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In the Name of God بسم الله
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About this blog

I generally blog on Iqra Online - however since ShiaChat has a much larger membership base I will be syndicating some of the interesting material on this blog as well.

Entries in this blog

Dialogue with Believers

Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IqraOnlineBlog/ Original post: https://www.iqraonline.net/dialogue-with-believers/ An epidemic harming our communities is the general inability, hesitance & fear of engaging in dialogue with one another. In fact, in recent years, it appears there has been a significant increase in our communities engaging and initiating inter-faith dialogue, yet we do not see this phenomenon within our own communities. This is while we need such initiati

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

When Apologies Becomes Unethical

Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IqraOnlineBlog/ Original post: https://www.iqraonline.net/when-apologies-becomes-unethical/ There is no doubt that apologizing and seeking forgiveness for having done something wrong is an ethical act. It is something we should all do for any of our mistakes and shortcomings that became the cause of harm and nuisance to others. Apologizing shows us that the individual has intuitively realized the flaws of a certain decision they had made and

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

Qur'an: A book of information or does it have another identity?

Excerpt from: https://www.iqraonline.net/surat-al-inshirah-an-introductory-exegesis-of-the-meanings-and-messages-contained-within There is a question raised in the Quranic sciences, and the answer to it is a starting point that will distinguish the exegetical methodology that a scholar chooses. This question is whether the Qur'an is only a book of information or also a book of moral training and guidance? To clarify the first part of the question, let’s give an example. Suppose you vis

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

Imam ‘Askari (a) and the Wakalah System

Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IqraOnlineBlog Follow on Instagram: https://instagram.com/aaleimran/ The 11th Imam (a) was able to remain in contact with the general Shī’ī community over a large geographical area through the Wakālah system. The Wakālah system comprised of a large number of agents and representatives who would serve as the point of contact between the Imam and their respective communities. The foundations of this specific system can be traced back to the ti

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

Nurturing Our Best Selves

Follow on FB: https://www.facebook.com/IqraOnlineBlog/ Many Muslim theologians in their discussions on the Problem of Evil have argued that existence in the material realm and the systems that govern it are the best possible systems (al-niẓām al-aḥsan) that could have been created and that they enjoy excessive good (ziyādah al-khayr) as opposed to excessive evil. Thereafter, Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) based on His infinite Love and Beneficence certainly [55:3] created man [95:4] in the

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

Disobedience of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) is Foolishness

Original post: https://www.iqraonline.net/disobedience-of-Allah-(سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى)-is-foolishness/ إِنَّمَا التَّوْبَةُ عَلَى اللَّهِ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السُّوءَ بِجَهَالَةٍ ثُمَّ يَتُوبُونَ مِن قَرِيبٍ فَأُولَٰئِكَ يَتُوبُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ ۗ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا [4:17] [Acceptance of] repentance upon Allah is only for those who commit evil out of ignorance, then repent promptly. It is such whose repentance Allah will accept, and Allah is all-knowing, all-wise

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

Fasad and Expectations for the Ūlū Baqīyatin

Originally posted here: https://www.iqraonline.net/fasad-and-expectations-for-the-ulu-baqiyatin/ 1400 years ago the Umayyads seized complete power of the Muslim world, ruling for 90 years and came to be recognized as one of the most damaging dynasties to take control of the Muslim world. The Umayyads were able to alter and enforce an interpretation of Islam on the newly developing Islamic nation that dictated the fundamentality of tribalism, the superiority of Arabs, harshness, warfare and

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

Repulsing the Basis of Moral Vices

Originally posted here: https://www.iqraonline.net/repulsing-the-basis-of-moral-vices/ There are numerous ways to encourage one’s self to behave ethically. Scholars of all religions and ideologies have debated and offered different analyses on why people should behave ethically and how they can eliminate moral vices from their actions. For example, some argue people should act ethically because society appreciates and praises such behaviour, which eventually leads to worldly benefits. Speak

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

Riya - A Journey Towards the Self

Originally posted here: https://www.iqraonline.net/riya-a-journey-towards-the-self-ikhlas-a-journey-towards-Allah/ When you do an act that falls under the domain of worship (‘ibādah), you can either perform this action for Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى), you can do it for someone or something other than Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى), or you can do it for both Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) and another entity together. The latter two are called riyā’ (showing-off and ostentation) and Isl

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

‘Allāmah’s Treatment of the Qirā’āt

Original source: http://www.iqraonline.net/allamah-tabatabai-treatment-different-readings-quran/ One of the most extensive and important discussions within Qurānic studies is regarding its variant readings (qirā’āt). The readings are generally discussed within commentaries themselves and even within historical discussions regarding the collection and transmission of the Qurān. Utilizing a 25-page research paper titled Rawish Shināsi Ruyikard ‘Allāmeh Ṭabāṭabā’ī Dar Ikhtilāf Qirā’āt by Muḥam

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

Miraculousness of the Qurān (Part 6)

Miraculousness of the Qurān – Doctrine of al-Ṣarfah – A Historical Overview (Part 6) Original source: http://www.iqraonline.net/miraculousness-of-the-quran-doctrine-of-al-ṣarfah-a-historical-overview-part-6/ In our previous post, we went over a brief description of the doctrine of al-Ṣarfah. In this post, we want to see what critiques were established against this doctrine by Muslim scholars. I will summarize some of the major arguments against the doctrine and leave out some of the re

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

Miraculousness of the Qurān (Part 5)

Miraculousness of the Qurān – Doctrine of al-Ṣarfah – A Historical Overview (Part 5) Original source: http://www.iqraonline.net/miraculousness-of-the-quran-doctrine-of-al-ṣarfah-a-historical-overview-part-5/   From the beginning of revelation up until the end of the 2nd century, the issue of i’jāz (miraculousness) of the Qurān was not a widely discussed topic amongst Muslim scholars. The Muslims before that were in general amazed by the Qurān and the concepts it discussed and expo

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

Miraculousness of the Qurān (Part 4)

Miraculousness of the Qurān – A Historical Overview (Part 4) Original source: http://www.iqraonline.net/miraculousness-of-the-quran-a-historical-overview-part-4/ Intellectual-Rational In this approach, the criterion used to establish the miraculousness of the Qurān is intellectualization and reason. One of the things that pushed scholars to take this approach was the significant amount of differences of opinions in the earlier approaches, such as the taste and feel approach, or ev

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

Miraculousness of the Qurān (Part 3)

Miraculousness of the Qurān – A Historical Overview (Part 3) Original source: http://www.iqraonline.net/miraculousness-of-the-quran-a-historical-overview-part-3/ Semantic – Philological Most Muslim scholars agree that the Qurān was not revealed in the Arabic language without any wisdom.[1] [26:193-195] This is indeed [a Book] sent down by the Lord of all the worlds, brought down by the Trustworthy Spirit upon your heart (so that you may be one of the warners), in a clear Arab

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

Miraculousness of the Qurān (Part 2)

Miraculousness of the Qurān – A Historical Overview (Part 2) Original source: http://www.iqraonline.net/miraculousness-of-the-quran-a-historical-overview-part-2/ In this post, we will begin looking into six different approaches scholars have put forth to explain how the miraculous nature of the Qurān can be attested. Taste and Feel This approach says that in order to sense the beauty of a text, one must develop the ability to differentiate between good and bad speech. This ta

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

Miraculousness of the Qurān (Part 1)

I have been uploading posts on my own personal blog (IqraOnline.net) regarding the miraculousness of the Qurān (I'jāz al-Qurān). These are posts where I have tried to avoid technical jargon as much as possible and the posts are also not super lengthy either. I am writing these for a very general audience - especially those who have absolutely no information regarding the subject - to get introduced to the matter. I have decided to put up these posts on the ShiaChat Blog as well since it may attr

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

The Transfer of Kufa’s Hadith Heritage to Qom (5)

Original full post: http://www.iqraonline.net/the-transfer-of-kufas-hadith-heritage-to-qom-history-of-imami-shii-theology-5/ During the Imamate of Imam Baqir (s) and Sadiq (s), there was a lot of encouragement from the Imams to their students and companions to begin recording down traditions. As this shift from oral to a written tradition became a culture amongst them, there was naturally a large output of written works over the next century. Kufa being the hub for Shi’i activity naturally

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

The Ash’ari Family II (4)

Original full post: http://www.iqraonline.net/the-ashari-family-ii-history-of-imami-shii-theology-4/   In this post we will continue with the list of scholars from the Ash’ari family who have been categorized into the second and third group, post-migration to Qom. Second Group Zakariyyah bin Idris bin ‘Abdullah al-Ash’ari: Considered a companion of Imam Sadiq, Imam Kadhim and Imam Ridha. Zakariyyah bin Adam bin ‘Abdullah al-Ash’ari: Considered a companion of Imam Sadi

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

The Ash’ari Family (3)

The Ash’ari Family | History of Imami Shi’i Theology (3) Original full post: http://www.iqraonline.net/the-ashari-family-history-of-imami-shii-theology-3/ With the decline of intellectual theological discourse in Kufa, Qom had become the base for the Shi’as and would remain influential during the course of the 3rd and 4th century. Before we begin discussing any further, it is important to take a brief glance over how and why Qom became to be such an important city. This is by no means

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

The Traditionalist-Theologian Phenomenon (2)

Original post: http://www.iqraonline.net/the-traditionalist-theologian-phenomenon-history-of-shii-imami-theology-2/ The Traditionalist-Theologian Phenomenon | History of Shi’i Imami Theology (2) The earliest distinct Shi’i Imami school was that of Kufa’s, which began taking form in the beginning of the 2nd century Hijri during the time of Imam Baqir (s). This era itself is worthy of being studied and as a matter of fact has been studied extensively by Muslim and non-Muslim scholars ali

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

History of Shi'i Imami Theology (1)

Original: http://www.iqraonline.net/history-of-shii-imami-theology-1/ This is intended to be the first of many posts on the history of the development of Shi’i Imami theology. There are various reasons why being familiar with the history of Imami theology can be of benefit for not just a Shi’a, but as well as a student of Shi’i Islam. As its history begins with the era of the Imams (s), to know how they and their companions dealt with various theological issues, challenges, and what so

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

Time Concepts in the Qur’an

Original Post: Time Concepts in the Qur’an – a Historical Perspective This is based on my understanding of a recorded lecture posted online a few days ago, of Dr. Ahmad Pakatchi speaking at The International Conference on Interdisciplinary Quranic Studies in Tehran. I hope any written material by him or other researchers will become accessible on this subject, especially given that Dr. Pakatchi is one of Iran's qualified and well known professors. --- Time plays an important and o

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

Niyyah of Qat' or Qati' while Fasting

This term I have been engaging in an independent (i.e. not part of curriculum) study session on Kitab al-Sawm (Book of Fasting) where we try to analyze the reasoning and arguments of the various rulings and verdicts the jurists give. I am almost done with the section on niyyah (intention) for fasting - thus the previous post. This post will be regarding one of the rulings that appears in most practical law books today and a few simple observations. This is by no means an attempt to show which ru

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

Some Observations on Niyyah

Most books on jurisprudence and practical law that deal with fasting, open up with a discussion on Niyyah (intention). Some books make the rules seem quite complicated and the deductive discussions present in many books or transcribed notes from the Behas al-Kharij of some of the jurists are even more complicated at times. This is all the while our classical scholars did not spend so much time on this subject at all. In fact most earlier jurists are relatively silent on the matter in their works

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

A ShiaChat Reunion?

As the school-term comes to an end, and there was some time that I could spare for my self, I've thought a lot about how my views on life, religion, man's relationship with God, and the world around me, have changed over the years. This is going to be a pretty random rant - but I guess that is what blogs are for . As of now, it has been 4 years since I moved to the seminary in Qom, and while there are many brothers and sisters here who spent many years on ShiaChat, many of them have either

Ibn al-Hussain

Ibn al-Hussain

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