Light Beams

I will start by giving a very simplified functional subdivision of the human Central Nervous System. Based on function, human brain can be divided into three areas

1.     Brain stem: Brain stem is an upward continuation of spine. It is concerned with functions like controlling heart rate, regulation of blood pressure, breathing and some digestive functions to name just a few. Some of these are vital functions so an injury to brainstem could mean immediate death. That is why special care is taken to stabilize the neck in road traffic accidents.

2.     Limbic System: This is a group of structures in our brain which together are involved in controlling behavior and emotions- Anger, pleasure, fear and punishment, reward, rage, curiosity, hunger, satiety, sexual drive, motivation and passivity. All of these come from the limbic system.

3.     Cerebral Cortex: This is what we call the higher brain in laymen terms. It performs the ‘executive functions’. The prefrontal cortex(PFC) occupies the anterior portion of the frontal lobes and is thought to be one of the most complex anatomical and functional structures of the mammalian brain.

• All living creatures have some system for maintain vital body functions like breathing in place of brainstem.
• All vertebrates possess a limbic system so dogs, cats and other animals are able to feel and express emotions.
• Amongst vertebrates the only classes to possess the characteristic cerebral cortex are mammals (and some reptiles, lolz, so the conspiracy theories about the world being controlled by an elite group of reptiles could turn out to be true)
• Amongst the mammals Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) bestowed the humans with the most highly developed cerebral cortex of all its creations on earth. When I say highly developed I don’t mean size or surface area relative to body, I mean functionally development and intellectual capabilities. Humans are probably intellectually highest of all the earthly species created by Allah.

 It is because of this highly developed cortex that humans sit at the top of the hierarchy and have been called ‘Vicegerents of Allah’ on earth. Of course, not any two footed being in human form can be the vicegerent of Allah(سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى). He also has to manifest divine attributes in both his private and social life.

So our cerebral cortex is capable of ‘higher mental functions’ like thinking, abstraction, planning, decision making and controlling the limbic system! This last function is probably its most important function.

The brainstem functions are not under our conscious control. Obviously we cannot tell our bodies increase or decrease the heart rate or blood pressure. Higher mental functions are almost always voluntary.

The limbic system sits on the the borderline between brain stem and cerebral cortex both structurally and functionally (the word limbic means borderline in latin) What does this mean? This means that we can choose to exercise control over our behavior and emotions using the executive powers of cerebral cortex or we can let the limbic system run loose and let it do whatever it wants in which case a human would be expressing a range of unbridled emotions anger, curiosity, sexual drive etc

Let’s look at some differences in capabilities of humans vs animals which are manifested by virtue of an intellectual cortex and are important from a religious perspective.

1.  Animals are incapable of learning about haram and halal. That’s why Allah(سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) didn’t make it obligatory on them to respect these boundaries.  It is the cerebral cortex and its associated areas which give the humans the capability learn this and differentiate between the two in various life situations. But if the humans choose not to utilize the cerebral cortex for this purpose and let their limbic system(emotions) take over, they lose the differentiation and in those instances they are acting like animals. This can easily be observed in the most primal of behaviours like consuming food and copulating and also in advanced actions like earning rizq through unlawful means.
2. Animals cannot be taught moral and ethics. If your pet dog steals a piece of meat you can arouse feelings of fear and punishment in it but you cannot teach him why stealing is wrong. This is again due to the absence of the cerebral cortex that humans possess and probably this is the reason why animals won’t get punished for misconducts in the akhirah like humans.
3.  Animals cannot differentiate between tahara and nijasat. Again this is something which is a function of cerebral cortex. Physical purity is something which is very crucial in Islamic faith.
4. The principles of mahram/namehram can only be comprehended by humans.

Looking at the above we can see how intellect elevates humans from the level of animals to vicegerents of Allah. Maybe this is why most of things that are counted as sins in islam are in principle limbic system(emotions) overriding the cortex(intellect)

• Anger- limbic system taking charge,
• Zina and haram lust – limbic system taking over humans,
• Consuming haram food and even stuffing yourself with halal food- limbic system satiety centre gone out of control,
• Curiosity-  Even though the mechanism behind curiosity isn’t very well understood because it is difficult to differentiate curiosity from information seeking but what research has discovered so far is that a part of the limbic cortex is involved in both regulation and reward that is associated with curiosity(1). In Surah Hujraat (49:12) Allah forbids us from spying and ‘Tajassus’ but if limbic system is not controlled the person could be snooping around other people’s affairs, just like an animal would sniffs and examines any object in vicinity.
• Gambling – During gambling intellectual areas of the brain like prefrontal cortex show less activity than limbic areas depicting a link between gambling and limbic system(2) What’s interesting is that in an animal study conducted on gambling ,some species of animal demonstrated the same choices and psychological behavior as pathological gamblers. So, when Allah(سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) made gambling haram it was probably to not let humans reduce themselves to animals.
• Drinking –Alcohol impairs functioning on the prefrontal cortex, disrupts normal pattern of neuronal activity required for decision making and thinking and hence leads to limbic system taking over. This is manifested a as lack of inhibition in people commonly observed in people who has ingested alcohol.(3)

If we look at Jihad bil nafs in medical terms it’s just a battle between limbic system and cerebral cortex.

Looking at the lives of Ahlulbayt (عليه السلام) we won’t find any instance where we see limbic system ruling over them. There is a famous incident where in the battle of Khandaq, where Imam Ali(عليه السلام) was on Amr bin abde Wud’s chest and about to kill him but then he abused Imam Ali(عليه السلام). At this Imam Ali (عليه السلام) moved from Amr’s chest and walked away. After the battle was over people asked Imam Ali(عليه السلام) the reason why he had spared Amr’s life when he had first overpowered him. At this he replied,” When I had floored him, he abused me, as a result of which I was overcome by rage. I feared that if I were to kill him in that state of anger, it would be for pacifying my anger. So I stepped away from him till my fury subsided when I returned to sever his head from his body only for the happiness of Allah and in obedience to Him.” (Manaqib Al Abi Talib by Ibn Shahrashub)

In Sahifa e Sajjadiya, Imam Sajjad (عليه السلام) has described three types of worshippers

        i.  Those who worship Allah because of fear of hell

       ii. Those who worship Allah to get to Jannah

      iii. Those who worship Allah because they find Allah worthy of worship.

He(عليه السلام) says the third is the highest form of worship. Why? Because the first two are worship of punishment and reward (limbic system worships) while the third is the worship of intellect (Prefrontal cortex). 

So if we learn to control our limbic systems through reflection and worship gradually, we gain power over our nafs and then no amount of worldly temptation and desires can then take us away from out true purpose, that is submission to Allah(سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى).

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4635443/

(2) https://neuroanthropology.net/2009/05/23/gambling-and-compulsion-play-at-your-own-risk/#:~:text=For gamblers%2C the gambling references,high” from an emotional response.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3593065/

Yesterday I ordered an outfit from an online store. I don't know what made me do it when I have been trying to pare down my worldly possessions to bare essential and I know I already have too many clothes. Maybe it was the combined effect of slashed price and the excited ''Yesssssssss, get it" from my best friend.  That was morning. By evening I had begun to get a steady stream of messages, 'Dr.B passed away' , Dr. M and his wife and parents have tested positive, 'My cousin and her two sons tested positive', 'my Uncle and his house help's results came back positive' and then this morning someone else I knew died. All of this made me feel very low and that started a string of negative thoughts, one of which was,'Why did you order those clothes?You are never going to wear them at home and work might not happen for another three months and who knows you might be dead by that time so the package is going to arrive and lie there unopened for months at best. You must be out of your mind ordering clothes and back up of moisturiser and those dozens pens and notebooks that you might not live long enough to use'.  

What followed was "enough of this blasted(french) Corona and lockdown" and a feeling of regret about wasting time and money over those things. But only moments later as I gained some clarity what dawned on me is this is actually how our relationship with material things should be, not just when a deadly pandemic is staring us down in our faces. Corona or no corona I do not know if I am going to be alive the next morning or the next minute so the wiser thing would be to not waste time on worldly things until and unless it's absolutely essential. There are far better things to do with the resources Allah(سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) gave us.

The problem is that while we all know and admit that death is inevitable and come anytime, most of us just confess it with the tongue and do not really reflect on it enough to bring about a change in ourselves. Our lifestyles have become so deviated from the fitrah that materialism and consumer culture is considered normal. This pandemic has been a blessing is so many ways one of them is that Allah has given us a chance to reset the compass of our lives back to fitrah. Let's hope we are able to do that. 

Abbas(عليه السلام), undoubtedly was the most valiant companion of Imam al-Husayn. On the 10th of Muharram, on the grounds of Karbala he did not take part in the actual battle with the Army of Yazid(La) yet he fought the greatest battle of all. His battle was with himself, Jihad with his nafs, described in our books as being the best of the three forms of Jihad. 

The mother of Abbas (عليه السلام) Fatima binte Hizam,popularly known as Umm al Baneen, came from a tribe by the name of al-Kulābīyya that was known for bravery and war skills. Imam Ali(عليه السلام) had asked his brother Aqeel(عليه السلام) to find a woman from such a tribe. He father Imam Ali (عليه السلام) wanted a son that would be a warrior like no other, a companion for Imam al-Husayn(عليه السلام) on the 10th of Muharram. Ummal Baneen brought him up giving him lessons on loyalty and faithfulness to Husayn(عليه السلام). So even before Abbas(عليه السلام) was born he had been marked to be a warrior,a companion of Hussain(عليه السلام).All his life he never left Husayn(عليه السلام) side. His whole life was protecting, defending and fighting for his master Husayn(عليه السلام).
On the night of 10th of Muharram Shimr bin dhil jawashan(curse upon him) ,the man who would behead Imam Husayn(عليه السلام) on the day on 10th of Muharram and who’s also the cousin of Ummal Baneen, made an offer to Hazrat Abbas(عليه السلام), ‘leave Hussain, join us, you will be given wealth and a high position’ What did Abbas do? He tore up the letter, ‘this world and its attractions cannot entice me’. Does he even need a second to think? No. 
When we have to make a choice between our life, wealth, power, position on one hand and loyalty to the Imam of time on the other hand, what do we choose? A person like Abbas(عليه السلام) chooses his Imam(عليه السلام). May Allah(سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) make us choose the same when our time comes. 
So what happened on the day of 10th of Muharram. The water supply had been cut off for three days. The children in camps of Husayn were crying out ‘Al Attash, Al Attash.’ Abbas asked for permission from Imam al Husayn(عليه السلام) to go out and fight but Imam(عليه السلام) refused. As the day passed he repeated his request, Imam(عليه السلام) did not allow him to go. The bravest warrior in army of Husayn(عليه السلام) kept on asking permission to fight, his beloved master kept on refusing. 
Finally, when Imam Husayn(عليه السلام) did allow him to go in the battlefield it was to fetch water for the children from Furaat, with the instructions ‘Do not fight’! 
Here is the man who has the bravery of Imam Ali(عليه السلام) and the war skills of al-Kulābīyya in his blood, the man who had been brought into the world to be a companion to Husayn(عليه السلام),the man who had been brought up all his life being told that he has to protect Husayn from the enemies,the son of the man who protected Prophet Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) from the Kuffar of Makkah whilst he was still a boy,the man who has been trained in war skills by none other than Haider,the conqueror of Khaybar,the man who had been named Abbas -'the lion other lions feared', the man who had fought alongside Imam Ali(عليه السلام) when he was only twelve- and now that Imam Husayn(عليه السلام) is alone in the ground of Karbala surrounded by the most ruthless,merciless of enemies, he has been told ‘Do not fight’?? 
A person like you and me would respond by saying ‘what do you mean not fight, I am the best warrior in the Army’ ‘they would be attacking me and I can kill so many of them’ ‘this is a battlefield, what else a person does if not use swords and arrows’. But this was Abbas(عليه السلام) who was a master not only in combat on the battlefield but also in combat with the nafs,hence he submitted without question to what Imam(عليه السلام) had ordered.
This was Abbas(as)’s real test. Just take a moment to think what an order like this would do to the soul of a person, a person whose whole life right from the time he was born revolved around defending Husayn(عليه السلام), a person whose is known for his courage, a person whose name alone evoked fear in the heart of his enemies. He has been ordered not to fight at such a critical time in Imam Hussain(as)'s life even though he is being sent in the battlefield surrounded by enemies who will attack him. But when the Imam (عليه السلام) of our time orders us something, we don't ask questions, when? why? how come? We just SUBMIT.

Hazrat  Abbas(عليه السلام) went out in the battlefield, the soldiers of Yazid(LA) attacked him from all sides,he scattered and repelled the ones who came in his way, reached Furaat, filled the bag with water. He has been thirsty for three days, his tongue is dry and he is exhausted because of being dehydrated. His hands are touching the water. He can take a sip or two before he rides his horse again? Does he? No. He cannot think of drinking water while Husayn(عليه السلام) and the children are thirsty in the camps. Water right in front of Abbas(عليه السلام),the burning plains of Karbala, three days of thirst vs loyalty and servitude to Imam Husayn(عليه السلام). Who wins? Abbas(عليه السلام) wins. He defeated his nafs again.

On 10th of Muhrram, Abbas(عليه السلام) fought the battle and won like no other. 

What does this tell us? Even when you are Abbas(عليه السلام) and the army you are facing is one like Yazid’s,even then your greatest battle is with yourself.

Felicitations and greetings to the Imam(عليه السلام) of our time and to all brothers and sisters on the birth of Qamar Bani Hashim. 
 

I have two wedding invitations in front of me and a whole lot of thoughts going in my head. One is from a pre wedding party of a school friend. I talked about her here briefly 

To add a few more details, she got divorced after 8 or so years of marriage, no kids. Her ex got remarried within 2 months of divorce, not sure but probably this could be the reason behind the divorce. It's been just a year since they divorced and now she is marrying this Christian guy. After advice from my fellow SCers I asked her to reconsider, but then there is this invitation now. The response from the rest of the group surprised me, everyone was going oooh and aaahh and congrats and best wishes and asking about her honeymoon plans. I believe that quiet a few of my school friends are practicing Muslims, the kind who regularly attend and organize Islamic gatherings. Maybe they felt the same as me but didn't speak up like I did.When I talked to her about a month back, she was obviously uncomfortable with the conversation.I wanted to tell her that it hadn't even been a year and she should wait and eventually Allah will send a suitable Muslim man in her life. 

Then there is this second wedding invitation. It is from a coworker. I have known him for more than 10 years, early 40s, two kids, unhappily married(separated) and looking for a second wife. He had been introduced to no less than a dozen divorced girls in our work and social circle in the last two years but none of it went beyond the initial introductions.I didn't understand at the time why. All the girls,and I knew a few of them personally, seemed good matches; good looking, pleasant disposition, educated, perfectly capable of becoming good wives ... but as I read the name of the bride I suddenly understood why.She is an old student of mine and his,who changed departments to come and work very briefly with us,18 years his junior,never married before read: virgin. The last two 'qualities' have apparently made him overlook the stark difference in their intellectual and maturity levels, which is so significant that everyone is commenting on it. He is someone whom all of us believed to be a notch above the rest when it came to maturity, principles and moral values but he made the same decision as the regular run of the mill divorced single dad working in the next department made when he married a 9 years his junior previously unmarried girl.................................................................................................................................. which makes me think would it have been practical advice to tell my friend to wait and eventually she would find a Muslim man to marry???? 

 (please let's not start a polygamy battle here, they have come to the mutual decision of separating after years of unhappiness, she didn't ask for divorce and he has no plans to hand it to her and is taking care of her financially) 

Salam,

Growing up we had a poster like this in one of my grandparent's home, handwritten in Urdu by my great grandfather and framed in wood. It was displayed in a prominent place. I remember standing there studying it on many occasions, at others I just stole a cursory glance passing by. Either way it helped me a great deal in acquiring the basic knowledge about the Ahlebayt(عليه السلام). Many of the important dates unconsciously stuck in my memory and other facts,like so many of our Imams (عليه السلام) being poisoned,aroused in me an interest to study more about their lives.

For some time now I had been wanting to make a similar table for my children.I made it in English for obvious reasons.I plan to print it out and put in their room and hopefully they will imbibe and memorise or at least be familiar with the basic facts about the lives of Masoomen (عليه السلام). Since this is an area where sadly lots of us grownups are lacking too(from personal experience many of the Shias don't know the names of mothers of Imams(عليه السلام) or where are all of the Imams (عليه السلام) buried) I thought I would share it here.

I made it on excel. With the ShiaChat file upload limits the quality might not be very good and since I enlarged it for sharing here,it's in two parts.(if anyone can suggest anything better, you are welcome)

Coloured in pink(Imams 6-12) is the era of Abbasid caliphs.All of Imams (عليه السلام) during that time period(except the 12th (عليه السلام)) were martyred through poisoning by their own cousins,the Abbasid Caliphs.

Salam everyone, 

One of the most tragic incidences in the history of Islam has been the the martyrdom of the the Lady of light, Our Prophet Muhammad(saw)' daughter, Fatima Zahra(عليه السلام). To date the exact location of her grave is not known. What is even sadder is that most Shias of Ahlebayt(عليه السلام) are not clear about the facts and timeline of events surrounding her tragic death. Ambiguities have been created,some people choose to adopt a defensive attitude when naming people involved in the incident, others shy away from talking about it because of creating discord with people of other sects. However, I believe it is very important that we are very clear about what happened after the death of RasulAllah(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) and in the event of a discussion we are able to state the facts objectively, and this is the sole purpose of this post. It is not to curse the caliphs, or offend the Sunnis, so I will request that if anyone replies here he also refrains from doing so. 

Most of what I have written below comes from Sheikh Abbas Qummi's book "House of Sorrows" . I will try to provide references wherever possible in the post, but since I want to keep it short and concise I would ask you to refer to the book if anyone wishes to read more. The book is available online on al-Islam.org. 

1. DEATH OF THE HOLY Prophet

The Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) departed from this world on 28 safar 11 A.H.  For three days Imam Ali(عليه السلام) postponed his burial. Why? Because he wanted to give all the Muslims an opportunity to join his funeral. Sadly, most of the Ansar and Muhajireen were busy choosing the successor of Prophet(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) and didn't show up. Seeing this, Imam Ali(عليه السلام) went ahead with the funeral and burial of RasulAllah(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) 

2. SAQEEFAH

In Arabic, the word Saqeefah literally means a 'tent'.So,while the Bani Hashim were busy with funeral arrangements of RasulAllah(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) and had withdrawn from social activities because they were mourning the Ansaar gathered in the tent of the tribe of Bani Sa'idah and started choosing a leader for the Arabs. Upon hearing this Umar told Abu Bakr to quickly rush to the place. After some squabble between Ansaar and Muhajireen Abu Bakr was chosen as a successor for Prophet(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم).

The first three people to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr were: Bashir b.Sa'ad, Umar b.Khattab and Abu ‘Ubaydah al-Jarrah. 

3. DID EVERYONE PLEAD ALLEGIANCE TO Abu Bakr? WHAT HAPPENED TO PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T? 

Of course, one of the persons to not pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr was our Imam Ali(عليه السلام) but there were people amongst Arabs who refused to swear allegiance to Abu Bakr. Let's just look at two examples.

1. MALIK b.NUWAYRAH: Malik b Nuwayarh was a devout companion of the Holy Prophet(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم). Upon his refusal to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr, Abu Bakr told Khalid b. Waleed to prepare an army against him and attack him under the pretext that he had turned apostate and was refusing to pay Zakat and taxes to the Caliph. What Khalid b. Waleed did was attack him during the night in his house, like a coward. They killed him, later raped his wife and they didn't stop there. They cut off Malik's head and cooked it with camel meat and the food from the vessel containing Malik's head was consumed by Khalid b. Waleed's army. 

2. SA'AD b. UBADAH: Saad b.Ubadah was from the Ansaar of Medina and a contender with Abu Bakr for caliphate.However, he lost when the clan of al-Khizraj did not side with him. Umar tried to force him to pledge allegiance. However,he refused to swear allegiance to Abu Bakr and to Umar after him and instead lived a life of seclusion. When Umar took over the reins he ordered Khalid b. Waleed to kill Sa'ad. He shot arrows at him which killed him and they later spread a rumour that he was killed by jinns(narrated by Historian al-baladhuri)

So now we have some idea what was happening to people who refused allegiance. 

4.CONFISCATION OF Fadak

Fadak was confiscated and one of the reasons behind confiscating Fadak was to hurt Imam Ali(عليه السلام) economically because Abu Bakr and Umar feared that Imam Ali(عليه السلام) might rise against them so they took away Fadak. 

5. WHY DIDN'T Imam Ali (عليه السلام) OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT OF Abu Bakr?

After Saqeefa took place three hundred and sixty people pledged allegiance at the hand of Imam Ali(عليه السلام) to defend him until his death. Imam(عليه السلام) told them go home and gather in a particular street the next day with shaved heads.Out of of these three hundred and sixty people how many turned up the next day? Only FIVE!     Abu Dharr, Miqdad, Hudhayfah, Ammar and Salman.

Imam Ali(عليه السلام) saw a flock of sheep, about thirty in number gathered in a pen and looking at them he said, "By Allah! If I had along with me men who were true supporters of Allah, the Mighty, the Sublime, and His Prophet, equaling the number of these sheep, I would certainly have deposed Abu Bakr, from his authority."

6. FORCING Imam Ali(عليه السلام) TO GIVE ALLEGIANCE & THREATENING TO BURN THEIR HOUSE

After seeing fickleness of the people Imam Ali (عليه السلام)settled into his house. Abu Bakr sent men to get Imam Ali(عليه السلام) to come out. He turned them down.They went again,this time Lady Fatima(عليه السلام) refused to open the door and sent them away. Next, three men gathered firewood outside the home of Hazrat Ali(عليه السلام) and Bibi Fatima(عليه السلام). Who were these three men 1. Qunfudh  2.Khalid b.Waleed  3.Mughaira b.Shu'bah.

Umar came to the door and asked Fatima(عليه السلام) to open it, which she refused once again.They started lighting up the firewood on Umar's instructions. Hazrat Fatima(عليه السلام)cried out and tried to remind them of her position which they ignored and, pushed the door open behind which Hazrat Fatima(عليه السلام),who was pregnant at that time was standin, and she was crushed between the wall and door. Umar entered the house and struck Fatima(عليه السلام) on the arm with his whip which left a bruise there. She sustained injuries which led her to miscarrying the baby Mohsin; and went into an illness from which she did not recover. 

7.IS IT REALLY POSSIBLE THAT Umar ASSAULTED Fatima(عليه السلام)?

If we look at Umer's life we see that he had an explosive temper a history of abuse against women. The famous incident narrated by our Sunni brothers about his conversion to Islam, where Umar struck his own sister and wounded her. Before going to his Sister's house he was on his way to kill Prophet of Allah(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)

8. Islamic POSITION ON ENTERING SOMEONE'S HOUSE WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION

O you who have believed, do not enter houses other than your own houses until you ascertain welcome and greet their inhabitants. That is best for you; perhaps you will be reminded.And if you do not find anyone therein, do not enter them until permission has been given you. And if it is said to you, "Go back," then go back; it is purer for you. And Allah is Knowing of what you do. - Qur'an Surah Nur: 27-28

9. WHY DID Fatima(عليه السلام) ANSWER THE DOOR AND NOT Imam Ali(عليه السلام)?

This is one of the points frequently brought up, why didn't Imam Ali answer the door? The answer is, there is nothing wrong per se to a wife answering the door. there are numerous narrations where one of Prophet(saw)'s wives answered the door while the Prophet(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) was himself in the house.

10.WHY DIDN'T Imam Ali DEFEND Fatima(عليه السلام)?

After Umar had struck Fatima(عليه السلام) Imam Ali(عليه السلام) came out and caught hold of the collar of ‘Umar and threw him down to the ground. He was determined to kill him but suddenly recalled the testimony of the Prophet (to forebear) and called out, ‘O son of Sahhak! I swear by Allah Who exalted Muhammad to the rank of prophethood that if the command of Allah would not have been decreed and the promise (to bear patiently) not have been given to me by the Prophet of Allah, you would have realized how difficult it is to enter my house!’

11. HAZRAT Fatima(عليه السلام) PASSED AWAY AT LEAST A MONTH AFTER HER SERMON ON Fadak

https://www.al-Islam.org/house-sorrows-life-sayyidah-fatimah-al-Zahra-and-her-grief-shaykh-Abbas-qummi/chapter-3-state

http://www.askthesheikh.com/can-you-provide-reliable-shiasunni-sources-on-martyrdom-of-lady-Fatima-al-Zahra-a-s/

Salam everyone, 

Recently, I had the privilege to attend a workshop on the above topic and I took some notes.The actual workshop was much more thorough and extensive and full of valuable information. I am posting just a few points here which in my opinion are the most commonly made errors and other things we tend to overlook as falliable humans, with the intention that we can all InshaAllah improve our Taharrat and Salat. (These are as per rulings of Ayatullah Sistani(may Allahسُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى prolong his life) May Allah shower his bounties upon the brother who conducted such a useful workshop.

Do not stand [for prayer] within it - ever. A mosque founded on righteousness from the first day is more worthy for you to stand in. Within it are men who love to purify themselves; and Allah loves those who purify themselves. -Quran 9:108

GHUSL

1. While doing ghusl people generally wash the body first and then continue with the Niyyah of ghusl. If they are doing this then what needs to be done is, make a demarcation between regular washing and ghusl. So one washes himself/herself as in a regular shower -->  steps out of the shower ---> makes Niyyah for ghusl --> steps back in. 

OR

regular washing --> turn tap/shower off --> do ghusl niyyah --> turn tap on.

2. Head should always be washed first(ghusl e tartibi) It's mustahab to wash the right side first. The rest of the body can be washed in any direction, even from feet up.

3. Tattoes; If the ink is on the skin and forms a barrier to the water reaching the skin, it should be removed. If the ink is under the skin, nothing needs to be done.

4. Wajib ghusl often compensates for Wudhu, but if one passes wind during or after ghusl then for the purpose of praying namaz, either the person does a separate wudhu afterwards or starts ghusl again ( step out --> do niyyah --> step in shower again)  

5.Body parts often missed in ghusl - under the chin, neck, armpits, under the feet. 

WUDDHU
 1. One wuddhu for all salats is sufficient even if one did specific niyyah for one salat. So you can do wuddhu in the afternoon with niyyah for Zuhr for example, and pray asar, maghrib and isha with the same wuddhu ( as long as nothing happens which invalidates the wuddhu) things which invalidate wuddhu:  https://www.sistani.org/english/book/48/2159/

2. Wuddhu consists of:

- two washes (face & arms)

- two wipes (head & feet)

Washing face

While washing the face start from the forehead, go from the hairline to the chin vertically.One has to wash from top to bottom. Horizontally, the span of one spread hand (from thumb to little finger should be covered) 

one wash is good, second wash is good, third wash makes wuddhu BAATIL. 

False eyelashes need to to removed.  

Washing Arms 

Start a little above the elbows just to be on the safe side. Go right upto the fingertips. (People sometimes tend to miss washing the hands or fingertips since they might already be wet, but they must be covered while washing the arms) 

As for face one wash is good, second is good, but third wash makes wuddhu BAATIL. Once you have poured the water from the elbow to the finger tips you can wipe/rub with your hand all you want to make the water reach the between the fingers or all round the arms, but if you pour water again and again it will count as second and third washes and makes wuddhu invalid.

INGLOT or other nail polishes which claim to be water permeable, it's better to remove them. 

Wiping head and feet

The breadth of wiping both the head and feet is three joined fingers

The areas to be wiped should be dry

While wiping the head ,the moisture doesn't have to reach the skin. Wiping can be done on the hair too UNLESS a.there is some oil based gel etc or some other barrier or b.hair are long that they fall on the face then one should part the hair and do the wiping on the scalp. Recommended is that the head should be wiped from back to front. 

While wiping the feet and head, it's the hand that should be moving on the head and feet. The head should be stationary and feet shouldn't be moving(so ideally no wobbling while trying to wipe one foot then another) nothing wrong if they move a little but repeating again, its the hand that should be moved over the head. So if one place his palm over the head for wiping and moves his head instead of his hand , his wuddhu is BAATIL. 

The moisture for wiping should come from the wudhu itself, means no wetting of hands again after washing arms, for wiping. If the weather is hot and one's hands become dry quickly after washing one can obtain moisture from his beard for wiping.

The sequence of Wuddhu must be followed; washing of face --> washing of right arm --> washing of left arm --> wiping of head --> wiping of feet 

The wuddhu must be uninterrupted.Maintain continuity in Wuddhu, means you cannot wash your face, watch 5 minutes of football and then start washing your right arm. lolz

SALAT

While saying takbiratul ehram, body must be stationary.

Raising of hands while saying takbir is mustahab, not wajib.

A person should pronounce Takbiratul ehram clearly and with the correct pronunciation. For eg say Allahu Akbar and not Allah wakbar

In Wajib namaz,If one chooses to recite Surah Quraish after Fatiha then Surah Fil has to recited with Surah Quraish. Similarly, Surah Nashra  and Surah Dhuha have to recited together.

The is no islamic basis of turning the rings towards palm in Qunoot

Tashahhud: Ashhadu alla illaha illal lah, wahdahu la shareeka lah, wa ashhadu anna Mohamman abduhu wa rasuluh

While saying tasleem either one says all three, or one can say just the last one(bare minimum). But he can't say just the first one (Assalmu Alaika Ayyuhan Nabiyu wa Rahmatul Lahi wa Barakatuh) or just the second one( Assalamu Alaina wa Ala Ibadil Lahis Saliheen) or just the first and second so either its all three or just the last one (Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatul Lahi wa Barakatuh)

SOME GENERAL ADVICE:

1. It is very important that a person learns correct recitation and pronunciation of the surahs in Salat. there aren't many, so we should invest some time listening to the recitation on you tube etc in an attempt to master the recitation.

2. There are several duas that can be recited in while performing wudhu. They are available on duas.org.  http://www.duas.org/wadhu.htm   What one can do is, print them out, put them in a plastic cover and put them on the wall besides his place of wuddhu.

3. Something that I have implemented in my life over the past few couple of years. Whenever you go to the bathroom or restroom,or before going to bed make it a habit to do wuddhu. Takes only a minute or so, but the sawab and benefits you get is enormous. for eg.He who renews his ablution without [the need to do so to purify] an impurity, Allah renews his repentance without him [needing to] asking for forgiveness.’ Imam al-Sadiq (AS) [Wasael al-Shi`aah , v. 1, p. 264, no.7

Salam everyone, 

There are little gems spread all over Nahjul Balagha for improving our emotional intelligence and achieving success in life. Here is one from the short sayings at the end:

Success is the result of foresight and resolution, foresight depends upon deep thinking and planning and the most important factor of planning is to keep your secrets to yourself- Imam Ali(as).

Professor Peter Gollwitzer is a professor of psychology at NYU. His research covers areas like social psychology, neuropsychology and cognition and is mainly focused on how goals and plans affect cognition and behavior. Gollwitzer and his colleagues conducted a study that was published in 2009. They suggested that when people announce an intention to commit to a goal in public, that announcement may actually backfire. 

Gollwitzer and his colleagues provided evidence for this point. In one study, they had students interested in becoming Psychologists list two activities that they would perform in the next week to help them achieve that goal. Half of the people handed what they wrote to the experimenter who read it over and acknowledged reading what they had written. The other half were told that the exercise of writing down their intentions was given to them in error, and that nobody would be looking at it. The following week, all of the participants were contacted again and were asked to remember the goals they had written down the previous week and then to write down how much time they had spent on those activities. The people whose goals were read by the experimenter actually spent less time pursuing those activities than the people whose goals were not read. A number of follow-up studies were presented as well that ruled out other explanations for this finding.

These research results suggest that wanting to have a particular identity is an important motivator in carrying out the activities one needs to perform to succeed. When those activities are the only marker that you and others have that you have taken on a particular identity, then your motivation to work hard will be strong. When there are other ways to communicate your identity to others, your motivation to work hard will not be as strong. So when you are just starting out on the road toward a big undertaking, it is probably best to let your actions express your intentions louder than your words.(https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ulterior-motives/200905/if-you-want-succeed-don-t-tell-anyone)

The belief that we are more successful with our goals if we announce them and create accountability has also been proved wrong by research. Research says that telling people what you want to achieve creates a premature sense of completeness and is actually counterproductive.

https://www.psych.nyu.edu/gollwitzer/09_Gollwitzer_Sheeran_Seifert_Michalski_When_Intentions_.pdf

The weather was heavenly yesterday. After months of scorching heat filled days followed by weeks of hot,humid weather which makes one feel like a chicken being cooked inside a pressure cooker,yesterday was surprisingly pleasant, with clouds looming low over the horizon and a slow breeze blowing. To make things even more perfect the last class for the day was canceled giving us teachers an extra hour and a half before we rushed over to our respective homes or hospitals. 

My professor offered to take us all out for coffee and dessert. We bundled into two cars joking how teachers loved canceled classes more than students. We drove for an hour outside the city to get to this cafe situated in the middle of somewhere(the place was really neat and didn't look like middle of nowhere so it must be somewhere :P )

Getting carried away by the picturesque surroundings,relaxed ambiance, my bubbly co-workers chatting away without a care in the world and the general buzz of Imran Khan winning the elections in the atmosphere ( yes,that was the last nail in the coffin, his win. For the next five years everything that goes wrong, blame it on Imran Khan!!) I ordered a chocolate lava cake also called molten lava cake or simply chocolate molten cake. I am not a foodie by nature and over the years I have learned to like food even less, but this is one of the few things I LOVVVEEEE! so much so that one time I made a post on my social media about missing this chocolate filled delight! (go ahead, judge me lol)

While enjoying the plateful of yummy goodness I commented to my friends that even though this was something I loved and thoroughly enjoyed I was eating it after more than three years. Sitting there, devouring spoonful after spoonful of the gooey, rich filling I couldn't remember or more accurately did not care to remember what was the reason behind avoiding it for three years. Satiated, our stomachs full of good food,moods elated by the good company and guilt free after seeing our professor giving good tips to the parking valet and the person working at the gas station, we drove back home two hours later. 

I reached home around maghrib, somewhat tired, a little bit sleepy and very full.I prayed maghrib and Isha, gave dinner to the kids and slept. I slept. I slept through the night barely waking up in time for fajr. Last night,on a shab e juma(friday night) of all nights, I missed Salat ul Layl after .... well..after a very long time. Missed,as in a complete blindness towards night prayers,as in completely forgetting it's shab e juma the most auspicious night of the week, the night when we read Dua e Kumayl, the night before friday where Allahسُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى asks 'isn’t there any believing servant who calls upon Me until before dawn so that I will grant his worldly and spiritual request?' and I just slept.These thoughts engulfed me when I woke up in the morning. 

Silently cursing myself I got up offered fajr, qadha of namaz e shab and friday morning prayers and went to work where I spent a busy day. It wasn't until I was offering Isha namaz today that the thought came to me that the probable reason behind such a spiritually low thursday night was a full stomach and not just a full stomach, one that had been filled with indulgence and worldly pleasure.That made me reflect on our eating habits, the food we eat, the money we spend on the buying the finest ingredients or ordering delicacies in the restaurants, the time we waste on thinking and planning the lavish dinners, sometimes to show off, how we focus on taking twenty or so pictures of our food, so one can come out good enough to go on our social medias and give us that fleeting pleasure....all that food loses its taste for us, in seconds...in seconds once swallowed past the pharynx, converts into an acidic mixture as it goes to the stomach,the sight and smell of which repulses us if we ever happen to vomit it out and finally transforms into najis excrement in the intestines within a few hours.

This is the reality of food we spend a big part of our money and time on. Don't get me wrong, I am not criticising people for spending money and effort on providing healthier food for themselves and their families, neither am I trivializing the blessings of a meal that a wife or mother spent hours slaving on, out of the love for her husband and children, there is nothing more beautiful than this, nor am I discounting the barkaat and islamic recommendations of serving a good meal to friends and fellow momineens and humans in general. I am talking about the times when food takes over our lives, it makes us forget the purpose of our existence in this dunya, when we care only about filling our stomachs with the best we can get and as soon as we have stuffed ourselves full with one meal we start thinking about the next. 

Thinking all this made me remember why I had given up on one of my favourite desserts three years ago, why Allahسُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى and our Ahlebayt(as) tell us to leave one third of our stomachs empty or filled with air. Our sole reason for existence is to worship Allah. Our bodies are the carriers of our soul in this dunya and whatever we feed our bodies will have detrimental or beneficial effects on the soul, depending on the type or quantity of food. Consuming haram food takes you away from Allah, gluttony leads to sluggishness and negligence in prayers,inclination towards dunya and its pleasures make you spiritually low. Being content with one type of food was how the righteous lived, eating less keeps the body light and healthy, keeping our food simple leaves us time and energy for more worthwhile endeavours. 

So, the next time the weather is lovely and my boss is feeling generous and the coworkers are high-spirited........ I am not going to let myself forget the purpose of my existence and ask for coffee with milk,no sugar, thank you! :d 

                      The Best Jihad

The condition of a society can easily be judged by the attitude of its members towards each other. If the members care enough for each other to exhort each other to act righteously, the society is healthy. When the attitude changes to that of “Why should I bother?” the society begins its funeral march. As the society shuts its eyes from the individual’s behavior, the bad elements gradually become bold. Then comes a time when they start glorifying their evil action.

For this purpose, high-sounding phrases are coined. Nakedness is called ‘natural condition’. Lie becomes ‘political talk’, brothels are labeled ‘night dubs’, gambling dens are named, ‘recreation centers, fornication becomes ‘indiscretion’, and hijacking and kidnapping political necessities.

War is waged to ‘stop the wars’, bombs are dropped on civilians to ‘save their lives’. Countries are attacked to ‘save their freedom’, hateful methods are used to ‘create a harmonious society”

It was to avoid this type of situation that “enjoining what is good and forbidding what is wrong” has been emphasized in Islam. It is the corner stone of Shariah which strengthens the whole structure of religion.

Excerpt from the book 'Inner Voice' by Allamah Sayyid Sa'eed Akhtar Rizvi

https://www.al-islam.org/inner-voice-sayyid-akhtar-rizvi

Part II A Detailed Description of the Method and Way of Godward Wayfaring

My notes on the book's content. I had to reformat and reduce the size of file to meet the specifications of the forum. Hopefully this image will be readable after zooming.

My notes on the book's content

Here is the link to the book   https://www.al-islam.org/al-tawhid/vol13-no4/lubb-al-lubab-short-treatise-wayfaring-s-m-husayn-husayni

PART I A Brief Description of the Realms Preceding the World of Khulus