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Assalaamu Alaykum Brothers and Sisters, I have been going through the works and thoughts of the late, Ayatullah Sayyid Fadhlullah and I found him to be a very controversial personality. Not in terms of his position and opinions and his stances. But rather because of the attacks made on him. My question is: Was Sayyid Fadhlullah really called out by most of the senior scholars of Qom and Najaf as 'the one on error', 'deviant' etc? One of the scholars did even call him for a debate and then Mubahila in from of the Prophet's (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) mosque. So, is this all correct? Below link shows the statements of all those scholars: http://desunna.blogspot.com/p/baraa.html?m=1 On this page, in the section 'Shia scholars on Fadhlullah', you can find all the statements. I would like to remind that I want to confirm what is written here because all other things on this page about scholars that I could validate were nothing but pure fallacy. Taking things out of context and attacking scholars. But for sayyid Fadhlullah, it was quite extreme. I do want to validate this? If all of it is correct, then my question is that what was the crime that Sayyid committed to face such a response?? So, I am sorry but I will follow up with a series of questions and follow ups.

I plan on studying at a hawza but I'm not sure which to choose, Najaf or Qom. Qom seems safer than Najaf, and preferable to those who support Wilayatul Faqih, but I have read that a lot of former Qom/Iranian scholars relocated to Najaf/Iraq because of the politics that go around in the Iranian seminaries. Personally I'm leaning on Najaf because I read that there are a lot more choices of subjects to choose and learn and students don't have to worry about politics but at the same time I also want to study Farsi and hone it and I don't know if the seminaries in Najaf/Iraq offer Farsi courses. I would like to hear your thoughts on this.

Bismillah i Rahman i Raheem Assalaam o 'Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah i Wa Barakaatuh I am currently a student in high school. I've had an interest in mathematics and physics, but I may not be able to pursue that interest due to some past incidents where some cruel people sabotaged my academics and due to some other financial issues. My life plan was to initially study these two subjects and then after that attend the Hawza at Najaf and study the faith there. However, it seems unlikely for this to be the case, so I have been thinking about turning the plan on its head, such that I study at Hawza e Najaf instead first, and if I live long enough, study physics and mathematics at some institution separately. I am aware of how different life will be if I choose to live in Najaf and how I'll need to make a living there, especially due to language issues considering I am from Pakistan, and my understanding of arabic/farsi is essentially absolutely zero, but I have heard it isn't impossible to live there even with these issues. I write this post in seeking guidance as to how to apply to the Hawza, how to essentially get admitted there, and study there. I would sincerely appreciate this help. JazakAllah Wa 'Alaikum Assalaam Wa Rahmatullah i Wa Barakaatuh

Bismillah Alrahman Alrahim Assalamu Alikom Brothers and Sisters in Islam, I have a question regarding a dream I recently had. Just before I go to details of the dream, I just wanted to make it clear that I don't usually have dreams about prophets and certainly not Imams of the Ahlulbait, although it would be an honour to meet such characters in my dreams. So just before I went to bed, I decided to do something I usual haven't done before to get closer to Allah (S.W.T.). I kept my head in sajdah, and kept reciting Shukran (Thanks) and 'afwan (you are welcome OR Thank you) to Allah alone for at least a couple of minutes, until I started perspiration on the Turbah. I also placed my cheek each time on the Turbad and repeated the same words. I felt lighter Alhamdoillah, and thereafter went to sleep after watching an islamic lecture. Naturally I wouldn't remember all of the dream, but the following is what is clear to me. I found myself in a masjid (in Najaf I assume as it will become clear further on, although I have never been there), and there were a couple of people in front of me making duaa in front of this beautiful room sheltered by thick glass. I tried to look at it, and there I see Imam Ali (A.S.) making sajda without any movements with his cheek (can't remember left or right cheek) exactly in the same position as I did, before I went to sleep. And I even remember the sajda I made before I went to sleep in the dream whilst looking at him. I was able to see his hands and face. He had a dark complexion, almost very brown. It surprised me for some reason. Furthermore he was wearing the kind of clothing people would wear in those times before going to battle, with the armour and protective gear etc. The next part is what I really didn't understand. Due to his sajda position, he didn't seem to move at all, which made it difficult for me to make out whether he was alive. This room Imam Ali (A.S.) was in had his stuff, a simple chair, things carved of wood and probably a bed as well. I took a few steps away to try to comprehend where this was, and I realised this was Najaf, and the masjid was the Imam Ali Masjid. So in essence his grave in the masjid, appeared to me as a room where he made sajda, and a few items were present with him. Please Brothers and Sisters, I am wondering what this means, and I would really appreciate it, if someone could explain, why I saw Imam Ali (A.S.) in the first place, in the same position I made the sajda with my cheek on the Turbah, I saw him do the exact same sajda? Am I just reading too much into it, or does it actually signify something? After all I did what I did before going to bed, because I wanted to become closer to Allah (S.W.T.).

For the members who have done Hawza, could you give a detailed list and description of the things that you learned while there, and the actions/activities that you did while there? Perhaps list it in a chronological order. Hawza is very shrouded in mystery for many of us laymen. JazakAllah Khair Fee Aman Allah

This is a reference post, as all this Basic information can be obtained on the Internet. https://www.al-islam.org/articles/taqlid-meaning-and-reality-sayyid-muhammad-rizvi https://www.al-islam.org/islamic-laws-ayatullah-abul-qasim-al-khui/taqlid Islamic Laws by Sayyid Abul Qasim al-Khu'i Sayyid Abulqasim al-Khui

I want to know of others who’ve been to ziyarat (Karbala) Iraq before and your experience. How safe is it? Etc. Is the trip easy to organize and so on. Are you planning on going this year? Thx

Hello all, I am a female going to Karbala and Najaf for the first time from the USA. I was wondering if someone would be able to answer some of my questions. It will greatly be appreciated. Thanks: 1) I know that makeup is not allowed. But what about eyelash extensions? These are fake individual lashes that are placed on your real lashes. They look natural. I just don't want anyone giving me a hard time for having them. 2) I am going to be on my menstrual cycle. Is there any advice regarding this? 3) Any other advice will greatly be appreciated. Thank-you.

Inshallah next month I will be going to Ziyara. If anyone would like a special duaa or ziyara request let me know. Ya Ali Madad

As some of you know I'm a christian who converted and still living in a christian household practicing my religion in secrecy. Before i discovered islam and before i committed I used to camp in nature and i have this photography hobby. This year i decided to tell my parents i'm going camping in the nature in our country for 6 days and in this way i managed to travel to iraq. We went me and my friend alone, we had people there in iraq who were having us as guests. The moment we went to the airport the struggling begun, we missed our plane which was in the morning, we waited the whole day for available seats but it was way too crowded. On that day, the last plane had 4 overbooked seats, basically they sold them seats which didn't exist, so Alhamdulillah they fixed us with them, we went from Lebanon to Turkey and from turkey to Najaf, we arrived to najaf at 3 am in the morning without sleep. This was on wednesday and the arbaeen is on friday. We took a cab to visit imam ali, there was a point where the taxi couldn't go further, so he dropped us and i literally started running with my bag i couldn't believe i'm miles away of My Imam. When i reached it was so overwhelming, WHAT A MYSTERY HE IS! I felt powerful that he is my leader i felt like he's right there looking at me i literally felt his presence i felt the utmost sympathy which was coming from him it felt as if i'm visiting my guardian, my protector. It was very strange and pleasant. We couldn't stay more, so we went to the house where we were staying at, we ate and we started walking from imam ali's makam to the first pole. I reached the first pole and started feeling the weakness of my body. It is worth to mention here that I'm athletic, I run since almost 4 years everyday and i do some very intense workouts (interval training, lactic acid training, fartlek training, etc). But walking is nothing like running. First of all No one told me how much it was hard to finish the 100km walk. No one told me i should get some doaa to listen to quran perhaps or latmiyat or whatever else, and all people told me it's very nice it's fun you feel the spirituality, etc... So i went there having this mentality, i wasn't mentally prepared for it. I hit the 200 pole and i seriously started questioning if i can continue or not. I called friends who reached to 950 pole and they started insisting on me that i should take a taxi and go to them. This was at maghreb prayer after 6 hours walking. After they called me several times telling me to come i started thinking if this was my case then what was the case of sayeda zeinab or roukaya or soukayna and the whole household of ahlulbayt?! The thought of me not being able to finish it ached my heart and it made me cry. I rested, my friend told me that she will carry my bag to help me and with the grace of God i started walking. With all the psychological and physical pain, suffering, sleeplessness, shivering (due to the hectic situation), swallowed feet, empty stomach, burning feet, cramps, i reached at 12.30 am to 634 pole. The thing that didn't help was the pace of my friend she was always 10-20 meters ahead of me, so there was no talking or conversations to help me forget about the pain. But she really helped by carrying my bag. So we slept at 1.30 am till 3.30 am the noise and all the snoring didn't help much. We prayed i slept 2 hours after that then continued to walk. The second day i was falling asleep when i was walking, i started having the flu with the fever and when i rested for few minutes I'd fall asleep on the chair. Nevertheless, We continued and we finished with couple of km left which i finished the second day because there were a big number of crowd, more than any other year and i didn't have the energy anymore to withstand all this crowd and walk among them. We reached the shrines of imam hussein and aba l fadel on saturday in the afternoon, we waited for couple of hours but it was all worth it, you can't exactly feel a lot of spirituality because you can't sit and focus your thoughts and get your head together. Everything was so quick. And if you want to sit for example pray talk to the imam someone comes and hits you. Of course there is special energy at every makam, you feel something different, for example when i reached the shrine of imam hussein i couldn't believe that i'm standing in front of the one and only man who's earth and skies are created due to his sacrifice. That we exist due to his sacrifice, everything we are everything we have is from Ashura. The rest of the trip took it's flow, other things happened but alhamulillah we managed everything in the end. "الأجر على قدر المشقة" It means you get rewarded as much as you tolerate pain and hardships. When i came back home, I accidentally forgot my ticket in the bag so when mom was removing the clothes to wash them she saw the ticket of course she snapped but she didn't tell my father or else he would have kicked me out of the house, it is the one and only time she didn't mention anything, because before that when she sensed that i was fasting or doing things related to religion she told my dad right away, but this time she couldn't. Everyone of us is protected by the imam of our time, he handles our matters all the time. I hope this was an inspiration to the readers and i hope everyone will experience this zyara, because after my personal experience i realized that the walk part is very essential for our Akida (creed), it is a kind of training.

Anyone gone or going to Karbala for Ashura? My parents and brother left yesterday.

Hi! i'm a swedish shia muslim and i live in Malmö! I was wondering what the requirements for studying in najaf where?

Has any Marja ever replied to a question on islamic fiqh presented to him with the answer "I don't know"? If so could you please provide me with the question and the name of the Marja.

Which Hawza city (Qom, Najaf, etc.) is best for learning Irfan? Which specific program do you recommend? Are these degrees connected to Academic degrees like Masters and PhD. I want to go to Hawza and focus primarily on the science of Irfan. I know it will take many years to master. I want to focus on theoretical and eventually practical Irfan.

Salam to All, With the grace of Allah, he has listened to my calls and I would be leaving for Karbala on 14 November. Its been 10+ years since I went to Karbala in my childhood. Can you answer my following queries? 1. I got to know that as a Pakistani, Iraqi food is little smelly and is not suitable for Pakistanis. Can you recommend any nearest shop to bainul harmain where I could buy food? 2. Are there any rare sites you would want me to witness near to bainul harmain? 3. What would you suggest me in the pre-chelum and post-chehlum days? Any suggestions, recommendations? 4. I want to visit the nearest checkpost to meet Iraqi army and possibly Hezbollah warriors there? Can I visit any checkpost near to bainul harmain and take some photographs? 5. I would be walking from Najaf to Karbala? What Would you recommend me for safety, tricks, tips etc? 6. Are there any maps, guides, apps for my visit? Thank you so much.

Salam Alaykum I am from Toronto, and Inshallah will be going for ziyarat before arbaeen, and will be there during arbaeen. I plan on going to Najaf first, and from there to Karbala. The problem is that I will not be going with a kafila because unfortunately I can not afford it. I am using my left over money from osap and my credit card to cover the cost. The ticket it self is $1700 CAD. Is there anyone who is interested in going together ? or for those who are not in the same country, maybe we can meet in Najaf or Karbala and accompany each other. It is my first time going, I have never been there and unfortunately I do not even speak, or understand arabic. Besides the Imams, I do not know anyone else there. I dont know where to stay if its not at the hotels, which seems expensive. Therefore I will feel safer if there would be someone else. Maybe someone is in a similar situation, and is looking for someone to accompany them. Please message me. In the coming week I will be applying for my visa, and it should be processed within a week. -Abbas

within next hours for the first time in my life, I will be a pilgrim of Ahlulbayts(as) buried in Iraq, first Najaf, the shrine of Imam Ali(as), the Karbala, and this happens on this year that lunar and solar time is the same which means the days are exactly the same days of karbala event, and in the end I will go to Kazemein to visit Imam Kazem(as) and Imam Javad(as). Firstly of all I beg you to forgive me if I did anything wrong to you and I really need your forgiveness. Secondly, despite my own urgent need in prayer and guidance, if anyone wants anything I can be his/her messenger and deliver whatever you wish in the shrines that I visit, with the condition of "If it is beneficial for him.her..." sometimes we ask something that is bad for us, I have to mention you need not to tell me what you want just let me know you have a message and I will tell Imams that you have a message and they will know your message. in the end I have request from you, pray for me in your duas and prayers for seeing the one we are waiting for, I am sure during these days he is there in Karbala specially the shrine of Hazrat Abbas(as). اللهم ارزقنا شفاعت الحسین و شهادت فی سبیله

Assalam o Alaikum Hope you are all well? InshALLAH by the grace of Allah I will soon be going on ziyarat in Iraq. I feel so lucky and blessed to have this opportunity to go and visit imam Hussain (as). Although wish I could have gone for Arbaeen but will inshALLAH be going in December during the xmas holidays. I am a revert shia (from sunni) and inshALLAH I will be going with my husband (who is a born shia), who has also never been before. My family is still all sunni, so I cant ask them as they'd have no idea. So i just thought you lovely members could help me out a little bit. So, i don't really know how to dress, i am a female, and I know I will have to be in full hijab. I already do hijab and will take some abayas with me, but the question I would like to ask is, as i will be going after Arbaeen would i be expected to wear black? I dont mind wearing black as most of my abayas are in black (and would be convenient). However then I wonder as its not Muharram and it will be after Arbaeen and even after Eid e Zahra...would it be bad to wear black. What colours should i wear/be expected to wear? what colours are a no no? Any advice on what I or my husband should wear and any other advice on what we should take with us? Many thanks for all your help Iltemase dua

Great little piece on Najaf. http://medias.france24.com/en/ptw/2016/05/13/MG060745-A-01-20160512.mp4

Arbaeen is still months away, but the works at Mawqibs have to be done now (before summer). Mawqib 219 (Baytul Ghadeer) is putting new English restrooms and other works estimated @ $20,000. There is brother who is willing to match 100%; and so we need to collect $10,000. This is a chance to contribute whatever you can for the services to visitors of Imam Hussain for years to come.So, for English restrooms & other works -Required = $20,000100% match, so goal = $10,000 Please make your contributions @ https://www.youcaring.com/mawqib-219-556131

Salamalaikum, Me and my family are hoping to go for ziyarat to Iraq making all 4 stops to Karbala, Najaf, Samarra and Khadimayn. We are planning to go ideally without a package because that way we can stay where we like for as long as we like etc. I know the visa process is a little complicated however we have found someone who charges £300 for 5 people to do the visas. My questions are: Do you know what airport is best to fly to from the UK? - Baghdad/Najaf. What's the best way to communicate from Ziyarat to Ziyarat ? - coach/taxi. Are there any suitable packages you're aware of leaving in the next month or so for 10+ days? - I've been quoted £1350 for 10 nights. Any information would be highly appreciated. Thank you.

(bismillah) (salam) I was wondering about this for a while. Does Sayed Sistani teach Bahath Kharij? I heard he offers private lesson to his sons and close associates, but I really don't know. If he does not, how would someone who wishes to study directly under him go about doing so? Would there be any way for someone to meet with the Sayed a few times to discuss issues which are regularly discussed in Kharij lectures? Anyway, one can just ask questions days on end. The main thing is does he teach? By the way, who teaches from the pulpit of Sayed Khoei?

Looks like they have started putting up borders already on shia areas.. Hopefully this isn't the start of separate states. The south-central holy Iraqi city of Najaf is fortifying its borders to prevent any potential inflow by terrorists with the ISIL Takfiri group from Anbar Province and Saudi Arabia, Press TV reports. Najaf, the capital of a province of the same name, is home to the shrine of one of the most revered figures in Islam, Imam Ali (AS). The province shares tens of kilometers of borders with Saudi Arabia and the Anbar province. At least one attempt by ISIL terrorists has been recorded over the past few months to infiltrate the holy city. More Info: http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2015/06/08/414905/Iraq-Najaf-Saudi-ISIL-Anbar

Mohebban Al Mahdi Youth Foundation is humbled to be able to present to you an explosive line up of speakers and reciters to celebrate the auspicious occasion of Eid Ghadeer, the waliyah of Ali ibn Abu Talib [as] Lecture will be given by Brother Ali Najaf from Detroit, Michigan Poetry by Brother Nouri Sardar Nasheed by Sayed Ali Alhakeem An event NOT TO BE MISSED! 18th October 6:30PM Manchester Islamic Centre, Sidney Street, M1 7HB For more details visit https://www.facebook.com/events/788081651255970

There are several old, yet ongoing, topics relating to the issue of studying in a hawza (either in Iraq or Iran). I would like to more specifically ask, what does a person do after they have completed their studies at the hawza? Let us assume that it is a Western student travelling to Iraq/Iran. I am going on the average time spent at the hawza (Sh. Yusufali said it was 8-10 years in that video which has been circulating the forum). How does a "graduate" make a living? (Not in terms of profit, but in terms of how they make ends meet.) Do they find other jobs, and devote their spare time to religious activities? Or do they become full-time religious workers in their community in the West (say USA, UK, Europe, etc.)? I am aware that different communities will have different needs. I'm just curious. I am thinking that I'd like to do this in the future insha'Allah, as I have always been interested in devoting one's life to religious study and activity.