holy Mecca, where the Prophet left out of persecution of believers, he eventually made victorious entry to it. The Arabs were overpowered and they submitted unwillingly. He set the captives free out of his mercy.  They submitted to him not by their  choice. The Prophet established Islam.  When departing the world , he appointed his brother Ali as his successor.  They disobeyed Ali (A) and eventually killed him at last. They also killed Hassan (A).

With all this, they were not satisfied as they finally unleashed their anger in totality on Imam Hussain (A) . They even mentioned it at Karbala addressing the Imam: ‘we will kill you for the enmity we have of your father’. And they committed the horrific incident in the history of humanity.

So, Karbala divided the Ummah into two: The believers who are with Imam Hussain and  his enemies on the other side.  Had Allah wished He could have given upper hand to Imam Hussain, as he gave to the Prophet (SAWA) against unbelievers,  but Allah wanted to test the believers.  With this test, true believers are differentiated from the hypocrites who might be with Imam Hussain should he got upper hand.

In karbala only those with true faith defended Imam Hussain and martyred with him. They are the champions and victorious.

Alas, After Imam Husain was martyred his lovers and supporters became very few even in Mecca, a situation that may be the opposite had it been Imam Hussain got upper hand and had power.

The issue of Karbala shows that many things are covered going by the way its opponents continue to label the gatherings as wrong and innovation. More issues will continue to emerge during mourning gatherings as those things covered will eventually come to light.

Hundreds of Australian Muslim Shiites are expected to make the pilgrimage for the 40-day holy commemoration festival in Karbala, but this year the Australian government is warning worshippers to think twice about their travel plans.

The festival commemorates the death of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussein, and is a long held practice in Shiite Islam.

Tradition holds that the esteemed Imam Hussein was decapitated and his body mutilated in the historic battle of Karbala in 680 AD.

Representative of ‘Spiritual Journeys Australia’, Zoubeida Moubarak, said the threat is real and the Australian government was limited in what they could do if an attack occurred.

“It is unsafe and a lot of people are concerned,” Zoubeida said.

“I have called the Australian Embassy, they will issue visas, they won’t stop anyone from getting a visa… They have said we will not have any consulate help, we don’t have an embassy there. So if you go, you go on your own terms.”

Twenty-one-year-old Zainab Mohammed will be travelling to Iraq next week to fulfil her pilgrimage dream.

She told SBS she’s not too concerned about Islamic State militants.

“No matter what they do, we will always visit our Imam and people in Iraq are used to war and conflict,” she said.

“It won’t stop us because it’s a spiritual journey we make and it’s beautiful.”

Earlier this week, two deadly bomb blasts ripped across Shiite regions, one hit a Baghdad mosque killing 17 worshippers while another suicide car killed another 16 people in Karbala.

Zoubeida Moubarak says, “Imam Hussein stood for what it is to be a human being… people are going to go because if we stop visiting his shrine and Karbala then the story might end there.”

The Iraqi government has stepped up security measures in Karbala and Najaf in an effort to protect local and visiting pilgrims but warned people to vigilant and alert.

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During his Friday prayer sermon in the holy city of Qom, Hujjat al-Islam Sayyed Mohammad Sa’idi, the trustee of the Holy Shrine of Lady Fatimah al-Ma’sumah (S), spoke of current events and tied the great injustices facing Muslim states in the current era with the evil and tyranny which faced Imam Husayn (A).

His Eminence offered his condolences on the death of Ayatollah Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi-Kani, a high-ranking Iranian politician and Islamic scholar who passed away on October 21st. Hujjat al-Islam Sa’idi remembered this great scholar as an “ethical role model” and a “knowledgeable jurisprudent of our time.”

Regarding world events, Hujjat al-Islam Sa’idi mentioned the Iraqi prime minister’s three-day visit to Iran last week saying Prime Minister Haydar al-Abadi met with the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution [Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei] who expressed his strong support for the Iraqi government and insisted that “Iraq and Iraq have the ability to fight against terrorism and solve their problems without foreign interference.” Qom’s Friday prayer leader also appreciated former Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki his resignation for the sake of the unity of Iraq.

Regarding Muharram and Safar, the sorrowful months of mourning which begin Sunday, Hujjat al-Islam Sa’idi stated that these two months are “Days of God.” The goals of Imam Husayn’s (A) uprising were to stand up for truth, justice and to establish the true religion (Islam). The beloved grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (S) strove to re-establish divine Islamic law and to destroy the oppressive government of the  caliph Yazid ibn Mu’awiyah, a well-known enemy of the Ahlul-Bayt

His Eminence emphasized that the “Leader of the Martyrs” rose to eradicate all kinds of corruption – both internal and external corruption. He stated that external corruption refers to the fight against the evil tyrant Yazid. Internal corruption refers to the fight against the ignorance of the people. Imam Husayn (A) gave his blood so that people would wake up from their ignorance and misdirection.

Hujjat al-Islam Sa’idi added that the United States, United Kingdom and the Zionist regime (Israel) are the “Yazid’s of our time.” “When we introduce the personality and the goals of the uprising of Imam Husayn (A) against Yazid, we must introduce the Yazid’s of our time as well,” he explained.

The renowned scholar advised that during their sermons in Muharram and Safar, preachers should use their powerful and influential voices to remove any distortions and doubts faced by the people and to speak about moral issues, teach religious laws and self-purification, and to also pay attention to youth issues. “Strengthening the faith of the people prevents the people, especially the youth, from getting caught in the traps of the enemies,” Hujjat al-Islam Sa’idi stated.