Surah-e-Baqara, verse 156:
الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُواْ إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ
Who say, when afflicted with calamity: "To Allah We belong, and to Him is our return".
According to Imam Ali (a.s.), ‘To Allah we belong (inna lillahe) means that we are His property and ‘and to His is our return (wa inna elahay rajeoon)’ means that we will cease to live.
What are those calamities that when afflicted with, they say this. Are these just the misfortune of death or more? When we read the previous verses that say,
O ye who believe! Seek help with patient perseverance and prayer; for Allah is with those who patiently persevere.
And say not of those who are slain in the way of Allah: "They are dead." Nay, they are living, though ye perceive (it) not.
Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere,
(incomplete)
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Hayat-e-Tayyaba
مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَى وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ (An Nahl, verse 97)
Whoever acts righteously (performs good deeds), whether male or female, should (s)he be faithful, We shall revive him with a good (pure) life and pay them their reward by the best of what they used to do.
We will discuss what is meant by good deeds, equality of men and women, faith, and the rewards.
Allah says that He will reward those people who have faith and do good deeds. What is meant by good deeds?
Saturday, November 17, 2007
True Believers
What is 'emaan', who are believers?
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KNOWING AND BELIEVING: To know something and to believe in something are two separate things. We are born in a Muslim family, therefore we know there is One God, we know there were prophets and imams and we know that there will be a Day of Judgement. But knowing all these facts does not make us a believer. Let us understand it in this way: there are experts so-called Middle Eastern Experts who have done extensive research and who know more about Islam then most of us, but does that knowledge of Islam make them believers? No. So, it is clear that the knowledge of something does not make you a believer in that thing. Another example would be of Shaitaan. When God created Adam and asked Shaitaan to prostrate to him, he said that You have created me from fire and Adam from dust ...; he knew that God was the Creator. Then he says that he will mislead the people until the day of judgement...; which means he knew that there was a 'qiamah' but this does not make him a believer otherwise he would have obeyed God. Another simple example and this has been given by Imam Khomeini (r.a.): Imagine there is a dead body in a room and you are asked to stay with the body in darkness, alone; you might be scared to do that. Although you know that logically, it is a motionless body and it will not sit up and come towards you but since this knowledge has not been accepted by your heart, you will not do it.
Surah Hujuraat(49), verse 14: قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَابُ آمَنَّا قُل لَّمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَكِن قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الْإِيمَانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَإِن تُطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ لَا يَلِتْكُم مِّنْ أَعْمَالِكُمْ شَيْئًا إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ [Pickthal 49:14] The wandering Arabs say: We believe. Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Ye believe not, but rather say "We submit," for the faith hath not yet entered into your hearts. Yet, if ye obey Allah and His messenger, He will not withhold from you aught of (the reward of) your deeds. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. What we understand from this ayah is the fact that there is a difference between emaan and islam. Islam is an outward expression, you become a Muslim when you say the shahadatain with your lips, you are considered a Muslim and all the rules and laws of Islam apply to you but emaan is an internal state and the truth that is in the heart. In Islamic teachings we see that there are Aqaid (Usul-e-Deen) and there are Ahkaam (Furu'-e-Deen). In Ahkam you either become a Mujtahid yourself or follow another faqih who is the best. Here you do not have to worry about why is something the way it is prescribed, just accept it. But in Usul, you cannot follow, or believe because you were told to do so but you have to logically get convinced and accept the fact with your mind only. Now there are two things that are expected of us: a) If you want to believe in something, then first be convinced that it is the truth b) If you want to reject something then bring evidence. How do we believe? To believe in something is to be convinced that it is the truth and reality and then settle it in our hearts. How do we do that? An analogy has been narrated from Imam Khomeini (R.A.) that heart is like a young child who is taught how to speak. You repeat the words that you want it to learn again and again until one day the child speaks and says that word. Similarly, after your mind has accepted something your hearts should be taught by repetition until the belief settles down. TRUE BELIEVERS According to Qur'an, true believers are those who when Allah is mentioned, they tremble, and when the signs of God are recited, their 'emaan' increases (the effect is already there). As opposed to this, there are those whose hearts have been blinded due to vain talk (like music, novels, movies). When Qur'an is recided in front of them they turn their faces away in arrogance. They behave as if they have not heard and their ears have a heaviness. There is a dreadful 'azaab' for them. God has created us pure and it is our sins, negative feelings, that draws curtains over our spiritual ears. Those who believe, do good with what has been given to them in the form of knowledge, talent, skills, wealth. These people have been promised an eternal abode. When Imam Hussain (a.s.) left Makkah for Kufa, he met Farazdaq on his who was coming towards Makkah for hajj. THere was a long conversation but the part which is relevent her is when Imam asked him about the current affairs of Kufa. Farazdaq said that the hearts of the people of Kufa are with you but their swords are against you. We see here that the people of Kufa knew that Imam Husain was the true successor of the Holy Prophet and he is on Haqq but thsis knowledge had not entered their hearts hterefore they did not support him in actions.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KNOWING AND BELIEVING: To know something and to believe in something are two separate things. We are born in a Muslim family, therefore we know there is One God, we know there were prophets and imams and we know that there will be a Day of Judgement. But knowing all these facts does not make us a believer. Let us understand it in this way: there are experts so-called Middle Eastern Experts who have done extensive research and who know more about Islam then most of us, but does that knowledge of Islam make them believers? No. So, it is clear that the knowledge of something does not make you a believer in that thing. Another example would be of Shaitaan. When God created Adam and asked Shaitaan to prostrate to him, he said that You have created me from fire and Adam from dust ...; he knew that God was the Creator. Then he says that he will mislead the people until the day of judgement...; which means he knew that there was a 'qiamah' but this does not make him a believer otherwise he would have obeyed God. Another simple example and this has been given by Imam Khomeini (r.a.): Imagine there is a dead body in a room and you are asked to stay with the body in darkness, alone; you might be scared to do that. Although you know that logically, it is a motionless body and it will not sit up and come towards you but since this knowledge has not been accepted by your heart, you will not do it.
Surah Hujuraat(49), verse 14: قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَابُ آمَنَّا قُل لَّمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَكِن قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الْإِيمَانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَإِن تُطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ لَا يَلِتْكُم مِّنْ أَعْمَالِكُمْ شَيْئًا إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ [Pickthal 49:14] The wandering Arabs say: We believe. Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Ye believe not, but rather say "We submit," for the faith hath not yet entered into your hearts. Yet, if ye obey Allah and His messenger, He will not withhold from you aught of (the reward of) your deeds. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. What we understand from this ayah is the fact that there is a difference between emaan and islam. Islam is an outward expression, you become a Muslim when you say the shahadatain with your lips, you are considered a Muslim and all the rules and laws of Islam apply to you but emaan is an internal state and the truth that is in the heart. In Islamic teachings we see that there are Aqaid (Usul-e-Deen) and there are Ahkaam (Furu'-e-Deen). In Ahkam you either become a Mujtahid yourself or follow another faqih who is the best. Here you do not have to worry about why is something the way it is prescribed, just accept it. But in Usul, you cannot follow, or believe because you were told to do so but you have to logically get convinced and accept the fact with your mind only. Now there are two things that are expected of us: a) If you want to believe in something, then first be convinced that it is the truth b) If you want to reject something then bring evidence. How do we believe? To believe in something is to be convinced that it is the truth and reality and then settle it in our hearts. How do we do that? An analogy has been narrated from Imam Khomeini (R.A.) that heart is like a young child who is taught how to speak. You repeat the words that you want it to learn again and again until one day the child speaks and says that word. Similarly, after your mind has accepted something your hearts should be taught by repetition until the belief settles down. TRUE BELIEVERS According to Qur'an, true believers are those who when Allah is mentioned, they tremble, and when the signs of God are recited, their 'emaan' increases (the effect is already there). As opposed to this, there are those whose hearts have been blinded due to vain talk (like music, novels, movies). When Qur'an is recided in front of them they turn their faces away in arrogance. They behave as if they have not heard and their ears have a heaviness. There is a dreadful 'azaab' for them. God has created us pure and it is our sins, negative feelings, that draws curtains over our spiritual ears. Those who believe, do good with what has been given to them in the form of knowledge, talent, skills, wealth. These people have been promised an eternal abode. When Imam Hussain (a.s.) left Makkah for Kufa, he met Farazdaq on his who was coming towards Makkah for hajj. THere was a long conversation but the part which is relevent her is when Imam asked him about the current affairs of Kufa. Farazdaq said that the hearts of the people of Kufa are with you but their swords are against you. We see here that the people of Kufa knew that Imam Husain was the true successor of the Holy Prophet and he is on Haqq but thsis knowledge had not entered their hearts hterefore they did not support him in actions.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Why Cry Over the Tragedy of Kerbala
March 8, 2007
Crying Over Imam Hussain (a.s.)
Why do we commemorate the tragedy of Kerbala? Why do we do majalis, matam, and cry over Imam Hussain’s masaib?
I.
A. Sometimes children have the question that there are many other people in this world who have been killed without any fault of their own due to either wars, or natural disasters, then why is it that we are sad only for Imam Hussain?
B. I will be citing sources such as the verses of the Holy Quran and sayings of Imam Hussain (a.s.).
II. We will differentiate between the tragedy of Kerbala and other sad happenings in the world; we will discuss the importance of understanding the reasons of Imam’s goals, and in the end we will see what the benefit of such commemoration is.
Let us discuss the first point.
I. Ever since the human race has commenced on this earth, there have been killings, mishaps, and such occurrences.
A. How many people get killed due to wars, how many people die due to natural disasters, how many lose their lives due to accidents? These innocent lives that are lost do deserve our sympathies and the perpetuators of these killings must be condemned . But the question arises again - why is the tragedy of Kerbala any different.
Let us now perceive how the innocent people die.
II. We see that the innocent people who end up getting killed would have saved their lives if had they known they would be killed soon. For example, if someone knows that a bomb will fall on the roof of his house, he will do his best to escape from there before it happens. Similarly, if someone found out that if he went to a certain place, he would be killed, then he would not go there.
A. If there was a chance to save their life, they would definitely try to save themself and try to escape from the situation. These lives do deserve our sympathies but it is not the same as the tragedy of Kerbala.
B. Then there were other events such as the martyrdoms of messengers and other imams who were poisoned, these are also sad events and deserve commemoration but among all these events , Kerbala stands out.
C. We know that Imam Husain is called the warith(heir) of the prophets because by his sacrifice he saved their hard work from going to waste as well.
D. Imam Hussain could have saved his life in several ways.
1. He could have accepted the rule of Yazeed. It would have been a disaster for Islam and Muslims. At that time, Marwan met him and offered him his advice saying, ‘..you should do Yazeed’s bay’at', it is good for this world as well as the hereafter.’ Imam read 'Inna lillahe wa inna elayhe rajeoon, meaning if the people like Yazeed become the ruler of Islamic World then would should bid farewell to Islam.
2. He could have migrated to another country. In fact, someone advised him to take his family and go away to another country. But would he escape?
3. There was no one else who would speak up and condemn the oppressor other than Imam Hussain (a.s.). The people of Madinah knew that Imam had called this government illegal but nobody said anything. The people needed a jolt to wake them up from their slumber.
4. Imam knew what was to become of him, but the tragedies that would befall his family were not more important than saving Islam.
· During his journey to Kerbala, at one point he said that people are the slaves of this world and their faith is only on their tongues. They support the religion as long as their lives are comfortable but when they are tested, very few remain faithful to the religion.
· At another location called ‘Tha’alib’ he saw a dream about a horseback rider saying that this caravan is moving forward and death is following it. When he told about it, Hazrat Ali Akbar asked Imam Hussain (a.s.), ‘Are we not on the right path?’ He said, ‘Of course we are ,oh my son.’ Then Ali Akbar replied, ‘Then we don’t care about death.’ Imam said jazakallah khair.
Such were his companions and family members who were not scared of death but wanted to follow the path of truth alone. It is our responsibility to seek truth and support it, be on the right path, not condemn people who say what is haqq,and not be afraid of speaking up.
E. Another aspect to consider is the fact that a disrespectful action toward different people has different value.
1. For example, if two friends argue, and one pushes the other, it is not as bad as if one person argues with his mother and then pushes her. How disrespectful would that be? Although both actions are the same but it is also important to whom it was done.
2. The higher the status, the worse even a small disrespect would look. As another example, a person kills someone. It is horrible but may not make news. But when a president of a country is assassinated, it makes headlines all over the world. The crime was the same but the intensity of impact was different.
3. Allah says in Surah-e-Hujuraat, ‘Do not raise your voices over the voice of the Prophet, and do not speak loud to him as you speak loud to one another….
4. Imagine how great would any disrespect be toward Imam Hussain (a.s.) who was the grandson of the Holy Prophet; he belonged to the most noble and pious family. When such a tragedy as the events of Kerbala, which even for a regular person is big enough, happened to him, his family and companions, how deep the wound would be and how strong the grief should be.
· In Ziarat-e-Ashoora we read…. ‘O Imam Hissain, your tragedy was great even for us and all the people of Islam. This calamity was huge even for angels and dwellers of heavens.’
We discussed the importance of events of Kerbala; why are they different from any other event in the world and why Imam Husain had to do the sacrifice. Now we will come to the last part of our topic.
III. It is true that there have been great and very important events in history but if we do not repeat them, we will soon forget them. Once another imam said that how the event of Ghadir was so important, thousands of people had witnessed that due to the passage of time it was erased from the memory of some. Due to the lack of emphasis, it changed the history of Islam. If we do not celebrate the tragedy of Kerbala every year, it would soon be forgotten and would only be found in the pages of history.
A. Some people have started saying these days that , it is true tht these events were important and that we should rememeber them, but there is no need to cry, do matam or majlis. Instead every year we can have a conference where speakers can throw light on the history of Kerbala.
· The answer to this argument is this that such conferences or programs are for the intellect of the people where emotions do not play any role. Whereas commemorating the tragedy of Kerbala is for the heart; it invokes emotions. The whole environment: putting on black clothes, abandoning entertainments and happy programs; bring us closer to understanding the feel of it.
B. Even after the passage of 1367 years, it is still fresh and alive. It teaches us to give up our indifference towards right and wrong; it shakes us to help the oppressed, to condemn the oppressor even today any where in this world.
C. The least it does is to help us forget our own sufferings when we see how Imam went thru all that.
D. It motivates our people to be brave in the face of calamities and to make sacrifices for the sake of Allah by keeping the hereafter in mind, not just this worldly life.
E. Crying softens our hearts and keeps us from becoming stone-hearted.
F. If these majlises are like an informal university that relay the teachings of the masumeen to us.
Conclusion
I. We look at the role models like Abbas and Ali Akbar, in fact we can find role models for any age or gender.
II. These events that took place not just in Kerbala but also in Kufa and Sham, are no ordinary incidents. We do not find any match in history for them. The noble objective is far more important than lives or imprisonment of women and children. We must keep this tradition alive for our own sakes.
Crying Over Imam Hussain (a.s.)
Why do we commemorate the tragedy of Kerbala? Why do we do majalis, matam, and cry over Imam Hussain’s masaib?
I.
A. Sometimes children have the question that there are many other people in this world who have been killed without any fault of their own due to either wars, or natural disasters, then why is it that we are sad only for Imam Hussain?
B. I will be citing sources such as the verses of the Holy Quran and sayings of Imam Hussain (a.s.).
II. We will differentiate between the tragedy of Kerbala and other sad happenings in the world; we will discuss the importance of understanding the reasons of Imam’s goals, and in the end we will see what the benefit of such commemoration is.
Let us discuss the first point.
I. Ever since the human race has commenced on this earth, there have been killings, mishaps, and such occurrences.
A. How many people get killed due to wars, how many people die due to natural disasters, how many lose their lives due to accidents? These innocent lives that are lost do deserve our sympathies and the perpetuators of these killings must be condemned . But the question arises again - why is the tragedy of Kerbala any different.
Let us now perceive how the innocent people die.
II. We see that the innocent people who end up getting killed would have saved their lives if had they known they would be killed soon. For example, if someone knows that a bomb will fall on the roof of his house, he will do his best to escape from there before it happens. Similarly, if someone found out that if he went to a certain place, he would be killed, then he would not go there.
A. If there was a chance to save their life, they would definitely try to save themself and try to escape from the situation. These lives do deserve our sympathies but it is not the same as the tragedy of Kerbala.
B. Then there were other events such as the martyrdoms of messengers and other imams who were poisoned, these are also sad events and deserve commemoration but among all these events , Kerbala stands out.
C. We know that Imam Husain is called the warith(heir) of the prophets because by his sacrifice he saved their hard work from going to waste as well.
D. Imam Hussain could have saved his life in several ways.
1. He could have accepted the rule of Yazeed. It would have been a disaster for Islam and Muslims. At that time, Marwan met him and offered him his advice saying, ‘..you should do Yazeed’s bay’at', it is good for this world as well as the hereafter.’ Imam read 'Inna lillahe wa inna elayhe rajeoon, meaning if the people like Yazeed become the ruler of Islamic World then would should bid farewell to Islam.
2. He could have migrated to another country. In fact, someone advised him to take his family and go away to another country. But would he escape?
3. There was no one else who would speak up and condemn the oppressor other than Imam Hussain (a.s.). The people of Madinah knew that Imam had called this government illegal but nobody said anything. The people needed a jolt to wake them up from their slumber.
4. Imam knew what was to become of him, but the tragedies that would befall his family were not more important than saving Islam.
· During his journey to Kerbala, at one point he said that people are the slaves of this world and their faith is only on their tongues. They support the religion as long as their lives are comfortable but when they are tested, very few remain faithful to the religion.
· At another location called ‘Tha’alib’ he saw a dream about a horseback rider saying that this caravan is moving forward and death is following it. When he told about it, Hazrat Ali Akbar asked Imam Hussain (a.s.), ‘Are we not on the right path?’ He said, ‘Of course we are ,oh my son.’ Then Ali Akbar replied, ‘Then we don’t care about death.’ Imam said jazakallah khair.
Such were his companions and family members who were not scared of death but wanted to follow the path of truth alone. It is our responsibility to seek truth and support it, be on the right path, not condemn people who say what is haqq,and not be afraid of speaking up.
E. Another aspect to consider is the fact that a disrespectful action toward different people has different value.
1. For example, if two friends argue, and one pushes the other, it is not as bad as if one person argues with his mother and then pushes her. How disrespectful would that be? Although both actions are the same but it is also important to whom it was done.
2. The higher the status, the worse even a small disrespect would look. As another example, a person kills someone. It is horrible but may not make news. But when a president of a country is assassinated, it makes headlines all over the world. The crime was the same but the intensity of impact was different.
3. Allah says in Surah-e-Hujuraat, ‘Do not raise your voices over the voice of the Prophet, and do not speak loud to him as you speak loud to one another….
4. Imagine how great would any disrespect be toward Imam Hussain (a.s.) who was the grandson of the Holy Prophet; he belonged to the most noble and pious family. When such a tragedy as the events of Kerbala, which even for a regular person is big enough, happened to him, his family and companions, how deep the wound would be and how strong the grief should be.
· In Ziarat-e-Ashoora we read…. ‘O Imam Hissain, your tragedy was great even for us and all the people of Islam. This calamity was huge even for angels and dwellers of heavens.’
We discussed the importance of events of Kerbala; why are they different from any other event in the world and why Imam Husain had to do the sacrifice. Now we will come to the last part of our topic.
III. It is true that there have been great and very important events in history but if we do not repeat them, we will soon forget them. Once another imam said that how the event of Ghadir was so important, thousands of people had witnessed that due to the passage of time it was erased from the memory of some. Due to the lack of emphasis, it changed the history of Islam. If we do not celebrate the tragedy of Kerbala every year, it would soon be forgotten and would only be found in the pages of history.
A. Some people have started saying these days that , it is true tht these events were important and that we should rememeber them, but there is no need to cry, do matam or majlis. Instead every year we can have a conference where speakers can throw light on the history of Kerbala.
· The answer to this argument is this that such conferences or programs are for the intellect of the people where emotions do not play any role. Whereas commemorating the tragedy of Kerbala is for the heart; it invokes emotions. The whole environment: putting on black clothes, abandoning entertainments and happy programs; bring us closer to understanding the feel of it.
B. Even after the passage of 1367 years, it is still fresh and alive. It teaches us to give up our indifference towards right and wrong; it shakes us to help the oppressed, to condemn the oppressor even today any where in this world.
C. The least it does is to help us forget our own sufferings when we see how Imam went thru all that.
D. It motivates our people to be brave in the face of calamities and to make sacrifices for the sake of Allah by keeping the hereafter in mind, not just this worldly life.
E. Crying softens our hearts and keeps us from becoming stone-hearted.
F. If these majlises are like an informal university that relay the teachings of the masumeen to us.
Conclusion
I. We look at the role models like Abbas and Ali Akbar, in fact we can find role models for any age or gender.
II. These events that took place not just in Kerbala but also in Kufa and Sham, are no ordinary incidents. We do not find any match in history for them. The noble objective is far more important than lives or imprisonment of women and children. We must keep this tradition alive for our own sakes.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Reasons for Imam Hussain (a.s.)'s Uprising
March 8, 2007
Reasons for Imam Hussein alayhis salam’s Uprising
All praise belongs to Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. I thank Him for providing me with this opportunity to speak to you and I am grateful to Allah for assisting me in its preparation.
It is important for us to fully understand, not just believe, why Imam Hussein did what he did.
What were the reasons for his protest?
Why was it necessary to put himself and his family and companions in situation that would lead only to martyrdom and sufferings?
The main source of this information is a book on the sermons, sayings and letters of Imam Hussein (a.s.) while he was in Madinah until his martyrdom.
We will discuss the pre-existing conditions in the year 60 after Hijra, why is Imam Hussein considered the ‘warith’ or heir of all the prophets, why did Imam Hussein not accept Yazid.
وَلْتَكُن مِّنكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ
The ayah quoted above is the 104th ayah of Surah-e-Aale Imran. It says, ‘There has to be a nation among you summoning to good, bidding what is right, and forbidding what is wrong. It is they who are felicitous.’
This verse is talking about the need to do Amr bil Maaruf and Nahi anil Munkar i.e. encouraging others to do good and stopping from doing bad. And this is exactly what Imam Hussein alahis salam did.
I. You all know that Allah send 124,000 messengers to guide the humankind.
A. They preached the religion of God and invited people towards Oneness of God and toward the goodness. But they were like teachers for different grade levels. The earlier ones spoke of basic teachings and those who came later brought more comprehensive Shariat from God. Our last prophet, Hazrat Mohammad Mustafa (s.a.w.w.) completed the religion of Allah, provided the latest version of the Holy Book, established an Islamic rule in Madinah which was a perfect model and the standard for an Islamic government.
B. But what happened after the demise of the Holy Prophet? Did the person, who was nominated by him to lead the Muslim Ummah after him, get his rightful position? No! Imam Ali (a.s.) who was declared as the ‘Master’, man kuntu maulaho fahaza aliyun maula…by the Holy Prophet to succeed him, was not given that position. One after the other, three caliphs ruled before him and the condition of the Ummah/State started to deteriorate. He had hardly fixed the harms done that he was martyred too. The person who disobeyed and fought with Imam Ali (a.s.) was Muawiya, who was the governor of Syria. Although, this guy made peace with Imam Hasan (a.s.) but secretly prepared grounds for his own son, Yazid’s succession.
C. In mid Rajab, 60 A.H., Muawiya died and his son Yazid became the ruler of the whole Islamic world. The areas that comprised of the Islamic world at that time were whole of the Arabian Peninsula, some parts of Northern Africa, Iran, Iraq, Syria, etc. Think here for a second in your mind what qualities you would expect in a leader of the Muslim world. We will see soon what Yazid had to offer.
D. As soon as Yazid came into power, he sent letters to all the governors of these regions, informing them about the demise of his father and announcing his succession to power. Before his death, Muawiya had already taken the oath of allegiance from all but three of the prominent people for his son.
E. . These were Abdullah ibne Umar, Abdullah ibne Zubayr and ImamHussain ibne Ali (a.s.). When Yazid sent his letters to the governors, he not only emphasized that the oath of allegiance must be renewed but it should be forced upon these three people who had refused to give allegiance earlier. The first two gave in soon.
F. Oath of allegiance is like voting these days to endorse someone. Just imagine the people of the Muslim world had endorsed and accepted Yazid to be their caliph who was the most corrupt person. He not only committed crimes openly such as drinking alcohol, etc but denied the prophethood or genuineness of the Quran.
G. We know that Imam Hussain was residing in Madinah at that time. And the governor of Madinah was Walid ibne Utba. When he received the letter one evening from Yazid to get the ‘bay’at’ of the three people, he sent for them to come see him for an important issue. When the courier arrived at Masjid-e-Nabavi where Imam Hussain was sitting with ibne Zubayr, the Imam figured out and told ibne Zubayr that they are being called to do bay’at as Muawiya has died. Imam Hussain, accompanied by armed relatives and companions, went to see Waleed and asked them to wait for him outside. He directed them to come inside if the need arises. As Imam Hussain had predicted, the governor of Madinah informed him of Mauwiya’s death and demanded an oath of allegiance for Yazid from him.What Imam told him that allegiance should be in front of everybody and not in secrecy. Waleed could not say anything and Imam started to get up to go but Marwan (who was also present there) gestured to Waleed to slay him right now according to Yazeed’s orders and don’t let him go away.
H. But when the Imam saw this, he spoke in a loud voice, ‘Are you going to kill me…’ He went on saying, ‘…we are the family of the prophethood, treasure of risalat; angels used to visit our home; Allah’s blessing are upon us, Allah commenced Islam from our family and it will remain with our family for ever.
I. ‘But Yazeed, for whom you are demanding allegiance, is a drunkard, killer of innocent people, one who trampled Allah’s commands, and commits crimes openly. A person like me can never pay allegiance to person like him. You and I will wait for that day and we’ll see who is more deserving of the caliphate and allegiance.’
By this time, the people who were waiting outside, heard Imam’s voice and came in, and the governor couldn’t fulfill his plan.
II..
A. We discussed how the foundation of the religion of Islam was laid which was the efforts of all the Anbiya, the prophets. All the labors and pains that they endured would go waste if a person like Yazid stayed in power. Since he was not a believer, he would change laws of Islam, spread corruption and sinful ways of life more in the society. True Islam would have vanished in a few decades.
B. This is why when we say in the Ziarat that Imam Hussain is the heir or warith of the Prophets, it is because, he saved the religion whose seed was sown by them. He protected the tree of their efforts.
Let us now see what we understand from the words of Imam in reply to the governor of Madinah.
III. Imam Husain was very clear on the fact that Yazid’s government was illegitimate.
The other important point that we derive from his words is the reason for the uprising. Although there were many causes that led to the uprising and the martyrdom but the most important goal of this great jihad was to remove the dominance of illegal and substandard usurpers who did not tolerate any opposition. They were planning their own plots behind the mask of Islam.
A. He introduced himself and explained his position.
1. One might think that why was he praising himself? As an example, consider the fact that when there is a job opening and you submit your resume, do you not tell what qualifications or experience you have? It is not regarded as bragging, but it is considered stating the facts. Was Imam Hussain (a.s.) not the most eligible person to lead the Muslim ummah? He introduced himself as the family of the prophet, who learnt the knowledge of Islam from the Prophet, who were the most pure of the people, he was one of the Five (Panjtan for whom Allah says, He created this world). Was then Yazid with all his faults, sinful life, corruption and oppression more deserving to be the caliph? Could he lead the nation; defend the borders, implement Quranic laws and so on?
B. Everybody else was quiet; no one protested. Should Imam had stayed silent too? Was it not his duty to speak up and reject Yazeed's bay’at. Some people even advised him to go away to another country and save his life, but at this stage, was it not important to disregard the safety of himself and his family but to save Islam?
Hence, a person like Imam Hussain, the embodiment of goodness, a masoom, the perfect role model, should have risen against the corrupt and evil authority and reject allegiance to him. This is what we learn from history: never to give in to pressures of evil and corruption (batil).
We discussed that the complete religion of Islam was the product of the hard work of the previous prophets and to save Islam was to save protect the legacy of these messengers. A person like Imam Hussain (a.s.) could not pay allegiance to a person like Yazeed. For this reason, he had to rise against him in a way that would shake the conscious of the Muslims and bring out the true picture of the Yazeediat.
Reasons for Imam Hussein alayhis salam’s Uprising
All praise belongs to Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. I thank Him for providing me with this opportunity to speak to you and I am grateful to Allah for assisting me in its preparation.
It is important for us to fully understand, not just believe, why Imam Hussein did what he did.
What were the reasons for his protest?
Why was it necessary to put himself and his family and companions in situation that would lead only to martyrdom and sufferings?
The main source of this information is a book on the sermons, sayings and letters of Imam Hussein (a.s.) while he was in Madinah until his martyrdom.
We will discuss the pre-existing conditions in the year 60 after Hijra, why is Imam Hussein considered the ‘warith’ or heir of all the prophets, why did Imam Hussein not accept Yazid.
وَلْتَكُن مِّنكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ
The ayah quoted above is the 104th ayah of Surah-e-Aale Imran. It says, ‘There has to be a nation among you summoning to good, bidding what is right, and forbidding what is wrong. It is they who are felicitous.’
This verse is talking about the need to do Amr bil Maaruf and Nahi anil Munkar i.e. encouraging others to do good and stopping from doing bad. And this is exactly what Imam Hussein alahis salam did.
I. You all know that Allah send 124,000 messengers to guide the humankind.
A. They preached the religion of God and invited people towards Oneness of God and toward the goodness. But they were like teachers for different grade levels. The earlier ones spoke of basic teachings and those who came later brought more comprehensive Shariat from God. Our last prophet, Hazrat Mohammad Mustafa (s.a.w.w.) completed the religion of Allah, provided the latest version of the Holy Book, established an Islamic rule in Madinah which was a perfect model and the standard for an Islamic government.
B. But what happened after the demise of the Holy Prophet? Did the person, who was nominated by him to lead the Muslim Ummah after him, get his rightful position? No! Imam Ali (a.s.) who was declared as the ‘Master’, man kuntu maulaho fahaza aliyun maula…by the Holy Prophet to succeed him, was not given that position. One after the other, three caliphs ruled before him and the condition of the Ummah/State started to deteriorate. He had hardly fixed the harms done that he was martyred too. The person who disobeyed and fought with Imam Ali (a.s.) was Muawiya, who was the governor of Syria. Although, this guy made peace with Imam Hasan (a.s.) but secretly prepared grounds for his own son, Yazid’s succession.
C. In mid Rajab, 60 A.H., Muawiya died and his son Yazid became the ruler of the whole Islamic world. The areas that comprised of the Islamic world at that time were whole of the Arabian Peninsula, some parts of Northern Africa, Iran, Iraq, Syria, etc. Think here for a second in your mind what qualities you would expect in a leader of the Muslim world. We will see soon what Yazid had to offer.
D. As soon as Yazid came into power, he sent letters to all the governors of these regions, informing them about the demise of his father and announcing his succession to power. Before his death, Muawiya had already taken the oath of allegiance from all but three of the prominent people for his son.
E. . These were Abdullah ibne Umar, Abdullah ibne Zubayr and ImamHussain ibne Ali (a.s.). When Yazid sent his letters to the governors, he not only emphasized that the oath of allegiance must be renewed but it should be forced upon these three people who had refused to give allegiance earlier. The first two gave in soon.
F. Oath of allegiance is like voting these days to endorse someone. Just imagine the people of the Muslim world had endorsed and accepted Yazid to be their caliph who was the most corrupt person. He not only committed crimes openly such as drinking alcohol, etc but denied the prophethood or genuineness of the Quran.
G. We know that Imam Hussain was residing in Madinah at that time. And the governor of Madinah was Walid ibne Utba. When he received the letter one evening from Yazid to get the ‘bay’at’ of the three people, he sent for them to come see him for an important issue. When the courier arrived at Masjid-e-Nabavi where Imam Hussain was sitting with ibne Zubayr, the Imam figured out and told ibne Zubayr that they are being called to do bay’at as Muawiya has died. Imam Hussain, accompanied by armed relatives and companions, went to see Waleed and asked them to wait for him outside. He directed them to come inside if the need arises. As Imam Hussain had predicted, the governor of Madinah informed him of Mauwiya’s death and demanded an oath of allegiance for Yazid from him.What Imam told him that allegiance should be in front of everybody and not in secrecy. Waleed could not say anything and Imam started to get up to go but Marwan (who was also present there) gestured to Waleed to slay him right now according to Yazeed’s orders and don’t let him go away.
H. But when the Imam saw this, he spoke in a loud voice, ‘Are you going to kill me…’ He went on saying, ‘…we are the family of the prophethood, treasure of risalat; angels used to visit our home; Allah’s blessing are upon us, Allah commenced Islam from our family and it will remain with our family for ever.
I. ‘But Yazeed, for whom you are demanding allegiance, is a drunkard, killer of innocent people, one who trampled Allah’s commands, and commits crimes openly. A person like me can never pay allegiance to person like him. You and I will wait for that day and we’ll see who is more deserving of the caliphate and allegiance.’
By this time, the people who were waiting outside, heard Imam’s voice and came in, and the governor couldn’t fulfill his plan.
II..
A. We discussed how the foundation of the religion of Islam was laid which was the efforts of all the Anbiya, the prophets. All the labors and pains that they endured would go waste if a person like Yazid stayed in power. Since he was not a believer, he would change laws of Islam, spread corruption and sinful ways of life more in the society. True Islam would have vanished in a few decades.
B. This is why when we say in the Ziarat that Imam Hussain is the heir or warith of the Prophets, it is because, he saved the religion whose seed was sown by them. He protected the tree of their efforts.
Let us now see what we understand from the words of Imam in reply to the governor of Madinah.
III. Imam Husain was very clear on the fact that Yazid’s government was illegitimate.
The other important point that we derive from his words is the reason for the uprising. Although there were many causes that led to the uprising and the martyrdom but the most important goal of this great jihad was to remove the dominance of illegal and substandard usurpers who did not tolerate any opposition. They were planning their own plots behind the mask of Islam.
A. He introduced himself and explained his position.
1. One might think that why was he praising himself? As an example, consider the fact that when there is a job opening and you submit your resume, do you not tell what qualifications or experience you have? It is not regarded as bragging, but it is considered stating the facts. Was Imam Hussain (a.s.) not the most eligible person to lead the Muslim ummah? He introduced himself as the family of the prophet, who learnt the knowledge of Islam from the Prophet, who were the most pure of the people, he was one of the Five (Panjtan for whom Allah says, He created this world). Was then Yazid with all his faults, sinful life, corruption and oppression more deserving to be the caliph? Could he lead the nation; defend the borders, implement Quranic laws and so on?
B. Everybody else was quiet; no one protested. Should Imam had stayed silent too? Was it not his duty to speak up and reject Yazeed's bay’at. Some people even advised him to go away to another country and save his life, but at this stage, was it not important to disregard the safety of himself and his family but to save Islam?
Hence, a person like Imam Hussain, the embodiment of goodness, a masoom, the perfect role model, should have risen against the corrupt and evil authority and reject allegiance to him. This is what we learn from history: never to give in to pressures of evil and corruption (batil).
We discussed that the complete religion of Islam was the product of the hard work of the previous prophets and to save Islam was to save protect the legacy of these messengers. A person like Imam Hussain (a.s.) could not pay allegiance to a person like Yazeed. For this reason, he had to rise against him in a way that would shake the conscious of the Muslims and bring out the true picture of the Yazeediat.
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Philosophy of Hijab
In Surah Ahzaab (33), verse 59, Allah says:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُل لِّأَزْوَاجِكَ وَبَنَاتِكَ وَنِسَاء الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِن جَلَابِيبِهِنَّ ذَلِكَ أَدْنَى أَن يُعْرَفْنَ فَلَا يُؤْذَيْنَ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا {59}
[Pickthal 33:59] O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go abroad). That will be better, so that they may be recognised and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.
Here the Prophet is being asked to tell the faithful women to observe hijab by casting an outer garments upon themselves.
We will discuss what is meant by 'jilbab';
And, we will ponder upon the meaning of 'being recognized' and 'not molested'.
JILBAAB
According to different Arabic Dictionaries, we gather three meanings for htis word.
1) a piece of cloth to cover your body (larger than a dupatta but smaller than a chader)
2) Maqn'a or khimar which a like a scarf worn by Arabs over their heads but it hands back
3)a long and loose tunic (kurta)
contd....
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ قُل لِّأَزْوَاجِكَ وَبَنَاتِكَ وَنِسَاء الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يُدْنِينَ عَلَيْهِنَّ مِن جَلَابِيبِهِنَّ ذَلِكَ أَدْنَى أَن يُعْرَفْنَ فَلَا يُؤْذَيْنَ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا {59}
[Pickthal 33:59] O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go abroad). That will be better, so that they may be recognised and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.
Here the Prophet is being asked to tell the faithful women to observe hijab by casting an outer garments upon themselves.
We will discuss what is meant by 'jilbab';
And, we will ponder upon the meaning of 'being recognized' and 'not molested'.
JILBAAB
According to different Arabic Dictionaries, we gather three meanings for htis word.
1) a piece of cloth to cover your body (larger than a dupatta but smaller than a chader)
2) Maqn'a or khimar which a like a scarf worn by Arabs over their heads but it hands back
3)a long and loose tunic (kurta)
contd....
Thursday, February 02, 2006
First Lecture of the Season
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ ذِكْرًا كَثِيراً {41}
The above verse 41 of Surah Ahzab, 33rd chapter of the Holy Qur'an says:
"O you who have faith! Remember Allah with frequent remembrance."
In this world we have enough sources of distractions and temptations. One of the weapons of a believer to confront such things is the remembrance of Allah. Here the ayah says that remembrance should be abundant.
Who are these people to whom this verse is addressed to? The believers, people who have faith. Naturally, I assume that such people would be practicing Muslims already. So this means that despite that, the believers need to remember Allah a lot and all the time.
First let us try to understand what is meant by 'dhikr'. Does frequent dhikr mean to do tasbeeh repeatedly or take the 99 names of Allah again and again without understanding anything? Is this how we are supposed to remember him?
When we speak, we use words to convey what we are trying to say. Words represent meanings and they are nothing but sounds that are associated with some meaning. When a child makes some sound that seem like words but have no meaning , therefore we cannot call them words unless they have a meaning.
Now what is the point of repeating words (dhikr) when you don't mean them or actually know what it says.
Therefore, it is very important that we must try to understand the meaning of whatever dhikr we do. IF we know the translation and then read, for example, tasbeehat-e-arba'a, it will have effect on our souls. I don't mean to imply that should not read anything if we don't understand but what I am trying to say is do our best in trying to understand them.
Now the broader meaning of the ayah suggests that 'dhikr ' is actually what we have in our hearts. SO when we pray, we should have the concentration of mind and presence of heart by paying attention to the meanings of whatever we are reading, then we become more involved and our thoughts do not wander away so easily.
Why has dhikr been asked as a way to remember God?
Other worships have a defined set of rules and time. For example, everyday Salats have 17 units that are obligatory and if you want to do more, twice as much are recommended during a day. Hajj is wajib only once in our lifetime and if we want to do more, even that is only on a fixed date of the year. Khums is 20% and not more. But dhikr is a kind of 'ibadat' that is unlimited. We can do it anywhere, anytime, as much as we want.
So how is it possible? As mentioned earlier, this is actually the remembrance of Allah in our heart all the time, and every where that keeps us away from many sins.
Similarly, if our heart is not conscious of the Lord and does not know to Whom we are worshipping and why, then the salat is no more than a workout for the body.
What is Salat? It is a means to reach the proximity of God, not an end. It is the tool to get connected to God.
The benefit of remembering Allah all the time is that when we are in danger of sinning, it holds us back. And if, God forbid, a mistake happens, we feel guilty and repent.
Sometimes peer pressure, rather social/relatives' pressures force us to ignore the tiny knock in our minds that is trying to remind us of what is the right thing to do. For instance, it has been seen that mostly during the times of weddings, people give in to haram things for pleasing family and friends. Others encourage us to do what we should not be doing, so if the remembrance of Allah is there, it will not let us rest peacefully.
Another example would be when we step out of our home, we should think if God is okay with my appearance? Have I done anything to attract or be pleasing to a na-mahram? Will I be within the limits set by Allah at my place of work, school or store? Would I give up on hijab in order to get a prospective job?
Remembrance of Allah will help us in such circumstances and in fact give us courage or even consolence for a lost worldly privilege.
The above verse 41 of Surah Ahzab, 33rd chapter of the Holy Qur'an says:
"O you who have faith! Remember Allah with frequent remembrance."
In this world we have enough sources of distractions and temptations. One of the weapons of a believer to confront such things is the remembrance of Allah. Here the ayah says that remembrance should be abundant.
Who are these people to whom this verse is addressed to? The believers, people who have faith. Naturally, I assume that such people would be practicing Muslims already. So this means that despite that, the believers need to remember Allah a lot and all the time.
First let us try to understand what is meant by 'dhikr'. Does frequent dhikr mean to do tasbeeh repeatedly or take the 99 names of Allah again and again without understanding anything? Is this how we are supposed to remember him?
When we speak, we use words to convey what we are trying to say. Words represent meanings and they are nothing but sounds that are associated with some meaning. When a child makes some sound that seem like words but have no meaning , therefore we cannot call them words unless they have a meaning.
Now what is the point of repeating words (dhikr) when you don't mean them or actually know what it says.
Therefore, it is very important that we must try to understand the meaning of whatever dhikr we do. IF we know the translation and then read, for example, tasbeehat-e-arba'a, it will have effect on our souls. I don't mean to imply that should not read anything if we don't understand but what I am trying to say is do our best in trying to understand them.
Now the broader meaning of the ayah suggests that 'dhikr ' is actually what we have in our hearts. SO when we pray, we should have the concentration of mind and presence of heart by paying attention to the meanings of whatever we are reading, then we become more involved and our thoughts do not wander away so easily.
Why has dhikr been asked as a way to remember God?
Other worships have a defined set of rules and time. For example, everyday Salats have 17 units that are obligatory and if you want to do more, twice as much are recommended during a day. Hajj is wajib only once in our lifetime and if we want to do more, even that is only on a fixed date of the year. Khums is 20% and not more. But dhikr is a kind of 'ibadat' that is unlimited. We can do it anywhere, anytime, as much as we want.
So how is it possible? As mentioned earlier, this is actually the remembrance of Allah in our heart all the time, and every where that keeps us away from many sins.
Similarly, if our heart is not conscious of the Lord and does not know to Whom we are worshipping and why, then the salat is no more than a workout for the body.
What is Salat? It is a means to reach the proximity of God, not an end. It is the tool to get connected to God.
The benefit of remembering Allah all the time is that when we are in danger of sinning, it holds us back. And if, God forbid, a mistake happens, we feel guilty and repent.
Sometimes peer pressure, rather social/relatives' pressures force us to ignore the tiny knock in our minds that is trying to remind us of what is the right thing to do. For instance, it has been seen that mostly during the times of weddings, people give in to haram things for pleasing family and friends. Others encourage us to do what we should not be doing, so if the remembrance of Allah is there, it will not let us rest peacefully.
Another example would be when we step out of our home, we should think if God is okay with my appearance? Have I done anything to attract or be pleasing to a na-mahram? Will I be within the limits set by Allah at my place of work, school or store? Would I give up on hijab in order to get a prospective job?
Remembrance of Allah will help us in such circumstances and in fact give us courage or even consolence for a lost worldly privilege.
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