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I will be attending a talk this weekend which will address the Muslim's role (if any) in politics. I'm assuming the talk will limit itself to British politics, but what I've written below applies to (secular) Muslim majority countries as well. There are three aspects to answering this question: Religiously, we need to asses the role of one's world view viz his/her interaction with society The intellectual foundations of political activity of Muslims living in the West/East What I call the 'Clash of the Paradigms', which deals with the religious movements' failure to provide practical solutions to society's needs. I will touch on the first aspect in this post, the rest will follow after I've attended the event. The Religious Aspect Society plays a direct role in the spiritual development of a believer, since there are a number of existential perfections¹ that are unattainable unless one cooperates and interacts with others. An individuals' worldview is key to correct behaviour that will ensure those spiritual stations are achieved. For the materialists, however, technological development and pursuing worldly pleasures is the only perfection, and his behaviour will reflect that accordingly. A religious person with a superficial faith in God, will have his eyes set on pleasures in the afterlife. He is motivated to adhere to religious laws, because he knows it's his key to enter paradise and avoid hell-fire². True perfection, however, lies in attaining nearness to God. This worldview encourages the believer to search out and attain behaviours that will bring him nearness, and avoid everything that might create a barrier and veil between him and his Lord. Therefore, correct religious knowledge is essential to correct behaviour, in turn ensuring correct faith. As a person progresses in this path, he will realise that higher levels of perfection will require bigger sacrifices and harder struggles. Only those with strong resolve, patience and a true yearning for that closeness to God will ensure he evolves spiritually³. The articles of faith ('aqeedah) are essential to shaping a person's world view and behaviours. A person who believes in the separation of religion and political activity, will not be motivated to pursue the establishment of social justice in this world. He has his eyes set on the afterlife, and will focus on the personal religious duties (to the minutest details) to ensure he avoids hell-fire. He will tell himself that it's the religious establishment's responsibility to sort out all his problems. Unfortunately, he would have most likely inherited this worldview from said religious establishment (his parents would ensure this reactionary vision is ingrained in his mind). In order for us to contribute to society and interact at the socio-political levels, we will have to correct this superficial view of our faith, and move towards a deeper understanding of its concepts. The one-dimensional understanding of Islamic doctrines, where the emphasis is on juristic laws and personal religious duties (which have become rituals in most cases), is limiting us as individuals as well as communities in the diaspora. Ideologically, western concepts have taken over and dominated our thinking, where Islamic doctrines have failed to fill that gap, that yearning for a deeper understanding of the world. And once a person's worldview is confused with neo-liberal concepts, it becomes an uphill struggle to 1) change that worldview, and 2) for that person to live by an Islamic understanding of the world. Even in Muslim majority countries, you will find this to be the dominant trend. Individual Muslims performing their obligatory religious duties, yet refrain from social contributions and cooperation, not due to any physical hindrances or lack of talents, but because their worldview is focused on 'material' gains in the afterlife! In short, if we are serious about a revival of the stagnant state we are in, and are keen to contribute positively at the socio-political level (in the UK or elsewhere), we need to correct our worldview first, move away from legends, falls concepts and outright fabrications, and truly believe that with sincerity we can change the world ('O ye who believe! If ye help Allah, He will help you and will make your foothold firm' -47:7). Once we, as a collective, appreciate that this isn't utopian fantasy talk, that our purpose is to evolve in the 'arc of ascent' towards perfection, we'll start to realise that this is only achievable if we characterise ourselves with the divine Names. Once this mindset is widely accepted, and becomes part of the collective subconscious, the idea of social justice will manifest itself naturally and organically, as each individual will have become a physical manifestation of the divine Name 'The Just'. ¹ I have spoken about this in detail in my other blog here. ² '..., and a group worshipped God out of desire for paradise, and that is the worship of tradesmen;...' - part of a narration by Imam Ali (as) in Nahjul Balaghah, Vol4, pg53 (Arabic edition) ³ Some people are willing to dedicate some of their time, usually at a personal level, however refrain from spending their money when the need arises. That is because his docility is limited, which in turn is due to the low goal he has set himself.

Salam, And let those who do not find the means to get married be chaste ( 24:33) The most important means for a proper marriage is the means of taqwa in the potential spouse, not financial status or looks, if you don't come across such means, stay chaste, until Allah enriches you out of his bounty, whether that enrichment is being content without a spouse or with a spouse.

Mahr and dowry are not synonymous with the Pakistanis. Dowry is a translation of jahez, which is a massive gift bonanza that bride's family gives her. It includes jewelry sets, cloths, bed, A/Cs, refrigerators, sofa sets, cutlery - basically everything a household needs. The bigger the dowry the more desirable a proposal. It is expected that brides would bring some things if not everything. This is absolutely terrible; it shouldn't be so; brides shouldn't be expected to bring anything besides personal gifts from their families. This is separate from mahr which is stipulated in the nikah contract and which the man gives to the woman. Edit: @IbnSina and @Semiramis

Salaam guys, I don't where to post but I feel my imaan slipping away from me right now. Duas would be appreciated right now, kind of in a bad place right now. I am not one to make such posts right now but I don't feel emotionally well and I don't know what to do.

LoL, please do not ban this guy! Pure entertainment! Keep it up buddy, this is gold!

Say to the believers they should lower their gaze: قُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِم Modesty isn't just for women. Men should be modest too.

I disagree. Single people can stay away from sin. It's difficult, but not impossible.

Salam, Allah's priority can be known thru, what he has made wajib on you then the mustahab. Seeking knowledge of religion is wajib , praying is wajib, fasting is wajib, character building is wajib, getting married is mustahab, unless you feel you will fall into sin. If one is not really needy physically, emotionally , financially for a spouse, better to concentrate on the wajib, and if a good God conscious man comes and asks for you in marriage , you can do the mustahab. Wish you all the best.

I agree I've seen it too often happening in Pakistani families Pakistani mothers miss out on great women because of silly things - their caste/appearance/social or economic status (some of the ones ive seen:one girl is a shade too dark-another one's family cannot give her all the dowry the boy's family demands -another isn't a "full blooded syed"-this one is urdu speaking while our family is punjabi and so on) This leads to sisters who are being denied (for reasons that are often withheld from them) developing a sense of inferiority and self esteem issues Often the women they pick are ill suited for their sons because they only look for superficial qualities as well

salam I was discussing about this issue just yesterday... Being played by a boy is 100 times much better than being hurt emotionally by his mother...Mothers can not find well-matched spouse .Qualities that mothers are looking for are most of the time illogical cuz they find no defect in their sons... They just can consider some skin-deep qualities.. like appearance n financial status..though in Islam the man should be supportive n breadwinner n it has been told : وَلاَ تُمَلِّکِ الْمَرْأَةَ مِنْ أَمْرِهَا مَا جَاوَزَ نَفْسَهَا، فَإِنَّ الْمَرْأَةَ رَیْحَانَةٌ، لَیْسَتْ بِقَهْرَمَانَة About appearance even they should be well-matched n mothers never care about this sort of things....n the qualities which are more important such as humanity, taqwa, educational status will be considered afterwards

salam n merci for sharing your opinion... It was a good relief I hate being blamed for not having spouse by people around but i really liked your guidance n it will help me to handle this situation hereinafter...

@Abu Hadi

salaam, There are over 74 illnesses specifically associated with the consumption of pork including some that are life threatening. today they run pork under radiation and so on that kills some of the parasites or bacteria on it. but then it comes with other problems. pork (especially the way it is raised today) is unhealthy and bad for the kidney, heart, etc, etc. The pig eats everything. it'll eat is own dung. Allah knows best why it is forbidden in the Quran. Inorder for meat to be halal, it has to be slaughtered in a halal way as well. The name of Allah has to be read over it, the animal must be given drink of water before being slaughtered, must be faced towards the Qibla and the jugular vein and wind pipe has to be cut. so animals being flogged to death, suffocated, and such are haram to eat and also animals that haven't had the name of Allah read over them are haram. then aside from pork there are other meats are also haram to eat like bear, snake, worms, etc. brother i would stay away from non halal meat. There are many clear reasons why some meats are made haram even if they don't appear to be harmful up front. Halal meat is both healthy for the human to eat, and calls for the ethical treatment and slaughter of animals. you can look at these links for more info. http://www.al-islam.org/islamic-laws-ayatullah-ali-al-husayni-al-sistani/slaughtering-and-hunting-animals http://www.halalforhealth.com/why_halal.html http://muslimvoices.org/halal-food-good/

Bismillah. Salaam. There was the upmost oppression over Shias in the time of Hārūn al-Rashīd and Maʼmūn that no one was able to even refer to Imams' residence to ask a question. So there such a very dreadful situation does not allow one to propose to the girls of the house of Ahlulbayt (a.s.), in addition to the martyrdom of Imam al-Kādzim (a.s.) and forcing Imam Rizā (a.s.) by Maʼmūn to travel to Khurāsān and being far from his sisters. With Duas. Narsis.

With all due respect to brother simple-muslim, but sister zainabamy is right. To learn that please refer to these resources: 1. Ibn Shabbah Numyarī, Tārīkh al-Madinah al-Munawwarah; akhbār al-Madinah al-Nabawiyah, vol.3, p.930, pub. Fahīm Muhammad Shaltout; Jaddah/1979 – pub. Ofset; Qom, 1368 H.S. 2. Yaʻqūbī, Tārīkh; vol.2, p.162. 3. Tabarī, Tārīkh; vol.4, p.233. 4. Ibn Qutaibah, al-Imāmah wa-l-Sīāsah; vol.1, p.26-27.

I dont trust my mother in buying me a shirt of her taste, how would I tell her find me a wife?

I like the the route mentioned in the Op, because like the points mentioned above, it can prevent abuse, and is more of a sure-fire way to ease the process since both families are involved from the beginning. But that is just one route, and too limiting. I think that when it comes to marriage, all options should be on the table--but that the stipulation of involving the families from the beginning--should be there. So, if someone sees someone at uni (for example), or at a Muslim event for youth, or friend of a friend, or sister of a friend, or whatever the case may be....where you see someone that seems like they may be a good match--you can approach them--as long it's done in a respectful manner for both parties. Kheyr Inshallah.

Salam brothers and sisters. Waited long long time for this movie but never found except trailers on the internet please if someone have a link to the complete version of movie with subtitles or dubbed at least in Arabic please share it here. Thanks a lot dear brothers and sisters love and peace salam

Stillwater is water that's stillborn Whispering is heard from the willow Seeing you hiding behind the willow Mourning thousands of sweet fine tears In the soft glow of morn' Your teeth clatter from discreet fear Hidden behind a tree of sorrow The graceful and misty blue willow Hides a human being- who's stillborn

Salam aleikum, To so many people marriage has become an obligatory thing to do and a sign of success. This just isn't the case. You've not failed in anyway if you're not married or don't want to.

"Never" said the brave dashing hero As a ginormous ink blob laughed And menacingly mocked with the words "This needs to stop right now" Such a deadly and crippling blow After all, without his dual swords The very tools of his craft The hero is just a zero

-.- Someone really should start a rally to correct the marriage disasters we have in the Muslim world. Mahr is a fundamental thing to proper and legal islamic marriage, It can be as little as dollar or as much as trillion. There are no limits but there is ts necessity to be given, else the marriage is not properly islamic. No need to lol, i did not make the laws, I am just stating what's the law. Wa alaykum assalam. There is , islamically speaking, no such obligation to make the mother the one who look for a man. There is no prohibition in islam for a man to seek a woman directly nor for a woman to seek the man directly. It is part of halal talk given it s devoid of flirting ( just be technical : I want to marry you). But cultures sometimes forces themselves. Cultures are not fixed and sacred and can change with time. As long as you are looking for believing woman, the means to reach her should all be fine as long as they are halal. Regarding my opinion lol Man.. when i hear my mom speaking about potential brides to my brothers, me and my sisters are like : if these are prerequisites , by the izza of Allah we will never get married LOL tall or short or fat or too thin, long or short hair, thick hair curly hair black white , talk too much, talk too little, chick, shabby her father is this her father is that, her seventh grandfather had a genetic disease , her 11th grandmother was not good XD better that NSA profiling.

^^^^^ I kept my copy of this article by Robert Fisk.

@Ruq Very Nice, MashahAllah. That made my day.

Salam, As you mentioned marriage becomes, obligatory, if you feel , you will fall into sin. This is the case mainly for men. If a female, is not needy emotionally, financially or physically, there is no harm,in staying single. The fact now a days people fall into more sin, when they get married, by harming their spouse,physically and/or emotionally,and it takes years for them to recover, and not only not complete half their religion but destroy even what they had safe guarded. So unless you get proposed by a man who is God fearing, it may not be the wisest thing to do specially if you are not falling into sins by not getting married. What is definitely obligatory for both women and men is seeking knowledge of religion according to your time and mental capacity. If you don't you are committing a sin whether married or unmarried.

Mellifluous: sweetly or smoothly flowing; sweet-sounding. From the Latin 'mel' (honey) + 'fluere' (to flow).

Salam, It's a blessing to die in prayer in any mosque, let alone Masjid Al Haram..

Bismillah. Salaam. These articles may help you to find your answer: http://www.islamquest.net/en/archive/question/fa1162 http://www.islamquest.net/en/archive/question/fa2851 http://www.islamquest.net/en/archive/question/fa11818 With Duas. Narsis.

Bismillah. Salaam. Marriage primarily is Mustahab but if refraining from it leads to sin, it becomes Wājib. Imam Reza (a.s.) told a woman who was about to reach to perfection without getting married: do not do that! If refraining from marriage possess some perfections, Lady Fatima (a.s.) was more deserving to do that to reach to perfection; الشيخ الطوسي بِالْإِسْنَادِ إِلَى أَخِي دِعْبِلٍ عَنِ الرِّضَا ع قَالَ: إِنَّ امْرَأَةً سَأَلَتْ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع فَقَالَتْ أَصْلَحَكَ اللَّهُ إِنِّي مُتَبَتِّلَةٌ فَقَالَ لَهَا وَ مَا التَّبَتُّلُ عِنْدَكِ قَالَتْ لَا أُرِيدُ التَّزْوِيجَ أَبَداً قَالَ وَ لِمَ قَالَتْ أَلْتَمِسُ فِي ذَلِكَ الْفَضْلَ فَقَالَ انْصَرِفِي فَلَوْ كَانَ فِي ذَلِكَ فَضْلٌ لَكَانَتْ فَاطِمَةُ ع أَحَقَّ بِهِ مِنْكِ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ أَحَدٌ يَسْبِقُهَا إِلَى الْفَضْل‏. (Bihār al-Anwār, vol.100, p.219, H.13) And there are many many Ahādīth condemning unmarried state. If you are interested to see those let me know to translate some for you. With Duas. Narsis.

Tensed and stressed and missing childhood, Wondering why kids wanna grow up.

I have submitted before (which can now be deleted) but I thought maybe I could add something which will symbolise that this is not only a "Shia" website, but a "Chatting" website, so I added a little speech bubble.

Salam, It's unbelievable how the ahlulbayt (a.s) have patience and can be positive at the same time they get provoked. Lanat on those who oppose ahlulbayt (a.s)

Salaam: If you've ever suffered from bullying, you know how traumatic it can be. The stress, the anxiety, the intimidation throughout the painful encounter. Not to mention the anticipation for the next one. Never a moment to take off the chain of fear, unless you are lucky to preoccupy yourself or have supportive friends. I've been fortunate to not experience severe bullying myself, although I've had occasional small incidents here and there. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen for everyone. At times, the presence of bullies are unavoidable, and you have little control over the matter. If someone bullies you primarily because of your name, your faith, your background, your physical appearance, your family, or something so intrinsic to you, then there is little you could have done to prevent their allure to you. So don't be hung up about it. The fault is 100% theirs, and nothing to do with you whatsoever. Unless you believe your very existence puts you at fault. But you are a proud and self-assured person, and such thoughts do not cross you! On the flip side, bullies can be attracted to you by things you can control. In this instance, you can take better steps to prevent their attraction to you. Don't involve yourself in compromising situations. Be knowledgeable. Learn self sufficiency. Keep your faith and dignity. Focus on your outside work and do not expose your personal vulnerabilities carelessly. Find means of support and others to "back you up". Don't give them material to poke fun at you at. Don't make yourself stick out in embarrassing or unnecessary ways. Mosquitoes need blood to feed. Don't make it easy for them. If you are knee deep in a long standing bullying relationship, your willingness or unwillingness to be a victim is completely within your control. Letting it affect you is within your control. The cycle of bullying requires both parties to maintain the cycle. The bully targets the victim, the victim enables the bully further through their weakness, and the cycle continues. You have control to slow or halt this cycle, and the bully can't do anything about it! If anyone can relate to this, I hope this has been helpful for you. Stay tuned, I will write another blog post specifically about cyberbullying and internet psychology.

Ok,this thread will deal with Islamic abbreviations,sometimes,we get confused about the abbreviations. So, please answer in this order [abbreviation,pronunciation] * (saw) * (sawaw) * (as) * (sa) * (atfs) * (atjfs) * (awj) * (swt) .

"Sometimes let your forgiveness be the punishment"

^ Haha. This is the the first time I laughed so hard on these forums. The guy said Shia, okay maybe he was stupid but my God, that other man so calmly looked him in the eyes and continued the discussion. This is hysterical. I mean where do people draw the line?

Salaam sister. They were some exceptions due to their special mission.

Exactly, this is one of my favourite moments in the life of Imam Ali (as).

Welcome to ShiaChat!

The fact that he died in Sujood in the Sacred Mosque is certainly significant, whether this means that he is qualified for Jannah, only Allah (swt) knows.

That is blasphemy, sir, blasphemy.

The guy in the video above does not deny the success of manned apollo missions to the moon, far from it. I dont know why you insist on posting deceptive videos darth. Its just embarrassing. You guys are almost as bad as that peace seeker guy with his "the world is flat" topic.

this was the most awesome phone on planet once :')

Independence from US hands is the only solution for Iraq to solve all its problems. And now is Iraqs greatest opportunity.

What's marriage in Islam? How do you keep it strong, healthy, and faithful?