learical

Is it just me or does his ban bear an eerie resemblance to the countries mentioned in the above clip?

Yes you can perform your prayers in full, but AFAIK it's not mandatory for you to do so. The qasr prayers you offered in the proximity of the haram should be in order if you don't live in the city. 1365. A traveller can offer full prayers in Masjidul Haram and Masjidul Nabi and Masjid of Kufa, and even in the entire cities of Makkah, Madina and Kufa. He can also offer full prayers in the Haram of Imam Husayn (A.S.), upto the distance of 25 armlengths from the sacred tomb. http://www.sistani.org/english/book/48/2250/

I am sorry, but this is exactly the kind of mindset that some of the ignorant sunnis propagate. "Don't talk to the shia because they will put doubts in your head". If your iman is so weak that talking to a sunni will put doubts in your head then maybe you need to check your iman first and make sure you are not blindly following what you are following instead of avoiding these discussions altogether. Doubts lead to investigation which leads to the truth.

Salams, Although I haven't thoroughly read the research posted by Abbas. above, I did skim through it and feel it is somewhat along the lines of what my feelings are towards this issue. I feel we need to be very careful when blindly accepting or fully rejecting statements such as the one being discussed here. Yes, we may not be able to verify its authenticity, or we may be able to do our research on the subject and reach a conclusion that may suggest otherwise, but the fact remains that taking a full-fledged stance on the issue (eg. stating with full conviction that its fabricated) is something we need to be careful of. Publishing unbiased research is fine, but when one decides to use that research to voice opinions that may influence others into adapting that same opinion, he/she becomes accountable for the 'formed' beliefs as well as the actions stemming from those beliefs of all those individuals he/she has influenced. In this case, it is obvious that the saying is metaphorical and hence open to more than one interpretation. As long as that interpretation does not clearly contradict the Qur'an/the teachings of our Aimmah, one needs to be careful in rejecting it. Factors such as inaccessibility to lost works should be considered, and openness to the possibility (even the slightest) that the narrator may have quoted from such works (albeit not providing the source) should be taken into account. My humble suggestion to the OP would be to remove his research (and this may or may not apply to his/her other works as well) from the "Bidah" section of the website, and to not provide a definitive answer based on his/her research to the public. Not doing so would be implying that one is fully convinced of it being a fabrication, and hence is willing to take accountability for all those he/she has influenced into believing the same on the day of judgement. Wasalam

I believe the issue of tissues being derived from aborted human fetuses directly relates to what :Sami II seems to have posted and hence shouldn't just be ignored because its a little off-topic. Its definitely interesting to see that whats listed by CDC as an excipient included in U.S. Vaccines for Varicella (dated March 2014) under the link http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/B/excipient-table-2.pdfcould possibly be just that: sucrose, phosphate, glutamate, gelatin, monosodium L-glutamate, sodium phosphate dibasic, potassium phosphate monobasic, potassium chloride, sodium phosphate monobasic, potassium chloride, EDTA, residual components of MRC-5 cells including DNA and protein, neomycin, fetal bovine serum, human diploid cell cultures (WI-38), embryonic guinea pig cell cultures, human embryonic lung cultures

I am a Zaidi Al-Wasiti. After tracing my ancestry, I have realized my ancestors were from the sons of Zaid ibn Zainul-Abideen and resided in Wasit, Iraq before moving to Afghanistan to India to what is now Pakistan. Alhamdulilah, we have always been ithna Ashari Shia AFAIK. Wasalam

Its probably best to avoid such restaurants. Having worked in a couple of restaurants in my life, I can confidently state that cross contamination is very common when handling/cooking food. Unless there was a physical barrier between the halal and haram preparation at the restaurant (which is hardly ever the case), counter tops, pots, pans, grills, cutlery, gloves (or the lack of them) etc. used by cooks are some of the many things that can easily cause the halal to get mixed with the haram. We need to realize the fact that we have traditions stating that a morsel of haram can lead to 40 days of our prayers being rejected. I can see how this can be possible when considering the fact that food, once consumed, becomes a part of our bodies. There are both material and spiritual reasons behind why Allah has forbidden a lot of what we can consume. Not something we would take lightly if we knew of the consequences of our actions in this regard. Wasalam

I don't normally read fiction but the wifey read this and couldn't put it down so I thought I had give it a try as well. Definitely made the right decision! This book is an amazing read although I haven't finished reading it yet. Hopefully the author keeps at it and publishes more of his work.

Salams, There is no need to take the changes that you saw in one way or another in regards to his feelings for you (if there are any). Reliance upon Allah and worshiping him can bring about all the changes you have seen in him. Confidence when communicating, treating all equally/justly (eg. refraining from providing a discount), being polite by offering a bag etc. can all be seen as signs of spiritual progress. If you are truly interested in him, you should let you parents know and have them approach his parents. Maybe both parties can agree to a public meeting where the two of you can discuss the possibility of a marriage. Wasalam

http://www.islam-laws.com/congregationprayer.htm#Late_Joiners Hope this helps. Wasalam.

I don't normally get involved in these discussions, but I thought I had post the following for those trying to trace the history of zanjeer zani/ tatbir. The article quotes a few works that maybe useful. Apologies if it has been posted in the past.

Here is the full 2014 list: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list.php Keeping in mind that they have only listed food based on its pesticide levels and not isolated the GMOs (such as corn which is #50 on the list), this is a very good guideline on buying smart for all those who can't afford to go fully organic. I personally get anything from 30 downwards (if you are looking at the list) conventionally grown except for the GMO corn. Everything 30 and up, I try to get organic. Its not the perfect method but I can sleep happy thinking I am reducing my family's exposure to pesticides. Other than that, instead of cooking with canola or vegetable oil (which are GMO in North America), we cook with sunflower oil or sometimes olive oil. At times, not everyone can afford to make such lifestyle changes, but if one moves towards the mindset that their health takes priority over everything else, they are able to sacrifice spending in other areas (clothes, recreation, etc.) to gradually take the steps to being a smart consumer. Wasalam

Looks like they were not able to get to the body of Hadhrat Hijr ibn al-adi, and were apparently all killed. :S

Just finished: Now reading:

Would you consider this music haram?