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Salamun alaykum. This new forum upgrade has resulted in a mass of problems that simply do not justify the upgrade if the upgrade was to gain these new features that are unnecessary, time-wasting, and sometimes lame imitations of the style of facebook. Examples of poor colouring, other poor style formatting choices while browsing a board, and other problems Browsing the forum, and reading topics, with this new skin has turned from a quick and enjoyable activity into something not so. The colours are so light, they seem to blend in confusingly/irritatingly. Let's take this board as an example: http://www.shiachat....eeth-dua-forum/ The "mark this forum as read" button image appears to be missing. The text in the Shiachat logo is too similar to the surrounding blue colour and therefore unnoticeable. The three key topics/announcements on top of the posts, such as the Live Chat topic, there is no real distinction between the three topics. Furthermore, the colour of the words is similar to the background colour and light enough to easily nullify the intended easy-reading. The colour of the board description "Discuss Allah's holy book, Hadeeths..." is also so light, one would easily miss it. The same major problem exists for the information underneath the topic (e.g."Started by ruru, 03 Aug 2011"). The same major problem exists forthe page numbers of a topic. Examples of poor colouring, other poor style formatting choices, and other problems while browsing a topic: Let's take this topic as an example: http://www.shiachat....the-holy-quran/ The "report" button image appears to be missing. The title of the post at the top is too large, while the description is too small. The text in the "like" button is far too light. And the background of the quote buttons are too light, and the text is not dark enough. The post number "#1" is also far too light and easily missed. Scroll down to post #2, and see how the new skin has poorly formatted Hameedeh's information underneath her avatar (which was ruined by the upgrade). When Nader Zaveri posts, you can see that the link to his website underneath his avatar goes onto the post; another example of poor formatting by the author of this skin; see The white background is too light and makes reading the post uncomfortable and more difficult. If you go to the end of Hameedeh's post, underneath the "like this" button, there is a poorly-placed, lightly-coloured, X button. Scroll down to post #3, and you will see the formatting of the post has been ruined, because Hamed Agha pasted some Arabic text in. Scroll down to post #5 and see the signature. Now a standard colour, and standard small size, has become too light and too small. Scroll to the end of the topic and see the following links: "Back to Quran, Hadeeth & Du'a Forum · Next Unread Topic →". Far too light. Far too small. Don't even look links. The quick reply box is not distinct due to the phobia of shading anything with a sharp, dark colour. The "up" button at the end of the page is also far too light. Examples of the theme's confusing indicators: The topic icons are uninformative and confusing. What does that star mean? I assume it means that I started the topic or that I posted in the topic or something like that. Why is the pinned topic "Hadeeths About Crimes Of Enemies Of Ahlul Bayt" surrounded by white instead of the very light blue that the rest of the topics are? I could go on and talk about other irritations such as when trying to post a topic, but I've said enough. This new skin is frankly hideous, and unappealing. Yes, I know there will be oddballs who say they like the new skin. But I don't. And I'm sure there are others who don't. It makes trying to browse the boards and trying to read topics annoying. At the very least, please install another skin into the forums, so that we have choice. Please voice your agreement or like my post.

In history, in history there is only one man that gave Zakat in the state of rukooh, and that is Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib. His status is so elevated that he has enraged the enemies, his wisdom was beyond comprehension. When you ask a question he says, "Salooni, salooni, kabla ant'afkadoonee!", "Ask me, ask me, before you miss me!". Why did he say this? because he has already been endowed with this wisdom. He has been endowed with this knowledge, for you and I to follow. BUT he is not just a man of wisdom, he is a man of ACTION. You and I, Brothers and Sisters, should be muslims of action. The name of Imam Ali is 'Sha'er Allah' (a symbol of God). It is Dhikr! Dhikr of Allah! (remembrance of Allah) to mention the name of Imam Ali, Because when you look at him, he does nothing but take you to Allah. He never take you to himself, he never says worship me, he never says how great I am, he never does any of that, he keep taking us to the Prophet (pbuh) and Allah (swt) So why shoudl we not mention him? Why should we not remember him? and why should we not live like him?

unity starts with politeness to your own brothers first, if that cant be achieved, may Allah help us.... setting examples is a big part of unity (bismillah)

mashaAllah :D there is no reason why we should not remember him! the people who forget imam Ali AS are the losers in this world. And not only imam Ali AS, all of the ahlulbayt as they were the best physical examples of the Quran! Imam Ali AS said "Salooni, salooni, kabla ant'afkadoonee!", "Ask me, ask me, before you miss me!" because he wanted people to learn from him benificially. Poeple would come to imam and ask questions like "how many hairs are on my head?" Imam wanted people to come take advantage of the immense knowledge they had and benefit from such a pious man! there was no question the imam couldn't answer. All people should live like our Prophet and his Holy progeny. For following their example will take straight to the centre of Jannah! (wasalam)

I say, "Can i take the leftovers?"

+1 but the question is where will you find a good person, very rare my friend VERY

Riots started in my area today (Ilford, Newbury Park, Walthamstow). Pretty ridiculous. People aren't doing it out of protest, they just want free gear from the shops.

come on.. Just get used to it, It would be hard on the changers :( Dont u feel bad! lol

YES

These kind of situations always remind me of that aya 24:26 Vile women are for vile men, and vile men for vile women. Good women are for good men, and good men for good women; such are innocent of that which people say: For them is pardon and a bountiful provision. It is what you have to tell yourself at the end of the day

it's TOO LONG if u ask me.. *sigh* but we'll get more ajer than the ppl with a fast that finishes at 4pm! -_- thought: time with loved ones pass SO fast! :wub:

Basically, if we can't even be civil with ourselves we have no hope for any sort of tolerating unity let alone unity as a whole.

Masha'Allah Mohsin, i agree. Insha'Allah we are all on the path to Jannah.

"they encompass nothing of His knowledge except what He will." Quran 2:255 Imam al-Sadiq (as), when asked, ‘Does the Imam know the Unseen?’ replied, ‘No, but whenever he wishes to know something, Allah makes him know it.’ [al-Kafi, v. 1, p. 257, no. 4]

Salam alaykum, The first 'problem' you have listed, isn't a problem. You only think you can't get over him but you CAN. Be strong!! You can do it! Your prayers of two years haven't been turned down, Allah (swt) knows what is best for you, He (swt) does nothing without a reason so don't feel rejected. Don't be dependant upon anyone but Allah (swt); "And if Allah should touch you with adversity, there is no remover of it except Him. And if He touches you with good - then He is over all things competent." -Surah al-Anam (6:17) Divorce seegha? Meaning he hasn't divorced you yet? Say Alhamdulilah and thank Allah (swt) that you aren't in a worse situation, best of luck. ^_^

Respected Members of Shia Chat Figures are very touchy and fearing. Today is 415500th day of occultation of our Holy IMAM E ZAMAAN ajtfs. I am feeling very sad especially while recalling the words written by Grand Ayat Ullah Waheed Khurasani in his book "Payam e imam e Zaman ajtfs" Agha has written a quote from Maula ajtfs that this occultation is like a prison for Maula ajtfs. 415500 days of prison like occultation for a Holy IMAM sua ... Isnt it TOOOOOOO LONG a period for us to pray extensively? To prepare for early zahoor? Let us all try to become his Karbalaians like Nasir so that this occultation ends very very soon. ÇáÚÌá یÇ ÇáٰÀی æ ÓیÏی æ ãæáÇی æ ÑÈی ÈÍÞ ÔÀÏÇÁ Çá˜ÑÈáÇ ÇáÚÌá ÇáÚÌá

(bismillah) (salam) As Muslims go through the holy month of Ramadhan, many are already thinking of and preparing for Eid. Delicious foods will be cooked, new clothes will be worn and a large number of gifts will be exchanged. Gift giving is part of the practice of the Holy Prophet عليه السلام. He says: Giving gifts creates affection. However we need to go beyond this hadith and look at the consequences of the vast numbers of gifts exchanged at Eid time. Gift giving has become a booming industry and Muslims are succumbing to this materialistic consumerism. Sometimes the original meaning behind the tradition gets lost, and gift giving takes on a life of its own. The following quote is worth reading: Holidays are often a whirlwind. Guests come in droves, kids are bombarded with gifts and pressure. And when it's all over, the children are left with a pile of gifts and hopes for what they will get next time. "We give more stuff to children than what they can manage while depriving them of the most important gift of all: our time!" says Dr. Charles Smith, author of Raising Kids with Courage. Such is the nature of our consume, consume, consume society. We do our best to try to not lead our children down a path to greed, but then barrage them with gifts on a single day, thereby whetting their appetite for wanting more.http://www.savvysour...ing-experiences Gift giving is a great tradition and should be continued. It makes the occasion exciting, especially for children. However we need to ask some questions about the gifts we give at Eid time: 1) Are the gifts increasing materialism and worldly attachments in our children? Are we responsible for inculcating a love of worldly things by giving them so much? This love will stay with them as they grow and then take up a different, more deadly, form. The Holy Prophet (s) says: Love of the world is the root of all disobedience [to God] and the first of every sin. 2) Does gift giving rob our children from the spirituality of Eid? Should we not focus more on the Eid Salaat, on the beautiful Takbirs after Salaat on Eid night and day, on visiting relatives, on thinking of the millions of under privileged children around the world? 3) How much time are we spending in the valuable days of Ramadhan thinking and planning gifts, going out to the mall, and preparing the gifts? While there is nothing wrong with shopping a little, it is a shame if it occupies a significant portion of our thought and time in this month. 4) Does the person receiving the gift really need this gift? Are we just giving unnecessary stuff to those who already have everything? Rather than give yet another toy or a shawl that may end up at the back of a closet, can we spend those few dollars in a more useful way? It is the spirit of giving that is more important than the giving. In a world that is becoming more and more polarized between the haves and the have-nots, we need to be cautious in the gifts we give. Below are some alternatives to material gifts we give at the time of Eid. 1) Give philanthropic gifts. Give to charity in the name of the person you want to give a gift to. Create a beautiful card or receipt ec. to give as a gift and include details of the charity with pictures etc. Most adults would appreciate this type of gift. Children can also learn to appreciate it. Perhaps they can receive a gift of lesser value so that the remaining can be put into charity. 2) Give the gift of time. Consider giving a gift of time, a very precious commodity in today’s times. For example, someone may welcome help in learning how to use a computer. Or some help with chores. Have family members create special gift certificates (e.g., two kitchen clean ups, five free loads of laundry, one hour of babysitting, etc.). These days when everyone is so stretched, a gift of time can be more meaningful than one that costs big dollars. 3) Give the gift of experience. Teach someone what you know, even as simple as how to bake a chocolate chip cookie. Give a certificate or coupon outlining the experience you are willing share as a gift. Think of the far reaching consequences of everyone sharing their talents and skills, and the advantage of spacing out these experiences so that gifts can be enjoyed over a period of time rather than all in one day. 4) Give a personal gift that is meaningful and useful. Give something edible. Bake something, or cook a meal that can be used by the family. Create an album with special memories. These type of personal gifts carry much more value than store bought stuff. Let your gifts this Eid be meaningful and useful, gifts that please the Almighty and bring joy to the recipients. Tahera Kassimali

There are so many faults in this quote. Firstly, dear sister, and I say this out of all the respect that I carry....you cannot say something like Mut3a is not recommended just because you personally don't see it suitable. Our scholars spend most of their lives researching into such matters and I am sure the permissibility of Mut3a that they hold strongly to is based on undeniable evidence from the Sunnah and history. Secondly, I personally find that today, hijab is more often a tool of culture than religion. A lot of sisters who wear the hijab don't respect it at all. Just the other day i saw a young sister with hijab on, cruising around the main road of my area with music as load as can be and in the beginning of the Holy Month of Ramadhan. I have met many decent non-hijabi Muslimah and many indecent Hijabi Muslimahs. Wearing the hijab isn't necessarily a true reflection of the decency of the person wearing it. Salam.

AL MAWT AY ISRAEL

Salam! I like this! Insha'Allah I'll make Duaa for you! Make Duaa for meeeeeeee please!

May Allah subahan wata3ala .. Grant You your wishes and open all the doors of happiness and best of blessings to you! Include me in your du3as also take care

(bismillah) Salaamun Alaykom brothers and sisters in Islam, I posted once before about a group my friend and I have made (Al-Hujjah Films) http://www.facebook....27950010614711/ If you don't already know, Al-Hujjah (meaning “the proof” [of Allah’s Justice]) Films, is a Muslim based entertainment group, spreading the word of Islam to both Mulims and non-Muslims. Through the use of entertainment, Al-Hujjah Films acknowledges that it is possible to reach out to the English-speaking world and educate them on Muslims and Islam. The sense of urgency of educating people about Islam especially after 9/11 and the backlash against Muslims and Islam is one of the main driving factors for Al-Hujjah Films. We focus on Islamic topics and present them to the youth to various youth groups in mosques around Toronto Canada. Our youtube channel is http://www.youtube.com/alhujjahfilms and we have released our very first short film. Please help us spread the word of Islam and the ahlulbayt (pbut). Help us attract the youth and lead them on the path of Allah (swt) through our videos. Don't forget to join our Facebook group and subscribe on youtube! Short Film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRpptnSZZYo

Don't marry the man you love, but love the man you marry.

Agreed, I wonder how long it'll take people to realize you can't change the past.....

*Simba entered the room* S!

M-A-R-O-O-N black ops mostly especially call of the dead zombies ;)

I can give you a male perspective on the issue, the people staring at you can probably be divided into various kinds, the first kind, and more prominent would be normal guys who are just attracted to what they perceive as piety (and perhaps your physical beauty, no need for you to comment on that), from this type of person, all you would need to do is lower your gaze as they will most likely have too much respect for your hijab to approach you, or else they would feel like you are unapproachable. There is another type of person who has a fetish for girls in hijab (trust me, it can happen, and often the guy might not even be muslim) And another type of person who himself would be more of the ‘bad-boy’ type person but he knows that it is best he settles down with someone whom he perceives as being pious From the two examples I mentioned above, lowering your gaze might just make things worse as it would make you more attractive for them, from these two all you can do is just tell them to get lost if they approach you, or else wear the niqab, it will scare them off, but those two are the minority, so it’s up to you how you want to proceed That’s my take on the issue anyways

start wearing a full burqa with just the eyes uncovered.. and when someone stares at u stare back at them like you are a suicide bomber.. give fierce gazes to everyone randomly !! I'm sure that will help!

Beautiful people are not always good, but good people are always beautiful-Imam Ali (as) moral of the hadith is... marry a good person!

Sometimes a persons piety will make the person seem more attractive...

Destined to turn into an ugly thread.

sunni-->shia :] i'm so happy

Riots in Brixton, Croydon and Westfield Shopping centre areas very tense

I wish a nice, Shia boy would do that to me.

The same way women act outside of there house where all non mahram can see them is the same way they should act online because there is no difference, even if people put profiles on private you never know if something may happen and that image may be shown. Im not going to say its haram incase its not but in my opinion its better for them not to. (likewise with men showing their six pacs or w/e on the internet)

Salams I personally don't like the tone of such questions. If I were you, I'd phrase it as, "Why is Caliphate defended by Sunni School of thought?" The reason being that we want to avoid having our question being perceived as a personal attack on individuals (sunni muslims); thus, reflective of poor akhlaq. But if you seriously intend to pose this question to all sunnis, the answer is quite simple really. They back the Caliphate for the same reasons why majority of shias back the Imamat. That is, they believe in what is taught to them since childhood. And of course, other reasons why we all (being humans) stick to our flawed ideas is cz we're influenced by propagandas against one another, we have sheer ignorance and stubbornness to understand one another's perspective and lastly, activities of groups from within both (or all) sides creates wrong image. We start judging one another, hatred becomes inevitable in certain communities of both (or all) sects and everyone thinks of the other to be blind when we are all blindfolded. Let me ask you a question. Did you ever make a serious effort of getting in touch with knowledgeable sunni scholars (or brothers) in order to understand their perspective on caliphate? Did you ever observe how an average sincere sunni muslim in your society/country tends to follow Islamic code? I'd be impressed if you have. But i know that it is not true for an average shia (or a sunni for that matter). I'll share my personal example to illustrate my point. My experience of living with them in my country(ies) has taught me that the sincere amongst them do worship Allah and love our Prophet (just like we do). Unfortunately, majority of them may not have clue that Ayesha waged a war against Imam Ali or that Abu Bakr & co played politics in Saqifah (or they tend to disagree with these historical references). In most cases, all they know is that the companions and the wives of the Prophet P.b.u.H were the source of guidance after Him. So they respect everyone and keep up with the wajibaats (obligations) and the practical programs of Islam. Now I (and other shias like me) being comparatively knowledgeable than an average sunni in Islamic history backed by unbiased references (due to great efforts of our shia scholars over the past centuries and due to great emphasis on Islamic history in shia sect) regarding what actually happened back then, and how it affects the entire Islamic ideology/identity, still don't have any moral grounds to rub it in their face and start criticizing them for things which they have no clue of. Rather, as a student and a scholar of Islam, our duty is to be responsible and understanding towards people and their level of knowledge of Islamic history. Fi-Amanillah

u know I didn't even notice the like button till u guys mentioned it! HW COOL!

3ashat edkom ra7mallah wadaykom Allah yetqabal a3malakom bel sa7ah wal 3afya Allah ye5alikom Allah yester3alykom Allah yewafaqkom

Hope you can provide choices in skin, especially darker ones which are more friendly to the eyes when reading in the night

Life is like a book with many pages and chapters...some tell of tragedy, others of triumph. Some are dull and ordinary, others intense an exciting. The key to success in life is NEVER stop on a difficult page, NEVER quit on a tough chapter...for Allah (swt) says in the Quran, "After every hardship i give u ease...". So have the courage to keep turning the pages because a better chapter lies ahead and trust that with Allah (swt) nothing is impossible...

Seriously? What type of thread is this....

I've shared this story before, but I'll do it again as this thread calls for it: In Iraq last year, we had this pregnant sister in our group, but she was very early in her pregnanancy so she didn't have any of the signs (like a bump). Only a few of us knew she was pregnant (me included as her husband was rooming with me so he had told me). Anyway, it was time to leave our meeting with Ayatollah Sistani. When it was the ladies' turn to leave, each lady walked past him and Ayatollah did not look at any of them and kept looking at the floor. When this pregnant lady walked past him, as she approached, he raised his head and looked up at her and told his assistant (I think it was his son) to tell her to sit down, he wants to pray for her baby. So he put his hand above her head and did a dua for the baby. The question lies as to how he knew she was pregnant without even looking at her, let alone ever meeting her before. True story. The man overall has such an aura around him, I cannot explain it. You just can't stop looking at him. He is very softly spoken and just so humble. Such a great person.

This usually has an interesting alternative perspective on the news making headlines, and that which doesn't make headlines, but should. http://www.counterpunch.org/

Obviously Yassir Al Habib (ha), where's the comparison?

Haha, yeahh ive heard that. Lol, theres this other one that says that 'whichever valley Omar is in, Shaytan leaves it and goes to another'. This also makes no sense, since the Qur'an constantly tells us that Shaytan makes the most effort with believers. Well, actually, to us it makes perfect sense, but Sunnis are very proud of that hadeeth, its a shame it doesnt mean what they want it to!

(wasalam) Bro Mushu has explained it correctly. There's apparantely a "hadith" where it says Abu Bakr is the leader of the elders of jannah as well. This does not make sense because everyone in jannah will be youths and there will be no elders for Abu Bakr to lead :lol:

It's easy bro Just don't leave any red-marks, you'll have to pay kaffara, cash you don't have coz she's emptied out your credit card.

Salam I understand ur frustration but the problem is neither is Islam anyone's playground nor there is any weight for a fallible opinion. The purpose of mutah/or permanent marriage with a prostitute is mentioned below. Imams Úáíåã ÇáÓáÇã have said: Marry the dissolute woman for verily you take her out from a haram to a halal. So what do u do is look in to the chapter of iddah. Even if someone does zinah with a women and later wishes to marry her then she has to observe iddah as stated by imam reza asws to mamoon l.a. Marriage to prostitute who is famous for prostitution is when she should become famous for thauba as she was famous for fornication as per a hadees from imam Sadiq asws. So, a momin should look in to iddah for mutah/nikah before and after mutah with a prostitute so as to achieve the purpose rather than making it makruh or haram through his opinion. Ulemas won't do this for us; we should do it ourselves. Ya Ali Madad

(bismillah) (salam) What you will find close to Meditation in Shia Islam is ZEKR of Allah (SWT). "Therefore, remember me, I will remember you." -the Holy Quran (2:152) Here are two links: ZEKR and Self Building see chapter 18 and chapter 20. WS