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I believe that the Afterlife is not just for Humans and Jinn, but also for animals. Yes, your favourite pet cat that died will be brought back to life, and who knows, you may be reunited! I believe this for 2 reasons. Firstly, justice and mercy seem to require that animals be compensated for the suffering they endured on Earth. After all, many animals lived very difficult lives, full of pain and suffering. Secondly, a number of verses in the Qur'an seem to point to an Afterlife for animals. In the context of the end of the world, and the Day of Judgement, verse 81:5 says: و إذا الوحوش حشرت And when the wild animals are gathered together (hushirat) - Al-Takwir, 81:5 Allamah Tabataba'i in Al-Mizan says: و ظاهر الآية من حيث وقوعها في سياق الآيات الواصفة ليوم القيامة أن الوحوش محشورة كالإنسان، و يؤيده قوله تعالى: «و ما من دابة في الأرض و لا طائر يطير بجناحيه إلا أمم أمثالكم ما فرطنا في الكتاب من شيء ثم إلى ربهم يحشرون»: الأنعام: 38. The apparent meaning of this verse based on the place of its occurrence, and the context of verses describing the events of The Day of Judgement, is that the wild animals are also (brought back to life and) gathered (mah-shoora) just like human beings. This is supported by the verse: There is not an animal that walks upon the Earth, nor a bird that flies with its two wings, except that they form communities like your own; We have neglected nothing in the Book. Then to their Lord shall they be gathered (yuh-sharoon) - Al-An'am, 6:38. (Tafsir Al-Mizan, chapter on Surah Al-Takwir)

This thread is meant to explore the numerical relationship between the quran and ahl alabayt AS. The basis of research is formed as per Hadith thqalayn as both of them are inseparable. 1. The calculations regarding names of the prophet and Ahl al-Bayt (p) ie 5 personalities are mentioned below: محمد = 4 حروف (م ح م د) Jafr Number =92, Jafr prime = 2 , Jafr sum =4278, Jafr sum prime = 21 -> 3 علي = 3 حروف (ع ل ی) Jafr Number =110 Jafr prime = 2 Jafr sum = 6105, Jafr sum prime = 12 -> 3 ) فاطمة = 5 حروف ف ا ط م ہ Jafr Number =135 Jafr prime = 9 Jafr sum =9180 , Jafr sum prime = 18 -> 9 حسن = 3 حروف (ح س ن) Jafr Number =118 Jafr prime = 1 Jafr sum =7021, Jafr sum prime = 10 -> 1 حسين = 4 حروف (ح س ی ن) Jafr Number =128 Jafr prime = 2 Jafr sum =8256, Jafr sum prime = 21 -> 3 Example: Name Muhammad , Jafr Number based on Jafr numerals is 92. (Jafr numerals can be seen from the given link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abjad_numerals) Jafr prime = 92 -> 9+2 =11 -> 1+1 = 2 Jafr sum = 1+2+3+…..+91+92 = 4278 Jafr sum prime = 4+2+7+8 = 21-> 2+1=3 Total Jafr sum prime = 3+3+9+1+3 = 19 for 5 personalities Total letters in names of 5 personalities = 4+3+5+3+4 = 19 for 5 personalities This is an important indication that the names of 5 have been placed in numerical balance by Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) Further 19 is reduced as prime = 1+9 =10 ->1+0=1 Also Total Jafr prime = 2+2+9+1+2 =16 ->1+6 = 7 If we see in the Quran, first Sura (sr No. 1) is Sura Al-Fateha and it consists of exactly 7 number of verses. The first verse out of these 7 verses is Bismillah. The numerical analysis of its letters is carried out and given below: بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ب س م ا ل ل ہ ا ل ر ح م ن ا ل ر ح ی م The total letters used in this important verse of Quran is equal to 19 which is the same numbers of letters used in the names of 5 personalities. Surprising. 2. Al Qadr Sura No. 97, verses 5 Al Feel Sura No.105, verses 5 Al Masad Sura No. 111, verses 5 Al Falaq Sura No. 113, verses 5 Al Maeda Sura No. 5, verses 120 There are 4 Sura in the quran that have exactly 5 verses. There is one Sura placed at Sr, No. 5 as given above. This is the indication that 1 out of 5 is different or 4 are similar. This is exactly comes true for 5 personalities that 4 are male and one is Female in appearance in Panjtan. 3. Al Fateha No. 01, verses 7 Al Baqra Sura No. 02, verses 286 Ale Imran Sura No. 03, verses 200 Al Nissa Sura No. 04, verses 176 Al Maeda Sura No. 05, verses 120 First five Sura of the quran are taken and their verses are mentioned above. There is only 1 Sura that has name as “Al-Nissa” (woman). The name Fatima SA is the only female in appearance out of 5 personalities and 4 others are male in appearance. 4. From the first Sura of Quran named as “Al Fateha” the verse number 5 is given below: إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ ا ی ا ک ن ع ب د و ا ی ا ک ن س ت ع ی ن This verse contains exactly 19 letters. “Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help.” The basis of the worship and help from Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) is the love and following the prophet and his Ahl albaayt. There are 12 dots in this verse used for conveying its meaning of the text which is the same count as per number of imams from the pure progeny of the prophet Muhamamd saww.. 5. The Suras numerically resembling the 5 personalities are mentioned below: محمد = 4 حروف (م ح م د) Jafr Number =92 The Sura at sr. no. 92 is named as Al Layl and it has 21 verses. 92+21 = 113 ->1+1+3 = 5 علي = 3 حروف (ع ل ی) Jafr Number =110 The Sura at sr Number 18 is named as Al Kahef with 110 verses. 18+110 ->128 which is jafr Number for name Hussain AS. The Sura at sr. no. 110 is named as Al Nasr and it has exactly 3 verses. فاطمة = 5 حروف ف ا ط م ہ) ( Jafr Number =135 The Sura at sr. no. 20 is named as Taha (طہ) and it has exactly 135 verses. حسن = 3 حروف (ح س ن) Jafr Number =118 The Sura at sr. no. 23 is named as Al Mominoon and it has exactly 118 verses. حسين = 4 حروف (ح س ی ن) Jafr Number =128 The Sura at sr. no. 16 is named as Al Nehal and it has exactly 128 verses. Note: If any member like to share regarding the title of OP he may post it. (....Continued).

Sweden Quran burnings: Dozens injured in riots (cnn.com)

Ghadir: Key Teachings from the Last Sermon of the Prophet - Maulana Syed Muhammad Rizvi | Friday Juma Khutba June 30th, 2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQRGB_joUUU - 'Idul Ghadir is celebrated after 'Idul Adhaa and is significant in the faith and history as it links the institution of nubuwwat and imamat. - Ghadir was the Prophet's last formal sermon and the largest gathering he addressed. - The sermon discussed various teachings and values of Islam, including the sanctity of a Muslim's life, prohibition of interest, ending tribal strife, changing sacred months for political agendas, Shayṭān's influence, women's rights, brotherhood of the ummah, equality among believers, and the importance of inheritance laws were also emphasized. - The main message of Ghadir was the issue of succession, appointing 'Ali as the mawla, the master, the guide, and the Imam. - The Prophet highlighted the sanctity of a Muslim's life and honor and criticized the lack of respect for life among Muslims. - Trustworthiness and the sanctity of others' property were emphasized, reflecting the character of the Prophet and 'Ali. - Women's rights were addressed, emphasizing mutual rights and the responsibility to fear displeasing Allah. - The message of equality among believers, similar to the message of Hajj, was highlighted. - Holding on to the thaqalayn (the Book of Allah and the Prophet's family) was emphasized as a means to avoid going astray. - The statement "Allah's Book and my family" is found in three of the six major sources of Sunni hadith and is considered mutawātir, narrated by 120 companions. - The statement "Allah's Book and my sunnat" is not found in the ṣiḥāḥ sittah and is considered unauthentic.

HELP FROM OTHER THAN ALLAH? This debate, in the Shia community, is an unnecessarily controversial topic. You can find the description of this dilemma under various headings, the most famous of which is “Is saying Yā ʿAlī Madad allowed in Islam?” Is it shirk (association of partners with Allah), bidʿah (innovation in religion), mustaḥabb (recommended) or ḥarām (prohibited)? Many people resort to asking the Marājiʿ , seeking their fatāwā’ (jurisprudential ruling) on this matter. Some resort to their own whims and opinions, without caring or bothering to research, investigate, and peruse the Islamic literature on this matter. Among those who choose the more difficult of the three paths, i.e., to search for truth by investigation and research (taḥqīq), are two factions. First are those with confirmation bias who only set out to find proofs that fortify their claim, while ignoring or misinterpreting any evidence against their argument—these people are actually not looking for the truth, they have already made up their minds as to what the truth is, and won’t be convinced no matter how obvious and in their face the reality is. It is very hard for a person who is firmly rooted in a certain belief system to change his/her mindset, and if Allāh leaves them wandering in their rebellion, then not even the Prophet ﷺ can guide them. [7:186] The second group is constituted by actual skeptics who are willing to stand corrected when the argument presents itself in front of them, and strive to the best of their capability to remain logical and unbiased in their research. Āyatullāh Sayyid Kamāl al-Ḥaydarī said in one of his lectures: “When you or I read history, we seek to take what supports and establishes the correctness of our creed, sect, and religion, (i.e., what we already believe), however, if we put these biased glasses on, we will not reach the truth. Therefore, the search for truth must be more important than belonging to a sect or religion. Let the focus of your research be upon the truth. It may be that what you find is congruent with the religion you are convinced about, and it could also be that what you are convinced about is contrary to the truth. Akhbārī seeks to establish Akhbāriyyah, Uṣūlī seeks to establish Uṣūliyyah, philosophers seek to establish philosophy, ʿIrfāni seeks to establish ʿIrfān. If this is your focus, then rest assured you are not searching for the truth. Memorize this statement: ‘The search for truth is more important than belonging’—this is what we are calling for when we call towards logic (mantiq), i.e., we must find that you exhibit a logic geared toward the search for truth, not a logic which seeks to support whatever you are already upon.” WHERE TO SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH? The answer is clear-cut and straightforward. The Qur’ān should be any Muslim’s first point of reference whenever researching religion. The first question that should arise in a believer’s mind regarding Allāh’s decree or order is, “What does the Book of Allāh say?” George Tarabishi, a Syrian writer, has reportedly said that the reason why Muslims have become as debased and impotent as they have, is because they have left the Islām of the Qur’ān and accepted the Islām of ḥadīth. Regardless of what state the rest of the ummah­ is in, this notion most certainly holds true for the majority of the Twelver Shias today. The approach towards religion, for centuries, in the Shīʿī school of thought has been a traditional (ḥadīth-based) one. The practice of most turbaned scholars nowadays is to read the ḥadīth books, pick out traditions that support their cause, and feed them to the masses, without caring in the least to verify, at least, the chain of narrators first. How would they? Most are not even adept in ʿilm ar-rijāl (the study of people who transmitted/reported sayings from the holy Prophet ﷺ or the Imāms). Even if some of them do bother to verify the chain, they still fail on the second, and perhaps the most important step, which is to test the veridicality of the narration upon established principles from the verses of the holy Qur’ān. No matter how strong the chain of narrators is, if the narration opposes the Qur’ān, it should be thrown away, because whatever is from the Infallibles (عليه السلام) can never contradict the word of Allāh. In Mu’jam Rijāl al-Ḥadīth, Imām ʿAlī ar-Riḍā (عليه السلام) has confirmed the above methodology. However, most modern scholars have a converse approach: They study the corpus of narrations and subsequently read the Qur’ān, interpreting the verses according to the ḥadīth perspective. What they are doing is trying to make the Qur’ān comply with what they have already established from the narrations. Such a reading of the Book is close to fabricating lies against Allāh and His Messenger ﷺ. Then who is more unjust than [the one] who invents a lie about Allāh to mislead the people without knowledge? Indeed Allah does not guide the transgressors [6:144]. Hence, our methodology for this research will be primarily based upon clear (muḥkam) verses from the Qur’ān, and ḥadīth shall only be relied upon if it conforms to the Book. This is important because, the Qu’ān is “Furqān” or “Criterion” that separates truth from falsehood [2:185] [3:4] [25:1]. And truth has become distinct from error [2:256]. THE QUR’ĀN It’s harrowing how this explicit verse is still not enough to shatter the arguments that our fellow Shias come up with. Despite having memorized “You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help” [1:5] since childhood and hopefully reciting the verse at least 10 times a day in our daily prayers, it seems like we haven’t understood the message of it (and how clear a message it is!). The verse declares that worship is for Allāh alone—this is because of the use of the word “iyyāka”. If the verse said “We worship you” (as opposed to the usage of ‘only’ or ‘alone’), then the wording would have been different; Allāh could have revealed, “نَعْبُدُكَ وَ نَسْتَعِيْنُكَ”, which would translate to “We worship you and seek help from you.” But no! The word “إياك” has reserved the act of worship for Allah alone, without exception. This is clear to every believing Muslim, and is the fundamental pillar of Islām, i.e., tawḥīd. The rejection of other deities and gods as unworthy of worship is the very foundation of this monotheistic religion. But what most of us often choose to forget is that the same reservation and restriction is placed, without any distinction, to the act of seeking help. Both the phrases are separated only by a “و” (and). The import of the verse would have not changed had Allāh chosen to omit the second “إياك”, that means, the Qur’ān could have said, “You alone we worship and seek help from.” The meaning is not that different, is it? So, what is the need to add another “iyyāka” before “nastaʿīnu”? The reason is right in front of you. It is to put emphasis on the “You only/alone” part. “Seeking help” is very similar to the act of “worship” in the manner that both are reserved, by how this verse reads, for Allāh, and no one else. Here comes the layman Shia’s first question: “That seems illogical, how can it be said that “seeking/asking for help” is reserved for Allāh alone? Do we not seek help from other human beings like family, friends, doctors, teachers, strangers, and so on? Are we then flouting and violating an Islamic law by seeking help from the creation of Allāh, while it is reserved for the Creator alone?” This question is insincere, and only asked by those who want to defend their practice of saying “Yā ʿAlī madad” or “Yā Ḥusayn madad” to the very last breath. The answer to this question is very simple, “Asking for help from anyone who is alive and present in front of you is allowed and unproblematic, but seeking assistance from someone who is behind the curtain of ghayb is prohibited, because ghaybī assistance is from Allāh alone.” A counter that opponents of this argument often come up with is, “But the Prophet (S) and his Ahlulbayt (عليه السلام) are all alive, just like those killed in the way of Allāh (martyrs/shuhadā’). Doesn’t the Qur’ān say, “Do not call those slain in Allah’s way ‘dead’. No, they are living, but you are not aware. [2:154] …they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision [3:169]”?” First of all, most scholars opine that this realm of existence or state of living is not the same as ours, but it is barzakh. This will be confirmed if you refer to Tafsīr al-Mīzān for the above verses. Secondly, the verse still doesn’t legitimize or vindicate seeking help from martyrs because of the simple fact that even if alive, they are not present in front of us, but are on the other side of the curtain of ghayb, and therefore, seeking help from them would be disobedience in light of the verses of the Qur’ān. Moreover, they themselves are dependent on Allāh for their provision. In sūrah al-Baqarah, Allāh says, “And seek help through patience and prayer. And indeed, it is difficult except for the humble ones—who are certain they will meet their Lord and they will return to him.” [2:45-46] A very similar verse is found later on in the same sūrah: The phrase “ٱستعينواْ بٱالصبر وٱلصلوة” appears in both the verses. Patience and prayer are listed as the means or methods of seeking help. The verb for help is “astaʿīnu”—same as the one in sūrah al-Fātiḥah. In verse 153, Allāh is explicitly addressing “those who believe”, however, in the verse 45, Allāh is addressing Banī Isrā’īl (The Children of Israel). From the context of both verses, it can be understood that the teaching is not specific to Children of Israel, but even if someone ignorant enough does come up with the objection, the latter verse (153) clarifies the matter. Verse 45 is just a continuation of Allāh’s commandments to Banī Isrā’īl that begin from verse 40, which includes upholding covenants, believing in Allāh’s revelations, establishing and bowing down in prayer, paying the charity (zakāh), etc. The succeeding verses are also addressed to the same nation. A believer’s prayer is established when his niyyah (intention) is khāliṣ (pure), that is, to seek nearness to Allāh, his Lord and Sustainer (qurbatan ilallāh). Allāh continues, “and it is difficult except for the humble ones”—“it” refers to the act of prayer or “ṣalāh”. Clearly, prayer is the ultimate representation of complete submission to one’s Lord, when one bows down and then prostrates to Him, he admits his weakness to his Lord, who is the Almighty and All-Powerful. The believer is always in need of help from his rabb. Prayer is where a believer is humbled, as Allāh says in sūrah al-Mu’minūn, “Certainly the believers will have succeeded. Those who are humble in their prayer” [23:1-2]. Allāh repudiates those who are negligent of prayer and do good deeds only to show off: “So woe to those who pray [but] are heedless of their prayer. Those who make a show of their deeds.” [107:4-6] It is clear how humbly standing in prayer in front of Allāh is one of the best ways to seek help from Allāh. The second way mentioned in the verses is through “patience”. Patience is an exemplary trait in a human being that makes any hardship possible to overcome. It would seem that the believers, by being patient, have helped themselves, out of their own ability, but that is where verse 153 corrects you, “Indeed Allah is with those who are patient”—so even when the believers are being patient in the face of hardships, Allāh is with them. This confirms that the source of help is Allāh alone, in all cases! It could be said that on the basis of these verses that ṣabr and ṣalāh are two “wasā’il” of receiving divine assistance and support. The import of these verses is crystal even from a superficial reading, and does not need much clarification, as the meaning is not of an esoteric or arcane nature. However, just to supplement our argument, let’s take a narration from al-Kāfī, as mentioned in al-Mīzan fī Tafsīr al-Qur’ān by ʿAllāmah Ṭabāṭabā’ī: Imām aṣ-Ṣādiq said: “Whenever ʿAlī ((عليه السلام).) faced a difficulty, he used to stand up for the prayer and then recite this verse…” and also, “When a man is confronted by a hard misfortune, he should fast. Surely Allāh says: and seek help through patience, that is, fast.” Here, the Imām ((عليه السلام).) has interpreted ṣabr as “fast” or “ṣawm”. The tafsīr mentioned in this ḥadīth does not contradict the matn of the Qur’ān because fasting certainly requires a lot of patience. Hence, a wasīlah of seeking recourse other than prayer is fasting. Verse 46 says that the humble ones are “those who are certain that they will meet their Lord and return to him.”—this clause is important, as we’ll explain next: The translation of the above verses of the same chapter 2, al-Baqarah, [2:155-157] is: “And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, and give good tidings to the patient, who, when disaster strikes them, say, “Indeed we belong to Allāh and indeed to Him we will return. Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy and it is those who are rightly guided.” These verses tie up beautifully with [1:5], [2:45], and [2:153]. In al-Fātiḥah, we are taught to ask Allāh for help, and what help did we ask Him for?—“Guide us to the straight path” [1:6]. We’re asking for “guidance”. Allah’s guidance is to be found in His Book, which is a guidance for the godwary [2:3]. He ((سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى).) taught us to seek recourse through praying and observing patience (or fasting, acc. to tradition) in verses 45 and 153, where he also said, “إن الله مع الصابرين“. In the verses under discussion, He (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) has detailed who the الصابرين are. He (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) says that the believers will be tested with fear, hunger, monetary loss, death, fruits, etc. but also instructs his Prophet ﷺ to bear good news for the “patient” ones. What are the characteristics of those people? They patiently remember their Lord in times of affliction and calamity, remembering that their return is to Allāh, therefore the calamities of this world are trivial compared to those of the Hereafter. It is this remembrance of the day of Judgment that helps them stay patient in the face of adversity, because they are certain they will meet their Lord [2:46]. Such are the people who are helped by Allāh, and upon whom are blessings from their Lord [2:157]. There you have the guidance you asked for in al-Fātiḥah! Hence, is is those who are rightly guided. The 62nd verse of Surah An-Naml (27) is a cogent argument for all believers who exercise their reason. It is a rhetorical question or challenge to people who invoke or call upon anyone besides Allāh from among his creation. The translation is: Who answers the distressed when he calls Him and removes evil and appoints you as inheritors of the earth? Is there a god with Allāh? Little do you remember! If anyone other than Allāh could possibly answer you and remove your distress, then would not this challenge of Allāh become pointless (astaghfirullāh!)? Imām ʿAlī (عليه السلام) and Rasūlullāh ﷺ are clearly separate from Allāh and are His creations. They are not gods, that is true, and no Shīʿī believes that. All of the anbiya’ and ‘awliyā are His righteous servants whose only purpose is to guide us to the right path. They do not have a share in Allāh’s creation or might. They do not control the atoms of the universe. Therefore, when you call upon them in times of need, you are actually countering Allāh’s argument in the above verse. To boil it down for the layman in simple terms, what you are implying is: “Yes, O’ Allāh, apart from You, there are some creations of Yours who can answer us when we call them, and can remove our adversities, difficulties and problems.” Allāh: “Is there a God with Allāh?” You: “No, my Lord, they are not gods, but You have created them and appointed them as intermediaries. They can only hear our call and respond to us with Your permission. They are not indepentent of You, rather they are a wasīlah to You!” This is the typical Shīʿah argument, which is, unfortunately, often even put forward by pseudo-scholars who occupy the pulpit and address majālis consisting of hundreds and thousands of laymen who only know how to applaud the “mawlānā” or “dhākir” no matter what ghuluww or kurf they may be insinuating. Allāh answers this first in Sūrah al-Isrā’: Verses 56-57: Say: “Invoke those whom you claim besides Him, for they neither have power to remove your adversity nor bring change. They (themselves) are those who call and seek means to their Lord, whoever is nearer, expecting His mercy and fearing His punishment. Indeed your Lord’s punishment is to beware of. Lo! You were claiming that the prophets and Imāms have been given power by Allāh to hear you (even when they are in ghayb or deceased) but Allāh refuted you and negated your argument. If this verse talked about idols, then verse 57 would be meaningless because idols do not call upon Allāh or seek wasīlah to Him, or seek His nearness or fear His punishment. Therfore, it is proven that those whom “you claim besides Him” are clearly living creatures who pray to their Lord and fear His punishment. Was this not the exemplary behavior of all the prophets, Imāms and His righteous servants? You claimed that the prophets and Imāms themselves are a wasīlah to Allāh! That is why you were calling them. The argument you put forward is that you call upon these servants of Allāh because they are nearer to their Lord and therefore, will intercede for you in your supplications. But what did Allāh say? Read the āyāt again. "لا يملكون" means no power/control. Allāh again refutes the same argument in Sūrah Fāṭir: And those whom you call besides Him do not control even as much as the husk of a date stone. If you call them, they do not hear your call, and if they heard they would not respond to you. And on the day of qiyāmah will deny your shirk [35:13-14] The translation is clear. Those whom you invoke are creations who have not been given a share in Allāh’s power to control anything, they are nothing but dependent servants of Allāh. They can not even control a thing as small and insignificant as the husk of a date-seed, so how can they solve your problems? This verse, again, is not talking about the idols worshipped by idolaters, because of the words, “and if they heard, they would not respond to you”—we all know idols can not hear in the first place, so there was no need for Allāh to say “and if they heard”. Neither are idols conscious, sentient, speaking entities who possess intellect. That is why, it is only fitting that those who, on the day of qiyāmah will deny your shirk are righteous servants of Allāh, like the awliyā’, the angels or the prophets. Verse [27:62] when talking about calling Allāh, used the phrase: “Is there a god with Allāh” and this verse says “will deny your shirk”—hold on! But we never worshipped the Imāms or considered them to be gods, we only called upon them to help us—that is what the layman says. However, in Allāh’s eyes, this is shirk. Say: “Have you not considered your partners whom you call besides Allāh. Show me what have they created from the earth. Do they have partnership (with Him) in the heavens or have we given them a book so they are on evidence from it? No, rather the wrongdoers promise one another nothing but delusion.” [35:40] Are Imāms the creators? (naʿūdhubillāh) No! Are they Allāh’s partners in the skies/heavens? No! Have they been given a book containing evidence that you can call upon them? No! This is how the āyah can be applied to our current belief. The istighāthā defendant replies: “But the Prophet ﷺ was given a book. In fact, it is the very book you are quoting from, Allāh’s last and best book, the Qur’ān! So we can call upon him, right?” This is illogical. Yes, the Prophet ﷺ has been given a book, but is there any “evidence from it” that he ﷺ can answer your supplication? Do not take one part of the verse and ignore the other. In fact, Allāh says to His Rasūl ﷺ: Say: I have no power to harm or benefit myself, except as God wills [10:49] Say, “I have no control over any benefit or harm to myself, except as God wills. Had I known the future, I would have acquired much good, and no harm would have touched me. I am only a warner, and a herald of good news to a people who believe.” [7:188] If God touches you with adversity, none can remove it except He. And if He touches you with good—He is Capable of everything. [6:17] Do you not know that to Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth? And besides Allah, you do not have any guardian or helper. [2:107] Allāh strengthens whomever He wishes with His help. There is indeed a moral in that for those who have insight. [3:13] Indeed, Allāh is your Master, and He is the best of helpers [3:150] If Allāh helps you, no one can overcome you, but if He forsakes you, who will help you after Him? So in Allāh let all the faithful put their trust. [3:160] A similar argument is also found in Sūrah al-Aḥqāf: Say, ‘Tell me about those you invoke besides Allah. Show me what [part] of the earth have they created. Do they have any share in the heavens? Bring me a scripture [revealed] before this, or some vestige of [divine] knowledge, if you are truthful.’ (4) Who is more astray than him who invokes besides Allah such [entities] as would not respond to him until the Day of Resurrection, and who are oblivious of their invocation? [46:4-5] And your Lord says, “Call upon me, I will respond to you.” Indeed those who disdain my worship will enter Hell contemptible. [40:60] Allāh uses the word “ادعوني”, which means “call upon me”. But then, He (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) moves on to say “عبادتي”—what does this mean? Clearly, invocation or supplication is, in fact, prayer. The root word of ادعوني is دعا, which carries the meaning of calling, supplicating, praying, and invoking. Those who refrain from calling Allāh are disdainful of his worship, and will be forced to enter Hell, in a disgraceful, shameful state. That is what Allāh is saying. O’ mankind! Will you still call His servants instead of Him?! And when my servant asks about me, then indeed I am near. I answer the call of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to me and believe in me so that they may be rightly guided. [2:186] And We are nearer to him (man) than his jugular vein. [50:16] After all this exhortation from Allāh to his servants to call upon Him, would you still shy away from invoking him? Under the tafsīr of verse 2:186, ʿAllāmah Ṭabāṭabā’ī has quoted the following ḥadīth: Imām aṣ-Ṣādiq narrates from the Prophet ﷺ: “Allāh informed one of his prophets in a revelation: ‘By My Power and dignity! Verily, I shall change into despair the hope of everyone who hoped from other than Me, and I shall dress him with the clothing of disgrace before people, and I shall remove him from My relief and bounty. Does my servant put his hope in other than Me in hardships, while hardships are in My hand? And does he expect anything from other than Me, while I am the Self-sufficient, the Munificent? In My hand are the keys of the doors, while they are closed; and My door is open for the one who calls on Me.’” The Prophet ﷺ also said: “Allah said: “No creature seeks refuge in another creature, leaving Me, but that I cut off all the means in the heavens and the earth for him. Then if he asks from Me, I do not give him ; and if he calls on Me, I do not answer him. And no creature seeks refuge in Me, leaving My creatures, but that I make the heaven and the earth responsible for his sustenance; then if he calls on Me, I answer him and, if he seeks pardon from Me, I forgive!”” [Source: Al-Mīzān fī Tafsīr al-Qur’ān, where the author quotes from ʿUddatud Dāʿī] ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Despite these clear-cut verses from the Book of Allāh, people still try to argue in favor of istighāthā by quoting Nādi ʿAlī or Duʿā Tawassul. Nādi ʿAlī is not a duʿā, it is a poem. It is not from the A’immah (عليه السلام) of Ahlulbayt. It was never in the primary ḥadīth sources, only somehow appeared in later works. Duʿā Tawassul is also not from any of the Imāms, it was only found by ʿAllāmah Majlisī in an old manuscript that he thought was from Shaykh aṣ-Ṣadūq (who lived 700 years before Majlisī) and it was written on the paper that it was from the Imāms but did not even mention which of the Imāms. It does not have a sanad or “chain of transmission”. Hence, it is considered ḍaʿīf or weak. For verification of this claim, refer to this article published by Shia Reformist. These were likely the fabrications of the exaggerators (ghulāt). Imām ar-Riḍā (عليه السلام). in Rijāl al-Kashī has cursed the exaggerators (i.e., those who did ghuluww; esp. those that used to fabricate narrations and attribute them to the Imāms). In the same narration, he ((عليه السلام).) also said that whatever contradicts the Qur’ān can not be from the Ahlulbayt. Same is corroborated by many narrations in Uṣūl Al-Kāfī, from Imām Jaʿfar aṣ-Ṣādiq (عليه السلام). Authored by: Muḥammad Qā’im Ḥusayn

Salaam brothers and sisters, I have been looking for a Quran Tafsir & Translation by Shia scholars/sheikhs but so far haven't been successful... Recently I've been working on the habit of reading more Quran. If anybody knows a good source for a good Tafsir as well as Translation written by a Shia scholar/sheikh, kindly link me up. And please refrain from commenting on how Shia/Sunni translations are the same because they are not i.e. I'm hoping to find material with the correct Shia perspective (or as close as possible) on Quranic verses in light of Ahlulbayt's teachings. Thank you very much in advance.

Alsalam alaykom dear brothers and sisters, I hope everyone is doing well. Now that ramadhan is here, I thought I would share with you the ramadhan app that I have made for both Android and iOS. This app is only available in Arabic. The app has all that you need: Quran Ramadhan Supplications with audio The Night of Qadr Supplications and Acts Prayer Times Qibla Locator Sibha Counter Android Play Store link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app.laylatalkader iOS App Store link: https://apps.apple.com/au/app/ادعية-رمضان-واعمال-ليالي-القدر/id6444166034 Jazakhum Allah Kheir, Your brother Jaffer Al Fahdawi

Is it halal to sell copies of the Qur'an if you've put hard work into writing the mus-haf yourself? Obviously, Allah AZWJ's word is priceless. But that doesn't change the actual human work put into translating, writing/typing it, printing it, etc. So, is it haram to sell copies of the Qur'an I myself have put work into typing out, researched for adding the (Shia) tafseer, printed and published, etc.?

Salam alaikum, inshallah everything is well with you! I was wondering if there is a Qur'an you can buy with an english translation (according to shia understanding), transliteration of the arabic text and color coded tajweed? Wasalam

Salaam, Posting a topic after a long time So a dear brother ( @sunni muslim ) asked why is the "Quran and Sunnah" not enough. This is a fair question and deserves some thought so here are somethings to think about. It's important to note that whoever believes the quran is enough (Hasbona kitaballah) is wrong because authentic Sunni narrations confirm the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) specifically mentioned "Quran and Sunnah". Denying a clear edict from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) makes such a person munafiq? Why did some prominent sahaba reject this authentic edict from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) and only accept Quran? Are they from the hypocrites then? Authentic sunni narrations also tell us that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) confirmed "Quran and AhlulBayt" as well. If the Prophet said "quran and sunnah" and "quran and ahlulbayt", then why do sunnis insist on "quran and sunnah" only? Are sunnis openly rejecting another edict of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)? Surely if the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said both, then the shia and sunni stance should be "Quran + AhlulBayt + Sunnah". Anything less would be rejecting the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم), would it not? The shia stance on this is very clear. We take the Quran and the sunnah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) as confirmed/explained by the AhlulBayt. Did the Prophet say "Quran AND (Sunnah OR AhlulBayt)", "QURAN OR (Sunnah OR AhlulBayt)"; "QURAN AND Sunnah AND AhlulBayt"; Let's ignore the AhlulBayt for the moment and focus on the sunnah. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said "I am leaving behind Quran and Sunnah so you don't go astray." Immediately after the demise of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم), Caliph Abu Bakr and subsequently Caliph Umar prohibit the narrations of sunnah, burn down written sunnah (500+ narrations at least). Did Abu Bakr and Umar purposely defy the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) and in effect lead the Ummah astray. The argument put forth is that the Caliphs did not want sahaba to narrate wrong traditions. But these sahaba would have heard the narrations and seen the sunnah first hand. Surely adl-e-sahaba would mean no erroneous traditions within the first 5 yrs of the demise of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) Caliph Abu Bakr burned 500+ narrations for fear of being wrong. Could it be that he remembered the narration "Prophets down leave inheritance" incorrectly. This is a conundrum. If the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said "Quran and Sunnah" and Abu Bakr + Umar clearly denied the transmission of sunnah, what does it make them? How could the 2 closest sahaba reject a clear edict of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)? I would love to hear some other thoughts on this topic. P.S. @sunni muslim - I did not want to derail the other thread but our conversation was going to go in circles: Sunni Muslim: why is "quran and sunnah" not enough ShiaMan: because the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said "Quran and AhlulBayt" Sunni Muslim: he said both but tell me why "quran and sunnah" is not enough ShiaMan: errrr, because he said both???

What are the guidance functions as described in the religion? The two sources of religion include: the verses of quran and hadith of the prophet (and hadith of imams). A summary has been presented in the following based on the above two sources to understand the guidance functions before we can reach to the concept of guidance during the period of our time by Imam Mahdi (عليه السلام): 1. Guidance by Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) & the Prophet: And We did not send any messenger but with the language of his people, so that he might explain to them clearly; then Allah makes whom He pleases err and He guides whom He pleases and He is the Mighty, the Wise. (14:4) And say: The truth is from your Lord, so let him who please believe, and let him who please disbelieve; surely We have prepared for the iniquitous a fire, the curtains of which shall encompass them about; and if they cry for water, they shall be given water like molten brass which will scald their faces; evil the drink and ill the resting-place. (18:29) Say: Allah guides to the truth. Is He then Who guides to the truth more worthy to be followed, or he who himself does not go aright unless he is guided? ….? (10:35) Say: O people! indeed there has come to you the truth from your Lord, therefore whoever goes aright, he goes aright only for the good of his own soul, and whoever goes astray, he goes astray only to the detriment of it, and I am not a custodian over you. (10:135) This is more proper in order that they should give testimony truly or fear that other oaths be given after their oaths; and be careful of (your duty to) Allah, and hear; and Allah does not guide the transgressing people. (5:108) The above guidance by Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) is presented from the verses of Quran and this guidance function has never been ceased. 2. Quran as Guide Sura Luqman, verse 3 answers this question by saying that the Qur’an is: “A guidance and a mercy unto the righteous ones.” Allah says in the Qur’an in Sura Bani-Israel, verse 9: “Indeed this Qur’an guides to the path which is clearer and straighter than any other. “This is the Book. In it is guidance surely without any doubt, to those who fear God, who believe in the Unseen, are steadfast in prayer, and spend out of what we have provided for them.” (Sura Baqarah, verse 2 and 3) Also the Qur’an states in Sura Luqman, verse 2-4: “These are the verses of the wise Book. A guide and a mercy to those who do good, those who establish regular prayers, and give regular charity, and have in their hearts the assurance of the hereafter.” 3. Imams as Guide Allah has stated in very clear words in Surah Sajdah [32:23] And certainly We gave the Book to Musa, so be not in doubt concerning the receiving of it, and We made it a guide for the children of Israel. [32:24] And We made of them Imams to guide by Our command when they were patient, and they were certain of Our communications. Musa (عليه السلام) left the following tools of guidance for his people: o The Book of God o Imams who were: o Appointed by Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) o Providing guidance via the edicts of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) o Patient o Definite about the Word of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) The Qur’an by itself cannot teach and guide its readers because there is every possibility of misunderstanding and misinterpretations, and so, it is necessary that the teachings of Qur’an be directly taken from the Prophet and his Ahlul Bait (progeny). The Holy Prophet himself declared: “I leave among you two weighty things, the Book of Allah (the Qur’an) and my Itrat (progeny); if you hold fast to them you will never go astray; and these two shall never separate from each other till they meet at the heavenly fountain of Kauser.” (Hadith al-Thaqalyn) From the purified progeny of the prophet we have 12 imams the hadith mention their count and name. The first imam is Ali (عليه السلام). and 12th is Imam Mahdi (عليه السلام). The following verses are also added as evidence of 12 leaders as guides after the prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم): وَمِن قَوْمِ مُوسَىٰٓ أُمَّةٌۭ يَهْدُونَ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَبِهِۦ يَعْدِلُونَ Among the people of Moses is a Nation who guide [the people] by the truth and do justice thereby. (7:159) وَجَعَلْنَٰهُمْ أَئِمَّةًۭ يَهْدُونَ بِأَمْرِنَا وَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْهِمْ فِعْلَ ٱلْخَيْرَٰتِ وَإِقَامَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ وَإِيتَآءَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةِ ۖ وَكَانُوا۟ لَنَا عَٰبِدِينَ And We made them Imams who guided (people) by Our command, and We revealed to them the doing of good and the keeping up of prayer and the giving of the alms, and Us (alone) did they serve; (21:73) Similarly for our nation it is mentioned in quran that: وَمِمَّنْ خَلَقْنَآ أُمَّةٌۭ يَهْدُونَ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَبِهِۦ يَعْدِلُونَ Among those We have created are a Nation who guide by the truth and do justice thereby. (7:181) Thus the presence of guided imams in our nation chosen by Allah has been confirmed. The details can be seen at the following link: https://www.shiachat.com/forum/topic/235032391-12-leaders-imams-as-guide-after-the-prophet/ There are many hadith for the count and names of the 12 imams like: This Ummat will not end and the Day of Judgment will not come, till the coming of 12 Khalifas, they will be guided, on the Deen of Truth. Fathul Bari Volume 13 page 79 Allamah Badradaen Aini in Ummdthul Qari Sharah Sahih Bukhari narrates: ‘This Ummah will not end until the passing of the twelve, they will all be true guides from the Ahlulbayt.’ Ummdthul Qari Volume 2 page 282 and Volume 9 page 8 We read in Ya Nabi al-Muwaddat: The Prophet of Allah said that I am the Chief of Prophets, Ali is the Chief of Wasi, after me there will be 12 Wasi, 1st of them is Ali (عليه السلام), last of them is Mahdi. Faslul khitab page 423, Ya Nabi al Muwaddat page 105 (Beirut) 4. The prophet Muhamamd has been instructed to follow the religion of Ibrahim thus confirming there is no discontinuation in the guidance function since Ibrahim (عليه السلام). to our prophet, even the part of duration by Esa (عليه السلام) is also considered as part of guidance by the verse of quran. 0. قُلْ إِنَّنِي هَدَانِي رَبِّي إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ دِينًا قِيَمًا مِّلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا ۚ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِين Say, "Indeed, my Lord has guided me to a straight path - a correct religion - the way of Abraham, inclining toward truth. And he was not among those who associated others with Allah ." (6:161) Quran does not consider the duration of Hz Esa .(عليه السلام) as discontinuation in guidance function to the people when he has been taken to skies by almighty Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) as there is no verse mentioning any discontinuity in guidance function to the people. 5 Verses about Esa (عليه السلام) وَقَوْلِهِمْ إِنَّا قَتَلْنَا الْمَسِيحَ عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَٰكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ ۚ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ لَفِي شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ ۚ مَا لَهُم بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِلَّا اتِّبَاعَ الظَّنِّ ۚ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ يَقِينًا And their saying: Surely we have killed the Messiah, Isa son of Marium, the messenger of Allah; and they did not kill him nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them so (like Isa) and most surely those who differ therein are only in a doubt about it; they have no knowledge respecting it, but only follow a conjecture, and they killed him not for sure. (4:157) بَل رَّفَعَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا Nay! Allah took him up to Himself; and Allah is Mighty, Wise. (4:158) وَإِن مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ إِلَّا لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ ۖ وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا And there is not one of the followers of the Book but most certainly believes in this before his death, and on the day of resurrection he (Isa) shall be a witness against them. (4:159) Esa (عليه السلام) will be witness against the people of book thus it confirms that his guidance function was not ceased other wise he could never be a witness over them. 6. Verse about Religion for prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) Similarly guidance function did not discontinue after the prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) and it is continued till present time in the time of 12th imam. فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جِئْنَا مِن كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ بِشَهِيدٍ وَجِئْنَا بِكَ عَلَىٰ هَٰؤُلَاءِ شَهِيدًا How will it be, then, when We bring from every people a witness and bring you as a witness against these? (4:41) وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَلَمْ يُفَرِّقُوا بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّنْهُمْ أُولَٰئِكَ سَوْفَ يُؤْتِيهِمْ أُجُورَهُمْ ۗ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا And those who believe in Allah and His messengers and do not make a distinction between any of them-- Allah will grant them their rewards; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. (4:152) يُرِيدُونَ أَن يُطْفِئُوا نُورَ اللَّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَيَأْبَى اللَّهُ إِلَّا أَن يُتِمَّ نُورَهُ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ They desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, and Allah will not consent save to perfect His light, though the unbelievers are averse. (9:32) هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ He it is Who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, that He might cause it to prevail over all religions, though the polytheists may be averse. (9:33) Thus it confirm the manner that the religion guidance is continued from the prophet Ibrahim to Prophet Esa .as and in similar manner it continued from Esa .as to the life of our prophet s,.a.w. The above verses confirm the evidence for the guidance without any discontinuation in religion from the life of the prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) to the time of 12th imam Al Mahdi (عليه السلام). Conclusion: أَفَمَن شَرَحَ اللَّهُ صَدْرَهُ لِلْإِسْلَامِ فَهُوَ عَلَىٰ نُورٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِ ۚ فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْقَاسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُم مِّن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ What! is he whose heart Allah has opened for Islam so that he is in a light from his Lord (like the hard-hearted)? Nay, woe to those whose hearts are hard against the remembrance of Allah; those are in clear error. (39:22) اللَّهُ نَزَّلَ أَحْسَنَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابًا مُّتَشَابِهًا مَّثَانِيَ تَقْشَعِرُّ مِنْهُ جُلُودُ الَّذِينَ يَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ ثُمَّ تَلِينُ جُلُودُهُمْ وَقُلُوبُهُمْ إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُدَى اللَّهِ يَهْدِي بِهِ مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَمَن يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ هَادٍ Allah has revealed the best announcement, a book conformable in its various parts, repeating, whereat do shudder the skins of those who fear their Lord, then their skins and their hearts become pliant to the remembrance of Allah; this is Allah's guidance, He guides with it whom He pleases; and (as for) him whom Allah makes err, there is no guide for him. (39:23) Thus confirming there is the same guidance function in continuation in religion and it rejects the conjectures presented by some members at SC regarding occultation and guidance by Imam Al Mahdi (عليه السلام). ..................(Continued)

guys, i am sort of back, i know it took soo long from me to get back onto shiachat. but I really needed it, and soo i decided to get offline on whole sociol media including whatsapp etc.. i was only available for some people. i hope you all dont get mad for my really late reply !! i had so many topics into my head but infortunetally i worked smart (not) and forgot to write them into my notes and later on after my burn out i forgot lots of them... i think i will still not be fully available on shiachat but i am trying to bring the topics as promised back to live that is about imam mahdi,pre-advent,qiyamat e sughra/kubra etc.. for now i got this topic into my head, and i think its an important one to discuss it!!! ----------- As we all have start to see it, lots of young people are trying to become religious scholars,to replace the older merjaa's when they will be gone. There are same people who say trough narations that imam mahdi will fight even the shias when he will come. Some say its sahih and some neglect that idea. The ones who belief lots fake sholars will show up before the advent claim that they will get into huge disagreemant until they will say towards the imam the following :"go back to where you came from we dont need youre imamate" this is quit shocking to read. will imam al mahdi will get a hard time also becuase of the soo called shias(scholars) or are these narations corrupted? btw same story goes with sayeds, that lots of them will turn against imam mahdi (aj) what does ahlalbayt say about the return of imam mahdi aj?? there are narrations when in fact say that imam Mahdi aj will have a really hard time before he will establish his government. its even mentioned he will have it twice as hard as how prophet Muhammed (sawa) himself had.. becuase the difference between the two is that our imam will already have muslims against him..while prophet muhammed (sawa) brought islam to the world and not even 1 muslim could get into disagreement with him. ---------- guys, feel free to get back into the topics about imam Mahdi (aj) ,lets make the comment section blow up. may Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) make us amongst his soldiers

Ali Aur Quran Maulana Mohammad Sajid Rizvi sb https://youtu.be/ocWHKY0J_ug Sar zameen e Qum ul Muqaddassah ke Mashoor Shaer ka *Aalimana kalaam* @MadhoAza

Salam, So I happened to watch the ‘long awaited, brand spanking new’ talent show ‘The Shia voice’ on Imam Hussein TV3 last night and here are some thoughts on it; Production/direction wise, It seems like a template from the talent shows in Western media including but not limited to the camera shots and how it’s directed. For instance, The judges and contestants being followed by the camera from the car to the venue. Also, the two presenters/hosts and their roles before and after the contestant goes on stage. The absolute copy/paste of the roles from something like ‘Britain’s got talent’ is somewhat cringe-worthy. I suppose it’s being copied because it worked in Western media which is not a bad thing per se', but a little creativity would have been nice. What I absolutely felt uncomfortable with was the same concept of humour and subliminal mockery of the contestants who may not be performing to the level of others was shown; just as it would be in Western shows. And this is where the ‘entertainment value’ apparently is. When one contestant, who wasn’t performing to the level of others, was clearly struggling in his Noha recitation, the camera shots and actions of some judges were more than awkward to watch. The reason being, is that these contestants aren’t singing or clowning around; it’s what their performing (Noha etc) that is a very sensitive matter and should not be mocked, even subliminally or made/produced/directed for ‘entertainment value’. Despite my criticisms, I found that overall, the show was good, it appealed to its target audience and the youth are much better off watching an imperfect Shia talent show with lots of Quran, Noha and Ahlulbayt (عليه السلام), than watching Western talent shows. It’s a huge production endeavour and they seem to have pulled it off. There were some fantastic and talented contestants with admirable skills, and these shows can encourage more of the youth to engage within their communities and bring out their own talents for the service of Ahlulbayt (عليه السلام). All in all, I give ‘The Shia voice’ a thumbs up. Simply because I believe that anything with the mention of Allah Ta’ala and Ahlulbayt (عليه السلام) is Baraka.

Salaam everyone, I recently witnessed a family member playing a video loudly on the TV of a really bad quality Quran recitation on youtube this morning. It was not an old video, therefore of lesser audio quality, but a newly uploaded video which obviously has had issues with sound being digitally set to very high with the persons voice making microphone pops in the speaker and reverb set to a extra long delay which means it was a constant stream of high frequency scratching noise in the back ground due to the low quality. I usually don't mind and even enjoy the soothing atmosphere that someone reading Quran emits. This, however, was disturbing me as it was uncomfortable and literally felt it was hurting my ears and I felt it was not properly portraying the beauty of the Quran, hence not making it sound good. I find this unlucky for the video as the person reciting is probably doing great. I asked the person to please find another video as the quality of this specific video was bothering me. This seemed to offend the person a lot and I was told to leave the room and close the door. The person took it as a some insult and I feel my faith is perceived by him to be weak somehow as he compared it to another person that is not a believer. I need help to understand what to do here. Am I wrong for wanting a clearer and better quality of audio from a video? Is it wrong that I feel disturbed that the Quran is being read with such low quality loudly? How should I talk to this person? He is older then me and his ears have started to lose a bit hearing. Thank you for your help.

Do Shias use the Holy Quran to help get rid of black magic like Sunnis? What verses do you recite?

Salam, everyone. I am a Sunni Hanafi in Pakistan. In sh'Allah, I want to buy Quran tafsirs and increase my Islamic knowledge. Unfortunately, I am not proficient in Arabic and Urdu. I want to read Quran tafsirs that are written or have been translated into English. Please suggest 2 or 3 most widely acclaimed Tafsirs/Exegesis each for Shias and Sunnis. Shukeriya.

This morning I was reading surah At-Taghabun and came upon this ayah, the translation mentioned stinginess of the soul and that picked my interest. I'm pretty curious about what it is and how does it affect us (spiritually, physically and mentally)? If anyone knows please let me know, the surah and translation are down below. فَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ مَا ٱسۡتَطَعۡتُمۡ وَٱسۡمَعُواْ وَأَطِيعُواْ وَأَنفِقُواْ خَيۡرٗا لِّأَنفُسِكُمۡۗ وَمَن يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفۡسِهِۦ فَأُوْلَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡلِحُونَ (Sahih International) So fear Allah as much as you are able and listen and obey and spend [in the way of Allah ]; it is better for your selves. And whoever is protected from the stinginess of his soul - it is those who will be the successful. -Surah At-Taghabun, Ayah 16

Salam alaykum I just wanted to share this link with you to the Quran translation by M. H. Shakir, first time ever I found it with original footnotes by the editor M. H. Shakir. It is easy to see what Shakir thinks about the Ahlul Bayt, just take a look at 33:33 or 76:8. Khudahafez

Aoa Everyone, I was wondering how do the Ayaat of Surah Mujadilah apply to the lives of Muslims in this time and age. I was personally interpreting it as the fact that thihar were words used by the man to divorce his wife in the pre Islamic era, when in fact he would not divorce her but come around later and act as if nothing happened, and so it does not mean those words have to be the ones used by Hazrat Khawla's husband, but instead they can be placed in the context of todays world, where as Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) has stated that they do not mean that actually she has become like a mothers back to him, but now for the mental torture and his lack of control on his tongue he must make atonement, which is then further described by Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى). Can anyone link what other scholar have to say about these ayats? Esp sistani and ghamdi? or is there a way to contact them, leave these questions for them? I will be honest, I am asking in reference to a personal situation. My father told my mother in our language (urdu) that 'mai tumhay farigh karta hun' (in an insullting tone saying i set you free (as if you are a characterless person who cannot be restrained)) and 'tumhay ab mai ghar se nikalta hun' (i am going to kick you out of the house). on other occasions he has used the words that now our relationship is finished. could these ayaat be applied in these lights? this is not just a one time anger issue, this is nearly ever week of my life the past 20 years, consistent mental abuse, just like with Hazrat Khawla RA. The above mentioned are two people i could talk to my father with reference to and he'd be willing to listen, he is the kind of person who goes back on his own words just to be always always, always right. no matter what he has to do to seem right. The Surah (1-4): 1. Certainly has Allah heard the speech of the one who argues with you, [O Muhammad], concerning her husband and directs her complaint to Allah . And Allah hears your dialogue; indeed, Allah is Hearing and Seeing. 2. Those who pronounce thihar among you [to separate] from their wives – they are not [consequently] their mothers. Their mothers are none but those who gave birth to them. And indeed, they are saying an objectionable statement and a falsehood. But indeed, Allah is Pardoning and Forgiving. 3. And those who pronounce thihar from their wives and then [wish to] go back on what they said – then [there must be] the freeing of a slave before they touch one another. That is what you are admonished thereby; and Allah is Acquainted with what you do. 4. And he who does not find [a slave] – then a fast for two months consecutively before they touch one another; and he who is unable – then the feeding of sixty poor persons. That is for you to believe [completely] in Allah and His Messenger; and those are the limits [set by] Allah . And for the disbelievers is a painful punishment.

Commentary on the Chapter Nuh (Noah) in Quran by Br. Khalil Jaffer if you like it, and I am sure you will, on the suggested videos section, you can find the other sessions. ma salam :)

Hello. First of all, English is not my main language of communication, so if there is something you didn't understand about my post, please do mention it and I will try to simplify it. I need advice in the matter of my family. I am a very temperamental person and loose my cool very easily if someone offends me. I am the older one of my siblings but they don't respect me and they bicker with me all the time. I try to ignore it and be the bigger person, but when it comes to them insulting me I won't sit and listen to it. Instead of turning the other cheek I respond with two fists ready to fight. I know it's wrong and recently I have tried to remain calm during these situations; sometimes successful, most of the times not. It disappoints me deeply that my parents almost never react in any way to the insults and disrespect by siblings towards me, on the contrary, they side with the siblings and turn the whole situation to make me the bad guy. I yell at my parents at these events and on rare occations curse them. I have repented and fallen back into my old habits multiple times. I know God is fair, but I can't help but think that I'm in a very unfair situation: siblings don't respect me and use disgusting words about me, parents don't do anything about it and when lose my temper I'm the one who will be punished by God, all my prayers and fasts are in vain because I shout at them (parents). What should I do from a religious perspective? Am I the wrong one? I have thought about cutting ties with the whole family once I get financially independent and move out, but cutting ties is (apparently) also haram. I feel that I'm in a loop where I will do haram regardless of my decisions. Thanks for reading.

Salaam and Ramadan Kareem, Please read my detailed analysis in the link below, on the topic of Abu Bakr in the cave, as addressed by the Quran in 9:40. https://myunderstandingofislam.blogspot.com/2021/04/quran-940-abu-bakr-in-cave.html Inshallah this will be a lively and fruitful discussion. Best wishes, Ahmed.