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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.

Hawza Life Before I started a Hawza life I used to do lot of research online How to get admission and stuff but I’ve never get enough information about it. So today I’ll tell you all the steps. Ps: It’s better to have some worldly education (At least High school or even Masters) not because they will not accept you.But If you have worldly education, you’ll have better understanding of Islamic Knowledge. Al Mustafa International University Iran Is the head of all Hawza’s across the globe Almost all Hawza’s are under Al Mustafa University Admissions There is no specific time to get admission you can take whenever you want. If you have any of following passport you might not get admission as quick (Pakistani, Indian) not because that they are racist but actually there are lot of Pakistani's Indians studying here and there space is almost full for these countries. How to get Admission? There are three ways to get admission 1: If there is a Jamatul Mustafa branch in your country you should contact them and fill the admission forum and wait till they accept you and send your student visa. 2: Apply Online on “rsampa.miu.ac.ir . Fill the forum and wait till they contact you (Normally it will take around 3-9 months) 3: Visit Iran for Ziarah and visit Jamatul Mustafa in Qom and fill the online forum and wait till they do your work (it’ll take about a month) They might provide you temporary accommodation After you get admission They will provide you temporary accommodation and after that they will send you to Farsi Learning School. You’ll have 4 options 1: Qom 2: Mashhad 3:Esfahan 4: Ishtian You can choose from following!!!From where you want to learn Farsi and Tamhedia(Basic Islamic Laws) Rooms are quite normal you’ll get your own bed with a small wardrobe. And you’ll have to live with other 7 students in one room Timing Breakfast: 7:15am Class: Usually it’s from 8am to 1pm Lunch: After 1pm Dinner after Maghribain/ 8pm Lights off 11pm What will they provide? Hostel Pocket money 48 Dollars (per month) 3 time food (Thursday only 2 times and Friday no food) Health Insurance Ps: For married couple things are quite different They have limited houses for couples (You might have to wait for your turn) To Rent a house it may cost you around 45$ a month for 2 rooms but you’ll have to gave Rehen(Security) this depends on House/Area where you’re living it might be from 2000$ to 15000$ (You’ll get this money back when you’ll leave the house) What will you do after finishing Persian & Tamhedia? Then you’ll have to choose which Madrasa you want to go. There is only Two options Farsi or Arabic Madrasa for advance Islamic Studies For Example: Imam Khomenai University, Hujjatiya (They are Farsi Madrasas) Ahlulbayt & Imam Sadiq (as) Madrassa are Arabic Madrasas In these Madrasa they will teach you advance Islam. Can I get a job after becoming a Scholar? Well first of all remember that you're on Allah's way and sacrificing yourself for Allah you shouldn’t think that you won’t get a job. There are options if you want to live in Iran as a student they’ll provide you money (Hardly enough). Other than that there are few other options For Example: You can be a writer, You can be a Translator, You can be a public speaker (most of the Hawza students becomes speaker) You can go back to your country and serve your community. Ps: If any sister wanted to start a Hawza life there are also Hawza's for sister ,,, Bint ul Huda in Qom etc Best of Luck If you still have any questions, feel free to ask! Remember me in your Prayers

Asalamwalaykum. I am a 15 year old boy, who is currently on winter break. I am very stressed about school right now. Last year (Grade 9) and throughout elementary school, I got very good grades, especially mathematics, was 90's and 80's. Last year went really well too. This year however, I have been trying very hard, and studying a lot, and praying, yet I still have got very bad grades like 60's 70's. I know that I am doing everything I can, and I have gotten very close to Allah over the past few weeks, and have been crying in the glory of Allah, and for forgiveness for sins. I know that school has gotten harder from grade 9 to 10, but I know that I should be getting 90's, 80's at least still! I study constantly, and I am also humble about my grades, even though I might not have been before. Everyone of my friends are getting the same grades as last year, while possibly even studying less! I am frustrated by myself, and I need some hope. I will need 90's next two years in mathematics, and science, which are courses that I love, but have not been doing well in. I am also very scared because over the break I have been praying to Allah to help me with my education, so I can go on and help the Muslim community after getting a good job, I have been praying to become a doctor from a young age as well. I need some hope, or some clarification from you people, to help me understand if this is a test from Allah, and how to improve myself so I can do something about my situation. Thanks.

Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Raheem, Since last year I have been deeply studying the Islamic divide that took place following the death of the Rasul (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ) and the differences in how we Shias approach the topic about caliphate. I have read a lot of Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim and also have ahadith from both of those books that which prove the hypocrisy of the so-called companions, although the authenticity of these ahadith is denied by Sunnis. My main aim of this post is to put aside all ahadith books, both Sunni and Shia, mainly because they are subjective and open to a lot of bias. I wanted to gather the most pure and divine of evidence to prove the Wilayah of Imam Ali ((عليه السلام)). I am aware of Ayah 67 in Surat Al-Ma'idah, named Ayat Al-Balagh - "O Messenger, announce that which has been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message. And Allah will protect you from the people. Indeed, Allah does not guide the disbelieving people." Based on Abi Saeed Al-Khudri, a very well known companion that which the Sunni majority take hadiths from, stated that this ayah was revealed to the Rasul (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ) on the day of Ghadeer Khum, where he stated that Imam Ali will be leader following his passing, and Hadith Al-Thaqalayn was also mentioned on this day. I will be grateful if anybody knows of any other ayaat in the Qur'an that link to the Wilayah of Imam Ali and the divine succession of the Ahlulbayt to the Rasul (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ). Salaam.

Can anyone inform me about Shias in Russia? I'm planning to study there next year and I hope I would be able to find a Shia community there. I know there are a significant minority in Dagestan and urban Moscow but are there any other places with a Shia minority? I tried to search it online but I can't seem to find anything. If anyone knows of any Shia centers in Russia then please kindly inform me about it and maybe even give me a google maps link.

I've seen from nahjul balagha that Ali said to Muawiyah in a letter that "Verily those who swore allegiance to Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman have sworn allegiance to me on the same basis on which they swore allegiance to them." What does this mean? Are batris the true shia?

On Reddit, I’ve come across a self-proclaimed “ex-Muslim,” who even happens to be an Iraqi Shia residing in the USA. Most of his claims are based on misinterpretations of the Quran, and I have duly refuted them. But he seems to know nothing about Shiism other than “some guy named Ali wanted to be leader.” (Astaghfirallah, his words not mine) Meaning that his “reasons” for leaving Islam had nothing to do with the Jaafari school of thought and had to do with Islam in general. I’ve told him that there is a tremendous difference between Shiism and Sunnism, but how can I bring him back to the deen without overwhelming him? I’ve shown him some of the scientific miracles in the Quran, but he merely shrugs them off. Any advice?

Hello. I am a Sunni and I have noticed that that Shias' Sahoor time ends before Sunnis and their Iftar ends after Sunnis. My question is, what method is used to find out the timings of Ramadan Iftar and Sahoor in Shia Islam ? Thanks.

[This will be a series of blog entries on the history of ShiaChat.com; how it was founded, major ups and down, politics and issues behind running such a site and of course, the drama! I will also provide some feedback on development efforts, new features and future goals and objectives] Part 1 - The IRC (#Shia) Days! Sit children, gather around and let me speak to you of tales of times before there was ever high-speed Internet, Wi-Fi, YouTube or Facebook; a time when the Internet was a much different place and 15 yearold me was still trying to make sense of it all. In the 90s, the Internet was a very different place; no social media, no video streaming and downloading an image used to take anywhere from 5-10 minutes depending on how fast your 14.4k monster-sized dial-up modem was. Of course you also had to be lucky enough for your mom to have the common courtesy not to disconnect you when you’re in the middle of a session; that is if you were privileged enough to have Internet at home and not have to spend hours at school or libraries, or looking for AOL discs with 30 hour free trials..(Breathe... breathe... breathe) - I digress. Back in 1998 when Google was still a little computer sitting in Larry Page and Sergey Brin’s basement, I was engaged in endless debates with our Sunni brothers on an IRC channel called #Shia. (Ok, a side note here for all you little pups. This is not read as Hashtag Shia, the correct way of reading this is “Channel Shia”. The “Hashtag” was a much cooler thing back in the day than the way you young’uns use it today). For those of you who don’t know what IRC was (or is... as it still exists), it stands for Internet Relay Chat, which are servers available that you could host chat rooms in and connect through a client. It was like the Wild West where anyone can go and “found” their own channel (chat room), become an operator and reign down their god-like dictator powers upon the minions that were to join as a member of their chat room. Luckily, #Shia had already been established for a few years before by a couple of brothers I met from Toronto, Canada (Hussain A. and Mohammed H.). Young and eager, I quickly rose up the ranks to become a moderator (@Ali) and the chatroom quickly became an important part of my adolescent years. I learned everything I knew from that channel and met some of the most incredible people. Needless to say, I spent hours and dedicated a good portion of my life on the chatroom; of course, the alternate was school and work but that was just boring to a 15-year-old. In the 90’s, creating a website was just starting to be cool so I volunteered to create a website for #Shia to advertise our services, who we are, what we do as well as have a list of moderators and administrators that have volunteered to maintain #Shia. As a result, #Shia’s first website was hosted on a friend’s server under the URL http://786-110.co.uk/shia/ - yes, ShiaChat.com as a domain did not exist yet – was too expensive for my taste so we piggybacked on one of our member’s servers and domain name. The channel quickly became popular, so popular that we sometimes outnumbered our nemesis, #Islam. As a result, our moderator team was growing as well and we needed a website with an application that would help us manage our chatroom in a more efficient style. Being a global channel, it was very hard to do “shift transfers” and knowledge transfers between moderators as the typical nature of a chatroom is the fact that when a word is typed, its posted and its gone after a few seconds – this quickly became a pain point for us trying to maintain a list of offenders to keep an eye out for and have it all maintained in a historical, easily accessible way. A thought occurred to me. Why not start a “forum” for the moderators to use? The concept of “forums” or discussion boards was new to the Internet – it was the seed of what we call social media today. The concept of having a chat-style discussion be forever hosted online and be available for everyone to view and respond to at any time from anywhere was extremely well welcomed by the Internet users. I don’t recall what software or service I initially used to set that forum up, but I did – with absolutely no knowledge that the forum I just set up was a tiny little acorn that would one day be the oak tree that is ShiaChat.com. [More to follow, Part 2..] So who here is still around from the good old #Shia IRC days?

(salam) A christian has asked me that Why Quran has mentioned that male sperms originate from between the back and the ribs. I could not answer him because of my little knowledge. Any one can help? (bismillah) خُلِقَ مِنْ مَاءٍ دَافِقٍ {6} يَخْرُجُ مِنْ بَيْنِ الصُّلْبِ وَالتَّرَائِبِ {7} [Shakir 86:6] He is created of water pouring forth, [Shakir 86:7] Coming from between the back and the ribs.

"I am not so good in English" but I research a lot of thing in my language. And discuss a lot of thing with a Shia Master. ____ "Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the Prophets: and Allah has full knowledge of all things." — The Qur'an – Chapter 33 Verse 40 Here it's clear that in the future anyone can declared that he is the successor of Mohammed (s). That's why Allah sent this message to the world. Sunni Muslim loves everyone - 4 khalifa and also the other members of Ali (a) s family. And Ali (a) was alive when Abu bakar siddiq became a khalifa. So why he didn't tell anything? And khalifa means the head of Muslim state. Believes that khalifas ruined Mohammads (s) family tree. It also would be natural (family tree). So who will be the khalifa or head of state of Islamic country in the absence of Muhammad's (s) family tree?

Assalamu Alaikum. My name is [edit] (Revert name : [edit] ) I am a revert from [edit]. I reverted to Islam last year after the end of Ramadan. I would like to know about the Shia Muslims because I have seen sometimes whenever I praised something about Ayatollah Khomeini there are people talked to me because they hate the Shia people. Can you guys be honest with me about the difference ? and if there is any difference will you please explain the difference to me ? And yeah why there are some pictures of Prophet's grandson in a mosque ( are you sure this is the picture of Ali ?). Last question, You folks say 'Ya Ali' which I saw in a documentary about Iran-Iraq war. I never asked a Shia Muslim about it but some Sunni Muslim told me that you guys praise Ali more than the Prophet. Although my another Sunni friend told me not to listen to them and rather ask someone who is a Shia. I finally got this website to ask this question. I had a friend named [edit] from Tehran when I was at university but could not ask many questions to her because I was just a beginner in studying Islam. Hope you guys will answer. Kheyli Doset Daram Azizam [Mod Note: Please do not post any personal information (name, email, phone, WhatsApp. etc.) that can be used to identify you or someone else. Whatever you post on the Internet will be read by scammers and spammers or people who know you in real life.]

Was Hafsa divorced by the Prophet? Yes! عن عمر بن الخطاب: أنَّ رسولَ اللهِ ﷺ طلَّق حفصةَ ثمَّ راجَعها.) انتهى من صحيح ابن حبان (١٠ / ١٠٠ / ٤٢٧٥). وصححه الألباني في سلسلة الأحاديث الصحيحة (٥ / ١٥ / ٢٠٠٧). وصححه شعيب الأرنؤوط في كتاب تخريج مشكل الآثار (٤٦١١). Narrated by Omar Ibn Al Khattab may Allaah be pleased with him: The Holy Prophet peace be upon him divorce Hafsah but then came back with her. Sources: Sahih Ibn Hibban, vol: 10, page: 100, hadith: 4275. Authenticated by Al Albaani in his Silsat Al Ahadith Al Sahiha, vol: 5, page: 15, hadith: 2007. And also authenticated by Shu'ayb Al Arna'out is the book "Takhrij Mushkil Al Athar" ( 4611 ). If Hafsa was remarried then by logic she was divorced!

Assalamualaykum, I know this topic has been discussed time and time again, but I believe this matter should be dealt with on a case by case basis. I am a Sunni male (21 years old, about to graduate college and go to professional school) and I am attracted to a Shia girl. She and I are very good friends, and everything I'd like to see in a future wife, she has. We are trying to proceed with this the halal way and will be notifying our parents ASAP. A little about me and my family, we are extremely pro-ahlul-bayt. My father, especially, is extremely knowledgable when it comes to ahlul-bayt and he respects people of the Shia madhab. He is always lecturing me and his friends about the virtues of the ahlul-bayt and how we should use them as role models and also how they went through such extreme trials and tribulations. So that is a little about the type of household this Shia girl would be joining. I myself have been learning a lot about how Shias pray salah, a lot about their version of history, watching lectures, etc. There are many things that I agree with and respect, and I am much more aware and open to it now than ever before (not saying I would convert). Getting back to the topic at hand, I have assured this girl that neither my family, and especially me, will ever force her to practice anything against her will. I really like her for who and what she is, and I would never force her to change. Quite frankly, I believe these Shia-Sunni arguments and hatred is extremely unnecessary and I disagree with it. In terms of convincing parents, I think I will have it much easier than the girl. Her father is very extreme in his views and is very pro-Shia so it will be an uphill battle (he is just being a great father and looking out for his precious girl, so I understand). I was wondering if you guys could give any feedback on how she would approach and persuade her father? Would you guys support this marriage if it were you in my situation or if it were your kids? I think if she showed him some comments on here in support of us, he would be more open to it. At the end of the day, I believe that two Muslims who seem to be perfect for each other, love their last Prophet (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى), love the ahlul-bayt, and are tied to their deen, should be allowed to be together. JazakAllah for your time everyone!

Bismillah Al-rahman Al-rahim. Is there any hadith from the twelve Imams (عليه السلام) or the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) that describes how to perform the Salat Al-Istighfar? I've googled but people tend to say different things like do 2 Rak'ats or 4 Rak'ats and honestly I don't know if there's any difference between Shia or Sunni opinion on how to perform this salaat. I would appreciate if someone could guide me in full detail. Wa-asalam.

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds, and prayers and peace be upon Muhammad and his family and companions. My dear Iraqi people! O, great people! I address you in this difficult moment of your plight and your jihadist life, with all your classes and sects: with your Arabs and Kurds, with your Sunnis and Shias, because the tribulation does not concern a sect without another, nor is nation without another, and just as the plight is the plight of all the Iraqi people, the jihadist position and heroic response must be And the struggle of struggle is the reality of all the Iraqi people. And since I knew my existence and my responsibility in this nation, I made this presence for the Shi’ite and Sunni alike, and for the Arab and the Kurdish alike, as I defended the message that unites them all and the belief that includes them all, and I only lived in my mind and existence to Islam, the path of salvation and everyone’s goal. I am with you, my brother and my Sunni son, as much as I am with you, my brother and my Shi’ite son .. I am with you as much as you are with Islam; and as far as you carry from this great torch to save Iraq from the nightmare of authoritarianism, humiliation and persecution. The tyrant and its guardians are trying to suggest to our innocent sons of the Sunnis that the issue is a Shiite issue to separate the Sunnis from their true battle against a common enemy. And I want to tell you, O sons of Ali and Hussein, and the sons of Abu Bakr and Omar that the battle is not between Shiites and Sunni rule. The Sunni rule represented by the Rightly-Guided Caliphs which was based on Islam and justice, Ali, peace be upon him, carried the sword to defend him when he fought a soldier in the wars of apostasy under the banner of the first caliph - Abu Bakr - «2»), and we all fight against the banner of Islam and under the banner of Islam no matter what Its color. The Sunni rule that carried the flag of Islam had given Shiite scholars a half-century before the necessity of jihad for it, and hundreds of thousands of Shiites came out and made their blood cheap in order to preserve the flag of Islam, and to protect the Sunni rule that was based on Islam. Today's ruling is not Sunni rule, although the dominant group is historically affiliated with Sunni. Sunni rule does not mean the rule of a person born of Sunni parents, but rather the rule of Abu Bakr and Omar who challenged the tyrants of rule, in Iraq today in all their actions, they violate the sanctity of Islam and the sanctity of Ali and Omar together every day, and in every step of their criminal steps. Do you not see - my children and brothers - that they overthrew the religious rituals defended by me and Omar together ?! Do you not see that they filled the country with wines and pig fields and all the means of insanity and corruption that Ali and Omar fought together ?! Do you not see that they are practicing the most severe forms of injustice and tyranny towards all groups of people ?! And they are increasing day by day in hatred of the people, and have mastered the contempt of its dignity and separation from it, and the sit-in against it in their cemeteries surrounded by security and forces, while Ali and Omar lived with people and people and in the midst of people and with their pains and hopes. Do you not see the clan monopoly of these people on the authority of a tribal one who mislead the party in a false and fake manner ?! And they closed the doors of progress in front of all the masses of the people, except those who complained to themselves of humiliation and submission, sold their dignity and turned into humiliating slaves. These rulers have even insulted the dignity of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, as they worked to transform it from an ideological party into a gang, joining people by force and coercion. They felt fear, even from the Arab Socialist Party itself, which they claim to represent, they felt fear of it if it remained a real party that has its own rules that it adopts, and for this they wanted to destroy its rules to turn it into an assembly based on coercion and torture to lose any real content to it. My brothers and children from Mosul and Basra ... from the sons of Baghdad and Karbala and Najaf ... from the sons of Samarra and Al-Kadhimiya ... from the sons of Amara, Kut and Sulaimaniya ... from the sons of Iraq everywhere, I promise you that I am all for you and all of you, and that you are all my goal in The present and the future .. Let your word unite, and let your ranks coalesce under the banner of Islam, and in order to save Iraq from the nightmare of this dominating group, and to build a free and decent Iraq that is covered by the justice of Islam and the pride of human dignity, and in which all citizens - regardless of their nationalities and doctrines - feel that they are brothers, they all contribute to Lead their country and build their country, and see the realities of their Islamic ideals derived from our Islamic mission and the dawn of our great history. Peace, mercy and blessings of God. Muhammad Baqir Al-Sadr 20-25 / Shaaban / 1399 - 14-19 / 7/1979

I will start this post of by saying I am a non denominational Muslim (which means I don't really align myself to a sect but if I had to I would say I'm more zaydi in my beliefs, but I have the upmost respect for the companions of the Prophet) . If you asking why, it's because of my research into both Shi'a and Sunni Islam has given me so much to ponder over that I question a lot of the beliefs and wonder why things are in both beliefs. Please comment below if you have anything to add, anything you found interesting or anything you want to challenge or counter. Mosques: When I went to Shi'a Mosques, it felt more closed off if you catch my drift, I know some of you will probably disagree with this, but the Sunni mosques that I went to are more open to outsiders. I went to Shi'a mosques that were run by Pakistanis (which seemed more cultural then religious, maybe it will the language and the way they presented things, but there were far more emphasis on the Ahlul Bayt (particular in regards to Imam Ali and Fatima Zahra, )). I went to an Iranian Shi'a mosque which was a more nice experience but once again it was very culturally designed, unfortunately as I'm not Persian I couldn't really understand what they were saying. The closet thing to a mosque that I grew up was an Arab Shi'a mosque, it wasn't extravagent, just plain bear and just saw people continuously praying. My experience at Sunni mosques is quite different, I'm not saying this as a biased point of view but I feel like the Sunni mosques teach the message of the messenger Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) more then the Shi'a mosques which empathise the teachings of the Ah'lulbayt more. It was quite weird hearing people saying Imam Alis name louder then the Prophets ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)) name. Sunni mosques also like to focus on previous Prophets and focus on actions more (well from what I've experienced). In my experience the leaders of the Sunnis mosques are more open to talking and interacting then the sheikhs in the Shi'a mosques. I know it isn't common practice amongst quite a few Shi'as but it'd be quite nice to see a Shi'a mosque which was open for 5 Daily Prayers (at 5 consecutive times). For some praying 5 times a day brings them closer to God, although I don't disagree with hadiths that state that praying 3 times performing 5 prayers is allowed Beliefs: Prayer Wudhu: The method of prayer between the Sunnis and Shi'as is quite different. First of all is the matter of wudhu. Being a Shi'a forum I assume you guys probably know your method of wudhu. I find the Sunni version of wudhu makes me feel and more ready for prayer however. Azaan: Although it is debated amongst Shi'as and Sunnis that the azaan is altered on both sides. For example the Shi'as argue that the Fajr azaan in Sunni Islam is altered (although I'll be honest I havent looked in this), the athaan for the rest of the prayers seem unaltered, as they pledge the first two statements (There is no God but Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى)), and the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) is the final messenger. Shi'as also add the third to their athaan. I know Shi'as say that it is not mandatory (wajib) but I will say from my observe in the mosques etc, none has dropped the third testimony to the Athaan, which if you growing up as a young person you might start to assume that it is part of the athaan, which it isn't. I found this uncomfortable at time because I have grown up with the belief that the athaan is the athaan and should be unaltered (which is why I think the zaydi athaan is the correct form of athaan). I also questioned if it is optional, why didn't any of the centres I visited omit it from the adhaan, it's not like you have to add it everytime, for Sunnis this is quite controversial, if Shi'as are to add it to the athaan isn't it moving away from the Sunnah? Prayers: Shi'as pray with there hands down, Sunnis pray with there hands crossed. Not an issue for me either way sometimes I pray with my hands down sometimes with my hands crossed (I prefer praying with my hands down as it feels more natural). Shi'as use a turbah (which I don't like to criticize as I find it admirable), however there is an issue for me with turbah, because some of them say Imam Hussein or other members of the Ah'lulbayt, this for me is a grey issue, on the one hand you have a turbah made out of clay as it's Sunnah to pray on earthly material, on the otherhand you have members of the Ahlul'bayts name on them to which you're prostrating to, you can start to see my issue right....? Also whether we accept it or not there is no recollection of the Prophet ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)) using a turbah in his prayers, although there is hadiths of him using a mat made out of leaves I believe, this is still quite different from a turbah. The second thing which I observed was that Sunni's were much more observant of praying 5 times at 5 different times then Shi'as in their 5 daily prayers. Most Shi'as do tend to adopt the view that 3 times a day performing all 5 prayers is fine, however it's preferable to pray all 5 at 5 times which isn't encouraged enough in Shi'a centers hence the reason why they are only opened 3 times a day. Shi'as also ask Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) to bless the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) and his family often in ruku and in sajda (although I don't have an issue with this per se, we are praying to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) so we should focus on given the upmost praise to our Lord, which is why I just save it till Tasshahud). Beliefs: Without going into all the beliefs I have seen I will point out a few that I will say had me questioning Shi'a Islam Imam al-Sadeq was a great scholar, and he had all 4 main Sunni madhabs come from his teachings. But the thing that I find questionable is why is it then the Jafari school of thought is so different to the Sunni school of thought, if all 4 schools derived from Jafar al-Sadeq how comes non of them proclaim that the teachings of Jafer al-Sadeq similar to the Shi'a Jafari school of thought, in regards to stuff such as prayer etc, why are there all so different? Just a side note I'm not sure but apparently Imam al-Sadeq is also a descendant of one of the Sahaba (although I can't remember who), how would he feel to hear his generation criticised? Sunnis belief the Prophet saw was the most noble man to work this Earth, the Shi'as say he was infallible, this is also a point of sticking point for me and which I have to do more research on but I don't totally disregard the Shi'a view that our Prophet is infalliable (I say this because of the argument that the Prophet of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) has to be perfect for us to believe his message, otherwise people wouldn't be as trusting of his message). But it did get me questioning, how would an infallible man come to pick companions who wouldn't be loyal to him? Surely he would see people who would betray him, I have respect for the Sahaba (I'm not here to criticise Shi'as), but whether it is liked or not, the Sahaba were with the Prophet during his life and helped the growth of our religion, there are also authentic hadiths in which the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) has praised the Sahaba so why turn a blind eye to these? However I have read the Hadith al-Thaqlalyn and the story of Ghadir Khums. Because of these two counters, I do believe that Imam Ali was the rightful successor, but not to infallibility which something as big as this should be more clearly defined in the Qu'ran. I believe Imam Ali was the rightful caliphs but due to his merits, not because he was divinely appointed, an issue such as divine appoint would have been made clear in the Qu'ran, we can looks at verse but the tafsir on both Sunni and Shi'a sides could be correct (which is why I have an issue picking a side). For example, 33:33 Sunnis argue that is all the Prophets household including his wives (which would make sense make sense as the whole Surah is on women), however Shi'as argue it is based on the Ah Al-Kisa, whos correct I don't know, but why would something like this be made for us laymen to ponder and then interpret in a different way to how the message seems originally? I still struggle to see viewpoints in Sunni hadiths (the reason I take them more seriously because there is a greater hadith science between it and the verification process is more extensive) that Imam Ali was in direct conflict between the first three caliphs. Also a lot of the hadiths have been translated from the Prophets wife Aisha in Surah Bukhari, which is important in understanding the Sunnah of the Prophet in the Sunni traditions, which is why I don't understand the animonsity Shi'as have towards her. If we are to adopt the traits of the Ahlul Bayt, Imam Ali still showed her respect despite the disputes, so wouldn't it preferable to take the opinion of Imam Ali? Just a sidenote, I also find Sunnis beliefs a bit difficult to understand, if they are under one umbrella, lets take an issue like combining prayers, Hanafis say it is not permitted under any circumstance unless at Hajj, whereas Malikis say it is permitted, but during travelling, rain etc, Hanbalis say a distance of 90km. So whos right? The Maliki madhub pray with their hands down, this is because the founder of the madhabs was from Medinah I believe and said that hows people in Medinah prayed which means this is what the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) must have taught. If this is true, why did the other school not do it aswell, we are from the rope of religion. I also have an issue with the way Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) is described, for me it's more plausible that the Shi'a view that Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) is not limited by time or space, and to attribute attribute to our Lord is limiting him. Unfortunately what did turn me away from Shi'a Islam was the difference in pilgrimidge etc. Sunnis emphathise visiting Mecca, Medinah and Al Aqsa, as the first three holiest sites, I know this belief is shared in Shi'a beliefs aswell, but unfortunately I just don't thing this was empathised as much as visiting the shrines of Imam Ali, Imam Hussein, Imam Ridha etc. I'm not against visiting shrines, but to make it into a pilgrimidge kind of thing where these things for some take precedent over visiting officially recognised sites was a bit concerning. If I offend you with this I'm sorry but I have noticed it more people do actively talk about visiting Karbala than visiting Mecca for example. The story of the birth of Fatima Zahra. I heard from the Shi'a perspective that apparently that angels or something along these line visiting Lady Khadija and appointed 4 women to the birth of Fatima Zahra, but I never heard of this before anywhere in our religion and I don't see anything from the Prophet pbuhbeing mentioned regarding this Tawassul. Tawassul is hugely controversial and difficult for me to understand. When you look into to what they say in Dua Tawassul as a Sunni you'd be forgiven for thinking that Shi'as ask for other for help rather then Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى), which is polythiestic. I understand the Shi'a reasoning behind it, but for me it is always strange to ask someone for help, who will then turn to our Lord and ask on our behalf, this is not common in Sunni Islam at all, which then paints a grey area, why not just ask Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) directly, surely it's better and safer to do anyways Mu'tah, Tattoos, Tatbir Zanjeer. Sigh, these things are things that a person like me from a Sunni background has grown up and been told are not allowed. Why? I don't wish to speak bad of Mu'tah incase I may be mistaken, but you guys have probably heard the arguments against it. Tattoos, we've grown up to believe that our bodies are perfect so to modify them artificilly is looked down upon, some reason why we don't agree with Tatbir/Zanjeer, our bodies shouldn't be used to harm ourself, the Prophet didn't do it, so should we? This thread took a long time to write, I'm not hear to bash Shi'a beliefs, I just want a discussion, I'm a layman who is looking to learn (which is an important part of our religion), I was reading a article on how Khomeini was so adamant and fixed on the idea that Shi'a Islam was the true form of Islam it got me wondering, despite the majority of Muslims being Sunnis why was he so adamant that he was right? These things are so difficult to understand, it would take years to know if you practicing the religion properly and sometimes it hurts my brain thinking about these things. I'm open minded, I believe that Imam Ali should have been successor, but as I said I don't think he was divinely appointed, because I don't think something like this would have been left without being said, why would the Prophet not annouce that the Imam Mahdi has gone into hiding aswell or it being mentioned in Qu'ran. Because of all that I've that I've observed I do not really align myself with a sect, but I would say I'm more general Sunni follower with Zaydi beliefs if that makes sense. Let me know if you guys have anything to add. Than

*English Message follows* دورة جديدة في حوزة الامام الحسين (ع) قال رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ( صلى الله عليه وآله ) : " طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ فَرِيضَةٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ ، أَلَا إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ بُغَاةَ الْعِلْمِ " في بداية السنة الجديدة ٢٠٢٠ م تبدأ حوزة الإمام الحسين عليه السلام تقبل طلبات الانتساب الى دورة تمهيدية جديدة للراغبين بالدراسة الحوزوية وستكون بالترتيب التالي: ١ . يُركز على تعليم اللغة العربية في السنة الاولى بمعدل ٣ ساعات صباحا من الاثنين إلى الجمعة لكي يتمكن الطالب من إتقان اللغة العربية بما يؤهله للدراسة الحوزوية ٢ . بالإضافة لما سبق يدرس الطالب دروساً دينية باللغة الانجليزية أو مدعمة بالعربية إلى أن يكون مؤهلا لتلقي كل الدروس الحوزوية باللغة العربية. ٣ . تؤمن الدراسة لكافة الطلاب والطالبات من مدينة وندزور وكافة المدن الاخرى في امريكا الشمالية بشكل حضوري ويُؤمن سكن داخلي في المؤسسة للطلاب الذكور القادمين من خارج مدينة وندزور. ٤ . نرجو ممن يرغب بالدراسة المبادرة الى إخبار إدارة الحوزة وتسجيل الاسم في شهر كانون الثاني لكي يتمكن من متابعة الدراسة. يرجى ممن عنده إلتزام بدراسة جامعية أو بعمل أن ينظم أوقات عمله أو دراسته الجامعية مسبقاً بحيث تكون بعد الظهر لتتسنى له الدراسة في هذه الدورة قبل الظهر. نرجو ممن يطلع على هذه الرسالة نشرها في امريكا الشمالية لتصل إلى الاخوة والاخوات الذين يهمهم الأمر ويكون الناشر مشاركا في ثواب دراسة طالب العلم وخدمته الدينية. التواصل يكون عبر الإيميل التالي: hawzawindsor@gmail.com او بالاتصال على الارقام التالية: سماحة الشيخ عبد المنعم شرارة +1(519) 819-8117 السيد حسن الطباطبائي +1(514) 465-5526 مكتب استعلامات المؤسسة +1 (519) 256-7171 صفحتنا على الفيسبوك: http://facebook.com/ihfwindsor وفقنا الله واياكم لخدمة علوم محمد وآل محمد عليهم السلام A New Course in the Imam Hussain ((عليه السلام).) Hawza – Windsor, Canada The Holy Prophet Muhammed (P.) said: “Seeking knowledge is an obligation on every Muslim, Surely, Allah loves the seekers of knowledge.” At the beginning of the New Year 2020, the Imam Hussain ((عليه السلام).) Hawza in Windsor, Canada, is accepting applications for registration to a new introductory course for those wishing to study Hawza, details are as follows: 1. The focus in the first year is learning Arabic for about 3 hours a day, classes are in the morning, from Monday to Friday. It is crucial for the student to master Arabic language in order to qualify for Hawza Studies which are delivered in Arabic Language. 2. In addition to the above, students will be having various religious classes in English until they are eligible to enroll in the Hawza classes which are taught in Arabic language. 3. Classes are provided by attendance to all male and female students from the city of Windsor and all other cities in North America for free. The Hawza provides residential accommodation in the institution for male students only who are coming from outside the city of Windsor. 4. If you wish to study at the Hawza, please contact the Hawza Administration in January to register so that you can start your classes. Note: Those who are committed to university studies or work are requested to organize their university or work schedule in advance so that they are all in the afternoon because the classes will all be before Dhuhr prayers. * We ask everyone who see this announcement to share it with their contacts in North America so that it reaches all those who are interested in studying Hawza. For further details, do not hesitate to contact us on the following email: hawzawindsor@gmail.com Or by calling the following numbers: Shaikh Abdul Mon’im Sharara: +1 (519) 819-8117 Sayed Hassan Tabatabai: +1 (514) 465-5526 The Foundation’s Reception Desk: +1 (519) 256-7171 Official Facebook Page: http://facebook.com/ihfwindsor Thank you,

Salam alaykum all, To help the Shia community more readily access our own books' information, I made a website with the four major Shia Hadith books. The site allows you to browse, search and share Shia Hadith. Please check it out and let me know any feedback. http://www.fourshiabooks.com

Can there be understanding, tolerance and mutual respect toward Salafis and Salafism under the, in the Islamic Republic of Iran anyway, oft-propounded ideal of Islamic Unity?

Are there any other Shia matrimonial sites out there, I tried shiamatch Mod Note: https://www.shiachat.com/forum/topic/235047390-marriage-help-and-advice/

Assalamu aleikoum, ya 'Ali madad, I would like to see everyone of those people mentioned here in the tags and even other Shi'a whom I forgot to mention to create here topic of understanding support and Shi'ite unity. Be friendly in the name of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى)! We can discuss here our faith practices but really, be friendly and be brothers and sisters here. Our religion is Islam Shi'a, that´s what unite us!

I know theres Sunni ones and groups lke the ISNA and CAIR, and Muslim Defense league, but do Shias have similar organizations to help Shias, are there Shia charities and Shia rights and social orginaziations?