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Imaam 'Aly (ASWS) has said, "Adversity brings your best qualities to the front." Motivate people who are currently going through a rough phase in their lives by responding to this post. Share your story of how you overcame your adversity / problem and how it made you a better person. I'll also share mine In-Sha-Allaah

In a world full of vaccum... Caused due to the meaningless buzz of people around and people finding more time for phones... There is a growing sense of loneliness... How non-Muslims can enjoy a disciplined life with a community if they convert to Islam

im officially a member of my shia community, i confirmed the shahadah and wailiyate Ali at the center today!!!! Alhumduillah

Alsalamu alaykum , My brother is thinking about contiunuing his studies in Canada, as he might receive the funds to study a subject he is really interested in. But he is rather hesitant as it will be his fist time travelling and living on his own.But we talked and I convinced him that choosing an area where there is a strong involved shia community might ease the transition (my brother is really involved in our local community but hates change). So which area would you suggest? جزاكم الله كل خير

As salaam alakim I live in Wisconsin, and i want to know is there a big Shia community here, i heard there was but they are not as active and are pretty much under ground!!! Anybody on here from Wisconsin or Milwaukee area?

Assalamualaikum, I did my under-grad in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering and a week ago I started my MBA in Aviation Business Management. I also recently got back into religion, and I am SUPER INTERESTED to serve the Ahlulbayt and the community somehow. Right now I've chosen MBA in Aviation (and I do not know how this will help me serve the Ahlulbayt or to do any good for the people) but to my luck, I have an option of Dual-Specialization. So I can choose either of these : 1. MBA (Aviation + International Business Management) 2. MBA (Aviation + Finance) 3. MBA (Aviation + Marketing) The problem is I really do not know which one of these will help me serve the community or to serve the Ahlulbayt. I would not even mind working for NGO's like WhoIsHussain. I am very interested to work for them. Can you please guide me ? Waasalmunalaikum Wa Rahmatullah

Assalamu alaykum, everyone. Hope you're all having a great Ramadan; heavenly breezes your way. Before I ask my questions, allow me to recount my spiritual/religious journey in brief (or what I hope will be brief). I appreciate if you could patiently read before answering. I was born in Iran to a non-practicing Muslim family. When I was a child, my parents taught me that there is a God, and read to me stories about the prophets (my favourites were the story of Nuh, Yunus and Yusuf, alayhimussalam); but they didn’t practise any Islamic rituals. Fasting and praying was never part of their daily routine. The only precepts that they followed (and still follow, despite living in a Western country) is avoiding pork and alcohol. As a result, throughout my childhood and teenage years, I wouldn’t perform namaz or fast Ramadan. I still had a deep-seated belief in God, and would pray (dua) to Him, especially when things got difficult; e.g. when a teacher wanted to check our homework and I hadn’t done it, or when I had broken something and I didn’t want my parents to find out. When I was about 17, I left Iran to study in Malaysia. It was the first time I was living away from my family in a foreign land, and for whatever reason, a great transformation took place in my soul at that time. I fell in love with God. I began to pray the daily prayers regularly, to read the Quran often, to remember God often; I found in these such joy, such ecstasy, and at the same time, such peace, such solace, such serenity, the like of which I had never tasted before. At this same time, I began to associate with a group of Malaysian Sunni Muslims who had Sufi inclinations. I would often pray with them; and from what I remember, I would pray like them outwardly, with hands folded over chest. At that time (and to a certain extent, even now) I cared very little about Sunni-Shia differences. What mattered was God. The Remembrance of God is greater. (Quran 29:45) Greater than everything. Love God, worship God, with all your mind and soul. Give yourself to God; and leave all the rest. This was my philosophy, at least at that time. A couple of years later, I migrated along with my parents to Australia. My parents realised that I had profoundly changed; I would pray five times a day, recite the Quran, fast Ramadan. My parents, of course, thought that this was a transient phase and decided to completely ignore these changes in my life; they made no objects to me praying or fasting, but they themselves still didn’t pray or fast. They also weren’t interested in any conversation about religion. In the following years, I continued to deepen my understanding of faith; from time to time, I would read Islamic books or listen to lectures (mostly Sunni, but also Shia from time to time). Books that intrigued me the most at this stage were Sufi literature; books by Rumi, Attar, Sana’i, Ghazzali, etc. The greatness of these books was that they dealt with pure spirituality, not identity politics, sectarian polemics, etc.; and I had the pleasure of reading them in their original language, my mother tongue Persian. Now, let me come to the questions: While I find my relationship with God satisfying, I now know that Islam is meant to be practised communally, not just in solitude. For years, I had prayed alone, fasted alone, broken my fasts alone (even before Covid-19!) For someone like me, finding the right community and spiritual company was a challenge. One main question is: Which community is right for me? Should I join a Sunni OR a Shia congregation? and I hate to ask that question: Why should it be either/or? Why not both/and? Loving God is not Sunni or Shia. It is neither, or it is both. Same with sincerity, humility, kindness: none of these are exclusively Sunni or Shia qualities. But the fact on the ground is that, (for whatever reason), Sunnis and Shias don’t pray with each other anymore. Sunnis pray with Sunnis. Shias pray with Shias. Which congregation should I join? What I like most about the Shia tradition is the spirituality of Sahifa-Sajjadiya and some of the great sermons in Nahjul Balagha. I also returned to follow Shia fiqh in my wudhu and prayer. While I respect all fiqh traditions and consider them equally valid, this is the way I felt most comfortable praying and performing wudhu. I believe Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (regardless of whether he was an infallible imam) is definitely not a less credible expositor of fiqh than Imam Shafi’i, Abu Hanifah or Malik, radhi allahu anhum. On the other hand, my understanding of Islam was mainly shaped by Sunni-Sufi thought and sentiment. For example, while I deeply respect and love Imam Hussain ((عليه السلام)), I am more interested in what Imam Hussain taught, what he stood for, how he lived, than just crying endlessly for how tragically he was killed. To be completely frank, I never understood the concept of religious azadari. Azadari makes sense when you lose a loved one; but we haven’t lost the Prophet or the Imams. Their teachings, their spiritual presence and ultimately God (to whom they all pointed; and their whole mission was to lead us to God) are still with us, and will forever remain with us. So why should we mourn someone who is alive? More living than us. Other reasons for not wanting to be a Shia were practical: the Shia are in a minority. There are very few Shia mosques. The ones that exist are far away from where I live, often ethno-centric (frequented mostly by Iraqis or Pakistanis with lectures said in Arabic or Urdu, rather than English) or having political links/agendas. I felt more-or-less estranged from the Iranians in Australia as well. From my observation, the Iranian diaspora consists mostly either of non-Muslims (Christians, Bahai’s, etc.), cultural/nominal Muslims, or people who have turned against religion altogether, mostly as a reaction to what they see as aggression and injustice by the ‘Islamic’ government in Iran. Traditional, simple-minded, religious Iranians who aren't politically affiliated seem to be a tiny minority here. Incredibly hard to find. As for associating with Sunnis and calling myself a Sunni, the obvious advantage is there are many more mosques I could go to (more options!); but then the problem was that people would want to know whether/why I have changed my madhhab and become a Sunni; as Shia Islam is the madhhab of the majority of Iranians. I don’t want to give anyone the impression that I don’t like Shia Islam; because the truth is that I consider Shia Islam a valid perspective and a valid madhhab to follow; and by saying that I have changed my madhhab, I would give the impression that I find Shi'ism wrong (which isn't true). As you can see, because of my spiritual journey which isn’t as straightforward as most Muslims, I have ended up in a confused state. Alhamdulillah, I am not confused regarding my relationship with God, but in navigating my relationship with others. Non-Muslim Australians think that I am not one of them because I am Muslim. Sunni Muslims think that I am not one of them because I am Shia. Shia Muslims think that I am too Sunni to be a good Shia. Maybe you could help me out.

For the past couple of weeks, I have heard about how Sheikh Jaffer Jaffer has said something controversial about some Pakistani cultural practices. In my community, there has been a huge uproar from the Pakistani side. Anyways context aside, does anyone know what he said and as well what are your opinions on it. (I personally think that you should not be getting so mad about it because it is culture not religion)

I know someone closely who practices Shi’a Islam. I am still seeking. He desires to leave the world and all his possessions and live in isolation (maybe with his wife only if he finds one). My perspective is that he would better serve the world in the world, creating community, fighting for justice, and giving back to the community. The idea of living alone (or with just his wife) away from everyone seems quite selfish when he has gifts to offer the world that could create more good in the world. Do you agree that giving back to community is better than living in isolation? Are there any verses of the Quran or Imam Ali’s teachings to support your view? In the Christian religion (which I was raised) it is generally known that you should give to your community and use the gifts you have to continue adding love to the world. I am hoping there is a similar view in Islam and some documentation to support it.

MashaAllah, I am glad to announce that we have got a new Shia Islamic Center, Al-Murtaza at Greenville / Spartanburg, South Carolina. It is a small community with 50-60 people in and around Greenville, SC. They have a website with phone number and contact details. They are looking for land and building very aggressively. https://al-murtaza.com The nearest center is Al Zahra Islamic Center of Charlotte, NC which is around 70 - 80 miles. The website for this center is http://azicc.org. They have there own iphone and android app as well. MashaAllah, Shia community is increasing day by day in NC and SC. PixelGenies is blessed for being associated with these communities for its technology needs. May Allah give us all guidance to be on right path and keep doing what is best for the community. PixelGenies Solutions

Alhamdulilah, I was granted an opportunity to study in the West (in Canada specifically) and it will be the first time I will be on my own for an extended period. So I have been reading up on the region I will be staying in,especially on how Muslims are treated there and if there is any xenophobia or islamophobia(I will be a visible minority since I wear a hijab and I found myself falling down in the rabbit hole and reading horror stories on violent attacks, murders,assaults and prejudice in the street and in the work environment. This search was not limited to my future area but encompassed almost every western country. From my uneducated opinion based on reading articles on the incidents I found three major types of incidents: The first is when a crazy psychopathic terrorist attacks a mosque or a gathering of Muslims (yes I decided to label them terrorists because for me a terrorist is someone who wants to kill you and torture you and justifies and rationalizes it by whatever "code" or "reason" he follows). I noticed in almost every case that that was the last straw in a long line of verbal and minor (compared to a mass shooting) attacks on the same community. For example a week before the attack on the Canadian mosque the same terrorist left a pig's head and blood on their doorstep. Think about it, violence is a process especially extreme violence. It does not start from nowhere. Its build up bit by bit. It starts by racist and islamophobic posts on social media (In every incident I read about the terrorist was quite open and unapologetic about his islamophobic views on social media )which are encouraged by the media and his own community. And then the next time he meets an identifiable acceptable target i.e most likely a woman wearing a hijab he will permit himself more leeway and overstep his bounds. Which brings us to the second type of incident :Where the terrorist knows an "identifiable acceptable target"/potential victim in his daily life. For example a neighbor or a colleague at work.The gradual attacks are even more evident in these cases since before the most likely lethal final outcome there will be an almost constant harassment and bullying. And then I found the third type of incident :where the victim doesn't know the perpetrator and is blindsided by the attack. According to one article and my own humble opinion (I resorted to articles because I havent found a survey or statistics on the attack's pattern from the muslim community) the attacker is most likely but not always a young adult white male and the victim is a young woman wearing a hijab.Also the attacks most likely happens in a fringe zone i.e a place of transit like a public transportation station or a parking space or a less frequented side street. As for the time I am sure there is a direct correlation between a surge of attacks on Muslims of the west and terrorist attacks by daesh in the west. Now logically speaking I realize I was being a little paranoid and that there wasn't a witch hunt going on unbeknownst to the rest of the Muslim world but there must be a basis of truth in this phenomenon. If so dear Muslims of the west if you would be so kind to answer my questions (also any feedback and criticism is welcome as I said this is my uneducated humble opinion) Jazekha Allah: -How does it affect you in your daily life ? Are you being prejudiced against in your work environment (especially if you wear a hijab)? Is the issue being addressed in the shia community of the west ? Have they found out a way to teach you on how to disengage or even better how to avoid and prevent it from happening as in schooling you on how to be vigilant and the telltale signs and the ideal situation for attacks to happen? Is there something specific for our kid's safety ? Is there a legal framework by Muslims and for Muslims to deal with prejudice and the aftermath of attacks ? Also Do you have any advice for someone in my situation and any feedback is welcome. Rahmatou Allah for all those who lost their lives in these incidents and I do believe we should honor them by working toward preventing them.

Hello/Salam I'm writting because I want to know if somebody here knows [edit] my question is if someone knows if there's a shia community in korea or just sunni. thank you so much.

Salam Asking for a friend. Obviously. Is anybody from the area of Hampton VA, Newport News VA, or even Williamsburg? Apparently nothing nearby is listed online. If there's no Shia community, does anyone know of a good Shia-accepting non-Shia Islamic community, particularly one with a weekend school for children?

The original "Thoughts" thread has become too large and bloated. Here's an extra one to spread things out, so posts don't get buried so quickly. Enjoy!

Salaam, I thought some might be interested in an event like this. This is geared towards young professionals and students (ages 18-35, with exceptions made on a case-by-case basis). Instructors present will be Shaykh Amin Rastani, Sayyid 'Ali Zaydi, and Sayyid Hasan Naqvi. The retreat will take place in Ocoee, TN. This is the 2nd annual retreat titled, The Criterion: Qur'anic Lessons on Islamic Identity. The following message was sent out by the organizing team. Please participate by registering at alwahdah.org. For those that can't, please try to support the cause by donating on gofundme.com/alwahdah. Looking forward to seeing some inshaAllah

Salam all, I'm from the Middle East and might need to travel for a while to these countries so just wanted to know - do we have any shia communities in these countries in case it is possible for me to go there? JazakAllah

| Leadership In A Community | Haj Hassanain Rajabali | Al Zahra Mosque Sydney | Night 2 | 2015 |

S.a. I was wondering if we have a shia community based in Aberdeen, UK?

Salaam Alaikum A brilliant opportunity for an educational trip, as well as activities, please email the email on the poster for any further questions. Would not miss this opportunity!

Asalam Alykum, Are there any centers where there are native Arab speakers? Is there a such a community that one can join within the United Kingdom specially in England. Ma'Salam

First published here. The Extremist Within "You don't wear Hijab, and that is why Allah made you miss yesterday's Juloos downtown," she blurted out, chomping noisily on her veal Biryani. Majlis was over, and everyone had settled down for dinner in our host's living room, talking excitedly about the Queen's Park procession. Mid-sentence in an expression of distress at not being able to attend due to some miscommunication, the Aunty's outburst shut me up all right! Had this blatant judgment call been in private, I would have retorted with equal passion. But teenage uprising or not, even I knew better than to disrespect an elder in public. It simply wasn't the Indian way to behave. A peace-maker quickly changed the topic, and soon all was forgotten in light of the upcoming cricket world cup. Looking back all those years ago, I cannot help but wonder at her display of such extremist behavior. Is bullying really the best way to go about, if it is Islam (and the practice of) that one is trying topropagate? It is mentioned in Usul al-Kafi, that someone once asked Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) for the definition of good character and good behavior. He replied, "Politeness, sweet speech, and meeting people with courtesy." Also, is history not filled with examples of only the utmost display of courteousness on the part of our Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them), even when faced with the worst of atrocities? And was it not that very display of good manners that attracted scores of people towards Islam? In the spirit of denouncing extremists across the globe, whose destructive efforts are visible for all to see, have we overlooked the ones creating a rift within our own communities? The extremist within packs enough terror to sabotage not just the religion of peace that is Islam, but also the community itself! One such example is said Aunty. Let alone every third sister and brother on YouTube who has taken it upon her or himself to 'save' those that have gone off track, or continue to remain ignorant. This is 'accomplished' sometimes in a most offensive manner, both online and in person. Another brother, on Twitter this time, proclaims that cheering victory at a soccer game left him, "more najis (impure) than a Patel (reference to Hindu surname)." My list could go on without end, but we all already know who they are. They live, breathe, and destruct right here, from within us. I am of the faith, and am at times forced to say to myself, "This person needs to get off their high horse and revisit Islam 101!" What impression then are we having on those not of the faith? There is no denying that Amr Bil Ma'ruf (directing others towards good) and Nahi 'Anil Munkar(directing others away from evil) are two very important acts of faith. But even more important is the manner in which these two acts are carried out. Furthermore, Imam Ali says, "Whoever is aware of his own faults will have no time for the faults of others." (Sayings and Wisdom of Imam Ali) In which case, how about replacing scary speech with noble action for a change, and letting our good character and good behavior represent Islam instead? "Plunge into the depths until you reach the truth," I believe, is our first Imam's greatest gift to us. I remember distinctly those early years when I began to truly question faith; to differentiate between some of the cultural traditions that my community had been practicing in the name of Islam for eons (that actually had nothing to do with the religion itself) and the Islam that was unfolding before me, in the form of authentic books and contemporary lectures. I wanted just that– to understand everything from basic building blocks and Islamic history to variances in cultural religious practices and discrepancies between scholars. It was one thing being told to do something without being explained why or how, and entirely another, to discover, understand, and practice for myself. Had the Aunty come forth at any other time, prior to my own resolve of figuring out the truth, I would have successfully washed my hands off of a faith that represented such extremism! Years, books, speeches, articles, lessons, conferences, and dialogues later, I have learned but one thing – that Islam, and its understanding and practice, are not just a way of life, but a life-long journey. It will do nobody any good (and neither to Islam) to be intimidated, restricted, and sometimes even alienated by those that lay undue claim on dictating observance and understanding. Such is the concern of countless today, and I am reminded of it at almost every community occasion, family gathering, or even a casual discussion with non-Muslim friends. If such negativity is allowed to fester, it will only serve to drive mankind away from our glorious religion of peace; both, within our communities and amongst those outside that wish to take a peek inside, at what Islam really is all about. Imam Ali puts it best, "The life transaction (religion) of Islam is not about having opinions; it is most surely about following good example." (Sayings and Wisdom of Imam Ali)

Salaam aliakum brothers and sisters, The Al-Mahdi Community is an initiative using the new wave of social technology to create an online portal, an entry point into an online community centre that caters for the needs of all and creates within it a sense of belonging and nurtured growth. The Al-Mahdi Community incorporates forums, social networking groups, blogs, e-learning, videos, live streaming and research material. The variety of discussions in the forums and groups will analyse a range of Islamic issues through scholarly debate and evidence. The uploading of text, pdf, images, audio and video is permitted to provide a variety of resources to help clarify issues and help others. The online learning section is a unique environment where you have easy access to learning materials and courses. This will include video lectures complimented by online learning material and downloadable books created by the course designers. We welcome you to this new interactive social network and ask you to contribute to help us grow and serve the community. Please be aware that we are in beta testing and appreciate any feedback either via email or on the site discussion forum. The first module comprising lectures on Islamic Theology by Dr Ian Williams is now beta testing with open registration. Please visit www.almahdicommunity.org with salaam and dua Al-Mahdi Online