In understanding the events of the life of Imam Husayn, upon him be peace, it is necessary to understand his position in relationship to the Prophet Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, which necessitates an understanding of his view of the Qur’an and how this view manifested itself in his actions. It is reported by al-Kulayni in his book al-Kafi that Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq, upon him be peace, was heard ...
A. THE MESSAGE Over one thousand three hundred and fifty years ago, on the 10th of Muharram, just before 'asr, a man stood on a sand-dune at Kerbala. He was bleeding from several wounds on his body. He had lost everything. Since early morning he had carried several dead bodies into his camp. He had even buried his infant child. He looked at the bodies of his loved ones. Tears flowed out of his eyes. He looked at the sky and seemed to draw some ...
Dr. Muhammad-Reza Fakhr-Rohani Ashura literature deals with oral and/or written discourses on, or related to, the Battle of Ashura of 10 Muharram 61 AH/ 10 October 680 AD. Ashura literature encompasses a wide array of materials, ranging from (chiefly Muharram and Safar) preachings, dirges (nawhas), and elegies (marthiyas) to ziarat-texts, salawats, books, treatises monographs, theses, dissertations, martyrdom accounts (maqtals), and ...
Imam Husain (a.s) left Makkah towards Iraq on the day of Tarwiyyah (eighth Zilhaj), before receiving the news of the martyrdom of Muslim bin Aqeel, who had in those very days revolted in Kufa. He was accompanied by his relatives, children and his Shi'ah.
It is stated in Matalibus Sa'ool and others, that there were eighty two men in the caravan with Imam Husain (a.s).
It is written in Al-Makhzoon fi Tasleeyatil Mahzoon, that Imam Husain ...
A young man was on his deathbed when the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) came, sat near him, and told him to recite two kalimas (Shahadatain). But the youth could not speak. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) enquired if his mother was present? A woman sitting near his head said, "Yes, I am his mother."
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) asked, "Are your displeased with him?"
'Yes, O Prophet (s.a.w.s.), we have not spoken to each other since the last six ...
Political and social movements throughout history have carried messages and ideals which are usually limited to specific time, place and circumstances. But the uprising of Imam Hussein (a.s.) and Karbala brings everlasting messages for the entire humanity. The ideals of this glorious and unique uprising are shining like a bright light for mankind showing the way towards prosperity in life and salvation in the hereafter. The emphasis is on ...
Once again we have all been blessed by Allah (SWT) to witness and celebrate this great day of Eid al-Adh-ha.Eid al-Adh-ha basically means, ‘the festival of sacrifice’.On this day, Muslims are reminded about that great trial, which Prophet Ibrahim (as) was put to, of sacrificing his young son Prophet Ismail (as). He (as) complied to the command of Allah (SWT) and fully succeeded in it. Prophet Ibrahim (as) is regarded as the champion ...
Many students of Islamic history begin with the assumption that if an event or a statement has not been reported in the earliest sources of Muslim history or hadith like as-Sirah an-Nabawiyya of Ibn Hishām or Sahíh of al-Bukhāri, it must be a later fabrication and therefore not credible. They tend to ignore the biases and limitations that are imposed on the writer by the ruling powers as well as by self-inclination. Biases are not only ...
The Scholarly Jihad of the Imams
95 - 148 A.H
Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi
Vol IX No. 1 and 2
The period under discussion (95-148 A.H /712-765 A.D.) began and ended in the times of the Vth and VIth Imams. The persecutions of the Shi'is continued unabated from Mu'awiya's time to almost the very last days of the Umayyads, although this dynasty in its latter days was considerably weakened by internal strife. Zayd, the grandson of Husayn, ...
1. IntroductionIn the polemical writings of the Sunnis, it is asserted that Sunni Islam is the "Orthodox Islam" whereas Shi'ism is a "heretical sect" that began with the purpose of subverting Islam from within. This idea is sometimes expressed by saying that Shi'ism began as a political movement and later on acquired religious emphasis.This anti-Shi'a attitude is not limited to the writers of the past centuries; even some Sunni writers of the ...
The Young Man Who Offered His Life In The Path Of TruthThe brave soldier of monotheism had finished his fight with the idol-worshippers of Babel. Thereafter when the residents of the town knew well that he was the messenger of God and the only aim of his mission was to make people aware of God and the realization of His Radiance (Noor) and when the influence of Nimrod ended in Babel, he took his wife, Sarah with him and, bidding farewell to ...
Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) was very kind to children and loved them very much .One day, he placed his two grandchildren, Hasan (A.S.) and Husayn (A.S.), on his lap and began kissing and cuddling them. A man who was passing by saw what the Prophet (S.A.W.) was doing, and became very surprised. "I have ten children," he said .And I have not kissed even one of them. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) heard what this hard-hearted man said and became very ...
Battle of BadrNear Badr wells, the Muslims heard that the polytheists would form an army. Besides Abu Jahal led the army.Our Master Muhammad [s] asked his companions' opinions. Some companions advised him to come back to Madina. Meanwhile the Muslims were very worried.During those moments, al-Miqdad stood up and said enthusiastic words. The words made the Muslims full of faith. When the fight broke out, the Muslims fought bravely. In the ...
I didn't know you were the eye inside of me You were a secret essence both in body and soul I asked you show me a symbol of you in this world Suddenly I realized you were the whole universe.This poem expresses the idea of the oneness of God-universe-human beings. It is possible that the belief of oneness of humans and God in sufism is carried from neoplatonism. In the trilogy of ...
Dr. I. K. A. Howard Al-Serat, Vol. 3 (1977), No. 3
Al-Shaikh al-Mufid's full name was Muhammad b. Muhammad b. Nu'man al-Harithi al-Baghadi al-'Ukbari; his kunya was Abu 'Abd Allah. As well as being called al-Shaikh al-Mufid, he was known in both Shi'i and non-Shi'i circles as Ibn al-Mu'allim. He was born in the year 338 A.H./949 and was brought up in a village. His father brought him to Baghdad for his education. There he ...
Muhammad ibn Ishaq, the biographer of the Prophet of Islam, writes in his Seera (Life of the Messenger of God): Umar said: “And lo, they (the Ansar) were trying to cut us off from our origin and wrest authority from us. When he (an Ansari) had finished (his speech), I wanted to speak, for I had prepared a speech in my mind which pleased me much. I wanted to produce it before Abu Bakr and I was trying to soften a certain asperity of his; but ...
Imam Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Sajjad (as) held the Holy Quran dearly to his heart. This is evident from his sayings and behaviour with regard to the Quran. For instance, Zuhri has reported having heard Imam al-Sajjad (as) saying:“If the inhabitants of the East and the West all perish and I am left alone with only the Glorious Quran, I will not become victim of any desolation”. (Al-Kaafi)What the Imam (as) implied was that even if the entire ...
The formal declaration of Imamat of Imam Ali (A.S.) at Ghadir Khumm has been unanimously described by the learned historians and scholars of both sects. Here a brief account is given to show what great arrangements were made to declare Imam Ali (A.S.) as the successor to the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.). Ghadir Khumm lies in Juhfa between Makkah and Madinah. When the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) was on his way home, after performing his last pilgrimage, ...
Sayyeda Zeinab (a.s.), the daughter of Imam Ali Bin Abi Talib (a.s.), gave the following sermon in Ibn Ziad’s palace:
"Now then! O Kufans! O men of vaunt! O treacherous men! O retreaters! Beware! May your lament never cease and may your wailing never end. Verily your similitude is that of a woman who untwirls the threads spinned by herself. You have broken your pledges by deceit and there remains nothing in you except pretense, ...
As we approach the 86th anniversary of the tragic occasion of the demolition of the holy graves of Baqi in Medina (which took place on the 8th of Shawwal in the year 1345 AH), we are greatly saddened at the injustice. That holy piece of land is the burial place of great personalities without whom the history of Islam is incomplete. It is the burial place of four of our great infallible Imams: Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba, Imam Ali Zainul Abideen, Imam ...
