lyricalsoul29

I just find it amazing that not many of our sunni brethren are in solidarity with the shias against this crooked author.

wow this one is very intriguing... I don't know if I can understand that. I guess it just another way of saying "it just not possible for Him to do that"

I wonder why there is a problem to begin with. Why don't we start with the fact (not a claim) that Allah is All Perfect. That there are no flaws in what He creates and His attributes. When He (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) is All Perfect, then there is no reason to question His power or knowledge. One can only wonder "Why?" Because we with our limited knowledge and reasoning, we can't see beyond unless we are given the knowledge and that too, the knowledge, comes from His permission. Just like how the previous prophets were given miracles (this can only happen with His Permission). For example, you are a full grown adult. You won't gorge out your own eyeballs right? Why? It's against your wisdom. And that itself is not a weakness. And when Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) is all Perfect, it also means He is all Just. (that is also one of Shia's primary beliefs). So just because He has the knowledge and power, it is not Him to put an innocent man in hell. It is not a question of whether He can or cannot, it is just impossible. If He can do that, then I wouldn't worship Him.

interesting, perhaps in the US, to be living with parents, its considered to be "out of the norm". whereas in certain parts of asia/europe, it is completely normal. some chip in for the household expenses etc, some don't, really depend on the financial status of the family members. also, the woman has a voice, she can have certain requests that you both can agree upon; where to stay after marriage, or if the parents need a caregiver etc. that's beside the point. to the OP, there's nothing wrong not being married at 31 or 32 or 39 or even at 45. And don't beat yourself by saying "not fat just have unattractive face". I mean, SO WHAT? The right person will come. Yeah she is basically stuck in traffic, so while waiting for her to come, just do your everyday things. better. Being genuinely happy inside is far better and a peace of mind than just getting married for the sake of it. Nothing wrong there though. Also, don't go there .Yes, it is tempting and you may try to justify your reasons unless you want to experience emptiness/lousiness/regret/frustration/despair in an instant. May Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) ease your affairs.

wow sounds like you're pretty serious on getting married. how about you start with managing your expectations first? it's really easy to get married but finding the right one is hard. so have patience my friend, and keep on praying. meanwhile, don't forget to enjoy life, be present in the moment and be thankful for everything you have.

if you understand this hijab concept: in the case of myself, I have probably a 1000 hijab/veils infront of me due to my sins and my lack of ibadah. As compared to others, probably the Ayatollahs, who takes great concern of the food they consume, avoiding excessive speech , movement and doing additional prayers, source of income etc. I guess what I am trying to say is if you have reached a certain level of irfan/gnostic, maybe Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) would give you the opportunity to communicate with Ahlulbayt (عليه السلام) specifically Imam Zaman (عليه السلام). To answer your question, what Imam Zaman (عليه السلام) is doing for the past 1000 years, I don't know. But I do know, that if I am worthy enough, Imam Zaman might appear to me and maybe I can have the answers then. My guess is that he communicates with those that have access to him or are allowed access to him. I hope to be one of those people, inshallah.

this reminds me of the fate of Firaun (Pharoah), when he was about to drown and that was when he proclaimed that he believe, but it's too late. I mean with all his ego and pride, I would be surprised if he did say the shahadah.

can relate with the OP. Love to me is doing your part as a follower of the Ahlulbayt (عليه السلام). Behave in a way you don't embarrass them, I think this is a good read https://www.al-islam.org/bundle-flowers-garden-traditions-prophet-ahlul-bayt/real-followers-ahlul-bayt-and-their-qualities I am struggling too and I take this month of Muharram as an opportunity for me to rekindle the love inside me. Perhaps reciting ziyarat ashura would be a great start.

thanks Ethics and ShiaMan14 for the clarifications. but why is it that despite Imam Husayn ((عليه السلام)) martyrdom, there is still a huge rift between us and the Sunnis, the non-Muslims, who may deem this incident as an unfortunate event? it makes it looks like his sacrifice was a short fix

used to play Minecraft but now a die-hard fan of Dota2.

associating anything/others with Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى), there's different levels of polytheism tho depends on your intention but I would stay away from it. as a shia, we are fully aware of the excellent qualities of Imam Ali ((عليه السلام)) and we use say alaihisalam as an honorific. understand the concept of shirk first and then understand the concept of tawassul/intercession. When one does tawassul to Imam Ali, it does not mean he/she cast Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) aside. Refer to Dua Tawassul: O Abul Hasan, O Commander of the Faithful, O ‘Ali, son of Abu Talib, O decisive argument of Allah over mankind, O our chief, O our master, We turn towards thee, seek thy intercession and advocacy before Allah, we put before you our open need, O intimate of Allah, Stand by us when Allah sits in judgement over us. Also, there's another one call Nad-e-Ali, it's more like a protection kind of dua against enemies. Again, if one is not comfortable or in doubt, then don't use it. depends on how you look at it and how you understand it. if you look study the life of Imam Ali ((عليه السلام)), you will understand why he is praised for possessing such extraordinary qualities. In a hadith, he is referred to as the gate. (I am the city of the knowledge and 'Ali is its gate, thus whoever seeks the knowledge has to enter the gate.) Also, it is only by Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) permission if He grant any miracles to Imam Ali just like how He grant miracles to Prophets. To me it is not something of a surprise. Short answer, if you don't know, don't use it. Just use alaihisalam. Simple. Yes, it is shirk. Prostrating as a form of respect, not a problem. Prostrating as in worshipping, that is shirk.

why would God do that?

I believe in the concept of Imamah, you can refer to Prophet Ibrahim as an example, he was appointed as an Imam (2:124), but I think you're referring to the 12 imams yeah? after prophet demise, people were split over who to follow, those who follow Imam Ali or the other caliphs who were appointed by among themselves. I am of the belief that that such appointment isn't done by the people but through divinity. That is, if prophets are chosen by Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى), so does Imams. That also means that if prophets has so and so attributes, so does Imams. I mean, if Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) has chosen a man like the Holy Prophet to guide the ummah, you won't expect tom, dick or harry who used to worship idols or burying daughters in the backyard or conspire to kill the Holy Prophet even, to do that important task right? Again, you can refer to the Quran for the verse "in every nation, there is a warner" (10:47)(16:35)(35:24)(40:5)(22:34-67), to me, that speaks a lot of the importance of having an Imam of the time though our Imam is in occultation thus we have marja/marji in place instead to seek advice on Islamic jurisprudence etc. so the closest thing one can do as a shia is to do tawassul/duas to hasten his reappearance but does that mean his appearance = days nearing to doomsday? I understand from the sunnis that your version of Al-Mahdi hasn't born yet which is pretty weird, how does he appears alongside with Isa ((عليه السلام))?

I can actually relate to what the OP is saying. How the tragedy of Karbala seem to benefit only those who knows, those who remember and commemorate; the followers of the Ahlulbayt ((عليه السلام)). Ask a fellow Sunni, he/she would probably remember Hasan and Husayn as the little grandsons in the storybook where they teach an old man how to make wudhu (ablution). And even if you tell them what happened to Imam Husayn, the reply would be "but its the past, why the need to mourn etc". I have also wondered why only a specific Imam had these immense sacrifices on him whereas the other Imams ' demise are by poisoning. Then again, you don't really have the answers to these kind of questions.