Religion

The Eid of Forgiveness

Eid al-Fitr is the day of being freed from the wards of sin and disobedience, the day of erasure from any filth and abomination. The Greatest Prophet of Allah (pbuh) said “God says to the angels on the day of Eid: What is the reward of those who fulfilled their duties?” The angels will say, “O God, They would be rewarded by you”. God says, “You angels, attest that I have forgiven my servants.”

True Eid

In Islamic culture, Eid has a high and constructive meaning. Imam Ali (a.s) says, “Every day in which the slave of God does not commit sins is the day of Eid.” In a hadith from the Infallible imams, stated: “The real Eid is for those who are not dressed in new clothes, but for someone who has worn safety from the promises of God’s punishment.” On the day of Eid al-Fitr, valuable programs such as giving alms, helping the needy, appeasing orphans and wearing clean clothes have been ordered by the infallibles. According to a hadith, “Allah adorned his Eid with Takbir” and in another hadith we read: “He adorned Eid al-Fitr and Al-Qorban by saying La ilah-a illa Allah, Allahu Akbar, Alhamdu lillah and Sobhan Allah.”

Eid like Resurrection

The Day of Judgment is similar to the day of Eid al-Fitr in many respects. 1.The Eve of Eid, all people are waiting to hear the news of Eid to prepare for celebrating the next day. On the Day of Judgment, all human beings are waiting for the bloat to blow up, and by blowing it, they all gather in the scorching desert. 2.People go to the mosque in different clothes on the Day of Eid . On the Day of Judgment, some people wear Paradise haliyah and some wear qataris (the clothes of the hellish ones). 3.The nature of Eid worshippers are also different. On the Day of Resurrection, the nature of the great people are different, some go on horseback, a group walks and a group passes like electricity and wind.

Fighting Arrogance

The day of Eid al-Fitr can also be considered as the day of fighting the tyrants, and the great gathering of the people on this day shows the unity of Muslims. The kindness of believers to each other and the abandonment of grudges, spreads the fragrance of good unity and empathy in society, and the enemy, in ambush, is angered by this unity , and Satan becomes humiliated. The mass movement of people towards the congressional prayer to hold the glorious Eid prayer is itself a struggle against arrogance. Before the prayer, Takbirs are also a striking blow to the tyrants because the enemy is terrified of takbir, just as the Islamic Revolution of Iran, under the slogan of Allahu Akbar, shattered the power of the pahlavi dictatorship and the colonization of global arrogance.

The Rewards of fasting

Hasan b. Rashid says: I said to Imam al-Sadiq (a): People believe that forgiveness for the person who fasted in the month of Ramadan will be revealed on the Night of Qadr. Imam (a. s) said: “O Hasan! They pay the worker after he goes to work. Therefore, the forgiveness of the fasting and their rewards will be given to them on the eve of Eid al-Fitr. Then I asked, ” What action is the best on that night? The Prophet (pbuh) said: “After Adhan, recite the three rak’as of the Maghreb and then raise your hands and say, “O owner of the continuous endowment! Oh, owner of the year! O the holy prophet Muhammad, and his companion Ali (a.s)! Salute Muhammad and Salute Ahlul-Bayt (a) and forgive all the sins I have committed and forget it, while my sins are recorded with you and in your revealing book. Then put your forehead on the ground and prostrate, say 100 times that I repent to God.”

The Importance of Holidays

It is during the New year and spring holiday that a new life begins. So a society that doesn’t have Eid, would have no history and no movement. In our school of thought, the end of Ramadan is Eid, the Eid of transformation, the beginning and, of course, the salvation of other days. If in Ramadan, you do not learn the new lesson, do not see the heat of the sun during the Eid al-Fitr and do not gain great power, then you are condemned to stay in winter and in the freezing ward. The end of Ramadan is Eid, a holiday whose sun radios the warmth of faith on dead trees

Eid al-Fitr, Muslim Gathering

In a message in 1979, Imam Khomeini described Eid al-Fitr as an opportunity for Muslims to gather in Islamic society and said, “Islam is the religion of politics, a religion which is clearly seen in his rulings…. Every week, a large gathering to hold Friday prayers where the issues of the day and the needs of the country are presented in political, social and economic aspects. In each year, there are two Eids in which people gather, and in two sermons of Eid prayers, after praise and greetings to the Prophet (pbuh) and , political, social, economic, and generally the needs of the country and the region are discussed, thereby informing the people of the issues.”

Some Rulings of the Eve of Eid

On the day of Eid al-Fitr, fasting is forbidden and invalid, and the person who realizes that it is Eid should break his fast and if he finds out after the Maghreb then it is ok. After the end of the holy month of Ramadan, i.e. on the eve of Eid al-Fitr, those who meet the requirements must pay zakat of Fitr and the amount of Zakat is , three kilograms of wheat or barley or dates or rice, etc. The time of necessity of zakat al-fitra is the eve of Eid al-Fitr and the time of payment is from the eve of Eid al-Fitr to noon on the day of Eid al-Fitr. If he abandons Fitr, he cannot take it for himself and leave other funds for Fitr.

Religion

Have you ever heard of Yawm al-Hadm?  It means the day of destruction.

Eighty-eight years ago, on the eighth day of Shawwal month, the hands of ignorant and uncoordinated Wahhabism came out of the sleeve of oppression and razed the sacred sanctuary of magnificent leaders of guidance, four infallible  Imams’ graves  in al-Baqi cemetery, and hurt the hearts of millions of Shiites  and Sunnis who would like Ahlul-Bayt (a.s).

Not only were the graves of Imams, Imam Hassan (the second imam), Imam Sajad (the fourth imam), Imam Baqir (the fifth imam), Imam Sadiq (the sixth imam) (a.s) destroyed, but also all the historical monuments of Mecca and Medina, each of which was a sign of the greatness of Islam and the expressive history of Muslims in the world, were destructed due to the idiotic thoughts.

While the whole world is trying to preserve its historical monuments, which indicate the roots of its civilization, these foolish people have ruined the most important historical artefacts of Islam and Islamic civilization for which the hearts of Muslims beat, depriving the Muslim world of these precious treasures, and causing great damage that with nothing Could be compensated.

Wahhabism trade personal property with these Islamic heritages and suppose that Mecca and Medina belong only to them and can do whatever they want with this Islamic endowment. The Muslim should yell and shout at them while these are reserves belonging to all Muslims of the world, in the past and present, and no one in any position has the right to act arbitrarily with them as private property, even the Saudi Wahhabi muftis, who have only very superficial information about Islamic principles and books and traditions, have no right to decide on these matters and issues.

The demonic goal of the enemies by this insult and policy was to eliminate the backing and root of Islamic history and the objective documents of history. The works and buildings and officials and observers should be preserved, but in order to protect their privacy and privilege,  Saudi Wahhabis have completely destroyed the all manifestations of Islamic views.
None of the religions had the honour of these backings, these sacred monuments were a strong fence that was in fact to preserve the history and the first era of Islam.

The character of the Prophet (pbuh), the Messenger of Allah, his household, the identity of his divine invitation and the all great days of the Islamic history, were the manifestations of this.
These works should be renovated, especially the observation and officials, such as the birthplace of the Prophet (pbuh) in Makkah, A place that his great grandfather and   uncle and his dedicated wife were buried in and the neighbourhood of Bani Hashim.

In Medina,  the graves of Hamza and other martyrs and the oppressed in baqi’ should be revived, especially the position and shrine of Imams (a), Imam Hasan Mujtaba and Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin and Imam Muhammad Baqir and Imam Ja’far sadiq (pbuh), these unique honours of the Islamic world and humanity should be renewed. The house of Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (a.s), which is one of the places of the reciting and interpreting  the Verses of the Holy Quran.

In particular, Shiites are to remember these documents of history and this insult that has been made to the Ahlul-Bayt (a.s) in the Holy land of Allah and the oppression which still continues.

By the arrival of the eighth day of  Shawwal this year, the tragic memory of the destruction of the graves of Imams (a.s.) is renewed in memory of awake Muslims who deeply love  the Prophet’s (pbuh)and Ahl al-Bayt  – since they have a rightful ear and heart for  the hadith of Thaqalayn.

The muslims should condemn and consider this crime as unforgettable event and declare this day the day of al-Baqi’.

Wahhabism is a fake sect that has created a world of arrogance to bring about breakaway. While condemning this criminal act and the offensive destruction of all Islamic works that exist in Saudi Arabia, It should be  announced to the Wahhabism sect that by taking the path of enmity and stubbornness, they would never be present in the debate scenes with logic and reason to stop the divisions and disagreement among people and put an end to fratricide and corruption. It should be pointed out that today is the day of the Islamic awakening. Awakenings become more powerful, day by day with the unity, decision, endurance, breaking the boundaries of the opposition one after another, and putting their rights at the forefront of their work, the right that all belong to. Therefore, All Muslims in the world would be restored and the disputers and opponents of the Ahl ul-Bayt (pbuh) way would be blackened.*

*Retrieved from grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, grand Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpaygani and grand Ayatollah Hossein Noori-Hamedani, the most senior Shiite clerics’ speeches

Religion

Imam Ali b. Musa al-Reda (peace be on him), the eighth Imam of the Twelver Shia, was born on the 11th of Zilqaʿda (the 11th month of the Islamic lunar calendar) in the year 148 AH in Madina.

His honorable father, Musa b. Jafar (peace be on him) is the 7th Imam and his mother, Najma, was a chaste and virtuous woman. His epithet is Abul Hasan and some of his titles are Reda, Sabir (the patient), Zaki (the pure), Wali (the master), etc. Imam Reda (peace be on him) was martyred at the hands of Maʾmun al-Rashid in the year 203 AH at the age of 55. His holy shrine is located in the holy city of Mashhad.

The period of his Imamate lasted for 20 years and was contemporary to three Abbasid caliphs, namely: Harun, Amin, and Maʾmun.

The Moral Conduct of Imam Reda (peace be on him)

Ibrahim b. Abbas narrates: I never saw Imam Reda (peace be on him) persecute anyone in his speech and I also never saw him interrupt anyone’s words before they had finished speaking. He would never turn away a needy person whose needs he could satisfy; he would not stretch his legs in the presence of others; I never saw him disparage any of his servants; his laugh was not a guffaw, rather, it was a smile; when the table was laid, he would seat everyone at his table, even the doorman and more important people and they would eat with him. He would sleep little at night and was mostly awake; he would stay awake most nights in worship; he fasted a lot and would not abandon the fasting of three days in a month; he would give much of charity and perform good acts in secret and would help the poor in the dark of the night in secret. If you want to give charity(Sadaqah), you can do it here.

Academic Debates of Imam Reda (peace be on him)

Imam Reda (peace be on him) participated in many academic debates with scholars of different religions. These debates have been detailed by Shaykh a-Saduq in ʿUyun Akhbar al-Reda and Allama Majlisi within his 49 volumes of Bihar al-Anwar; others have also narrated them. The most important of these debates are the following:

His debates with Jathliq (Christian leader), Raʾs a-Jalut (Jewish leader), Herbes Akbar (Zoroastrian leader), Imran Saeibi (from among the followers of Prophet Yahya (John)), Suleiman Maruzi (a great scholar of theology in Khorasan region), Ali b. Muhammad b. Jahm (a Nasibi, i.e. enemy of the Ahlulbayt), and his debate with the leaders of different sects and religions in Basra.

In his debates, he utilized several methods, skills, and moral approaches together and in the most difficult and longest debates, he used various debating skills and superior methods of communication without falling into the trap of the slightest false or morally wrong argument to advance the argument and discussion to overcome his opponents.

 The Islamic Lifestyle According to Imam Reda (peace be on him)

Imam Reda (peace be on him) said to Shah Abdu Azim Hasani (peace be on him): O Abdul Azim, convey my salutations to my friends and tell them: Do not allow Satan into your hearts; be truthful in their speech and return that which others have entrusted them with to their owners. [Tell them] to refrain from futile arguments and disputes that do not benefit them and to maintain silence, to turn to each other and visit and meet one another as this act will bring them closer to me.

Tell them: Indeed, God will forgive the good-doers and forgive the sinners; except those who ascribe partners to God or persecute a friend from among my friends or has enmity for them.

Certainly, God will forgive such a person until he ceases his improper behavior. Whenever they refrain from such wrongdoings, they have returned themselves to be included in God’s forgiveness. Otherwise, the spirit of faith will leave their hearts and they will be out of the domain of our guardianship and mastership and will not benefit from them, and I seek refuge in You [God] from that.

Pilgrimage to Imam Reda (peace be on him)

The intense love and attachment of the believers to the Holy Prophet (peace be on him and his household) and his Ahlulbayt (peace be on them) are among the characteristics and distinctions of the believers; they always love the Ahlulbayt from the depths of their soul and seek to attain their pleasure. It is natural that love for them would have different manifestations and effects in life and pilgrimage to their pure and illuminated shrines is one of the most important of these manifestations. Even there had not been a single narration regarding the virtue of pilgrimage to [the shrines of] the Infallibles (peace be on them), respect for them would have obliged the believers to visit their pure shrines and – apart from expressing their love and devotion – to refresh their souls by bringing them closer to those elevated souls by sipping from the sea of their irreplaceable spirituality and hidden shores.

The Holy Prophet (peace be on him and his household) has stated: A part of me will be buried in Khorasan; no afflicted or sinful person will visit him except that God will remove his afflictions and forgive his sins.

Imam Reda (peace be on him) has stated: One who visits my shrine despite the long distance, I will visit him in three places on the Day of Judgment [to aid him] and will free him from the fear and affliction of those stations: when the Book [of Deeds] will be distributed to the right and left hands, on the Bridge of Sirat and at the Mizan [the time of accounting of deeds]. You can request Pilgrimage(Ziyarat al-Badal) here.

The Blessings of the Presence of Imam Reda (peace be on him) in Iran

One of the important events that hold a high position in the history of Iran is Imam Reda’s (peace be on him) journey to Iran and his stay in the center of the caliphate, that is, Marv (Khorasan) in the position of the heir apparent. Although this journey was undertaken on the insistence of Maʾmun, the then caliph of the Abbasids; however, in practice, it had brilliant effects and consequences.

One of the productive results of Ali b. Musa’s (peace be on him) duration of stay in Marv was providing the grounds for the growth and expansion of Shiism in Khorasan. The love of the people of Khorasan who were already among the lovers of the household of prophethood increased towards the Ahulbayt (peace be on them) after his presence; such that the shrine of Imam Reda (peace be on him) became one of the important Shiite strongholds in the course of history and had a profound effect on the history of culture, arts, and economy of Iran and Shiism. Without a doubt, the pilgrimage to the graves of the Imams, especially Imam Reda (peace be on him), is one of the best religious values and beliefs of the Shiites and lovers and Shiites have benefitted from it throughout history.

When Imam Reda (peace be on him) entered Iran, many sadat [descendants of the Prophet peace be on him and his household and Imams] also migrated to Iran. Later on, they were pursued by the Abbasids and a great number of them were martyred in different cities and their shrines became Shiite centers and provided the grounds for the spread of Shiite values and beliefs and teachings. One of these is Fatima, famously known as Lady Masouma (peace be on her), the daughter of Imam Kazim (peace be on him) and sister to Imam Reda (peace be on him) who traveled to Iran to visit Imam Reda (peace be on him) and, according to a narration, was poisoned on the way, passed away in Qom, and was buried there. To pay your vows for the holy shrine of Imam Reda or his dear sister Hazrat Masoumeh, you can proceed here.

Religion

Dahw al-Ard (Arabic: دَحوُ الأرض ) is made up of two words: “dahw” which means extension/spread and “ard” which means land. Some have even interpreted “dahw” to mean to move something from its original place. Therefore, “Dahw al-Ard” means the expansion of the land.

According to the findings of geology, in the beginning all the surfaces of earth were covered with water as a result of the first flood rains until the present continents were first formed three billion years ago. They were formed as a result of the separation of continental rocks due to their hard and thick nature from ocean beds and achieved their current altitude.

Based on Islamic history resources, the first place that rose was Makka (the Kaʿba). Dahw al-Ard (corresponding to the 25th of Zilqada, the 11th month of the lunar calendar) is the day that the land expanded from beneath the Kaʿba.

In the book “Al-Furqan fi al-Tafsir al-Quran”, the following narration has been cited: a man asked Imam Ali (peace be on him), (the first Imam of the Shias and the only person in the world to be born in the Kaʿba) why Makka is known as Makka? The Imam replied: Because God has expanded dry land from beneath it.

The secret to the allocation of the most honorable place on the earth to the foundation of the Kaʿba and its establishment as the Qibla (point towards which Muslims face to offer their prayers) for all the Muslims by Prophet Muhammad al-Mustafa (peace be on him and his household) as mentioned in the following verse [2: 149]: “ … فولّ وجهک شطر المسجد الحرام : …turn your face towards the Holy Mosque…”  and similarly, the building of the Kaʿba by Prophet Ibrahim (peace be on him) as indicated in the verse[2: 127] : “وإذ یرفع إبراهیم القواعد من البیت : As Abraham raised the foundations of the House…” , all refer to the noble issue of Dahw al-Ard.

According to some exegetes, verse 30 of the chapter al-Naziat [30:79]: “ َالْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَلِکَ دَحَاهَا: Thereafter He spread out the earth.” Also refers to this event. It has been stated in the exegesis of this verse that God spread the land in a way that it is ready for human life and cultivation of plants and living things; He filled pits and steep and dangerous precipices through the erosion of mountains and changing rocks to sand and made them flat and inhabitable whereas initially, they were such that they did not allow human beings to live on them.

In reality, Dahw al-Ard is a historical event that indicates how dry land and the prerequisites to the beginning of life on earth were formed and accordingly, Islam considers the expansion of the land on this day to be the start of human life.

Apart from this, other narrations mention the occurrence of other important events such as the birth of Prophet Abraham (peace be on him) and Jesus (peace be on him) on the night of Dahw al-Ard, the landing of Noah’s Ark on Mount Judi, the Holy Prophet’s (peace be on him and his household), leaving of Madina along with thousands of those wishing to perform the rites of Hajj for Makka to perform the Farewell Pilgrimage, and the uprising of the savior of justice for humanity (Imam Mahdi peace be on him).

Considering the abovementioned content which indicated the importance of Dahw al-Ard, the religion of Islam has advised us to perform some acts of worship specific to this day and night to elevate the human spirit; some of which are the following:

1. Staying awake the whole(in worship);

2. Fasting on this day, the rewards of which have been mentioned to be equal to fasting for 70 years;

3. Major ablution (ghusl) with the intention of Dahw al-Ard;

4. Offering two units of prayer before noon. In each unit one must recite the chapter of al-Hamd and thereafter 5 times the chapter of al-Shams. After finishing the prayer one must say:

لا حَوْلَ وَ لا قُوَّةَ إِلا بِاللَّهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيمِ

There is no power and no strength except with Allah, the Most High, the All-great.[duas.org]

And then recite the following supplication:

يَا مُقِيلَ الْعَثَرَاتِ أَقِلْنِي عَثْرَتِي يَا مُجِيبَ الدَّعَوَاتِ أَجِبْ دَعْوَتِي يَا سَامِعَ الْأَصْوَاتِ اسْمَعْ صَوْتِي وَ ارْحَمْنِي وَ  تَجَاوَزْ عَنْ سَيِّئَاتِي وَ مَا عِنْدِي يَا ذَا الْجَلالِ وَ الْإِكْرَامِ

O He Who overlooks slips, (please) overlook my slip. O He Who responds to prayers, (please) respond to my prayer. O He Who hears all sounds, (please) listen to mine, have mercy on me, and excuse my wrongdoings and whatever I have committed. O Lord of majesty and honor![Ibid]

5. Supplications and prayers.

translator: Rashed

Religion

Imam Muhammad b. Ali al-Jawad (the ninth imam) is the son of Imam al-Rida (the eighth one). His name was Muhammad and he was given the nickname ‘Abu Jafar’. Jawad, his other nickname, means very generous. In ethics, just one who expects nothing from others for all the generosity he has had towards them is called ‘Jawad’. Imam al-Jawad, like Prophet Muhammad and his household, was so benevolent and merciful, especially towards the poor and abandoned people. That is why he is considered as one of the most generous people of his age. There was nothing getting him to do all that voluntarily benevolence except reaching Allah’s satisfaction.

His mother’s name was Khayzuran who was of the most outstanding ladies of her age. When she gave birth to Imam al-Jawad, Imam al-Rida said that, “Allah has granted me a son who resembles Moses who parted the sea and he also resembles Jesus Christ whose mother was given a divine holiness”.

On the night he was born, Imam al-Rida whispered the divine secrets to him all the night while he was a newborn in the cradle. Imam al-Jawad was only seven years old when the enemies forced his father to leave Medina and go alone to Marw (khurasan/Iran) and he was eventually martyred there when he had become a nine-year-old boy. Some Shia Muslims doubted at Imam al-Jawad just because they thought he was too young to succeed his father as an Imam. However, seeing his great miracles and his high knowledge got them to admit that he was a true Imam.

Here is a report indicating his high level of knowledge: In caliph’s court, there was a man who had admitted being a thief. Al-Mu’tasim, the Abbasid caliph, gathered some of well-educated and learned people to ask them what he should do to the thief. As you might know, Holy Quran says, ‘the hands of the thief should be cut off.’

However, he did not exactly know from which part of hand Allah had meant. One of the people present in the court said, ‘Cut his hand from elbow.’ The other mentioned, ‘From wrist.’
Finally he asked Imam al-Jawad who was also present, and insisted. Imam said, ‘thieves should be punished by cutting their fingers off and the palms should be left. That is because of what Prophet Muhammad has said that when you genuflect to Allah, it is obligatory for you to put seven parts of your body, including palms, on the ground. And if you cut off his arm from his elbow or his wrist, he will not be able to genuflect properly. So hands belong to Allah and no one has the right to cut them off. It is stated in the Holy Quran that those seven parts of your body belongs to Allah, so do not worship anyone but Him.’ Listening carefully to his great reasons, they had to remain silent!’ It should be noted that Imam al-Jawad was an Imam for about 17 years. During those years, the Imam was under surveillance by the Abbasid caliphs and the only way to stay related to his followers was through letters and deputies. He received their questions and wrote the answers to them. Meanwhile, he also attended the meetings in which he answered the most difficult questions of other religions’ scholars on different subjects by the divine knowledge he had.

Finally, on Dhu l-Qa’da 30, 220/November 25, 835 Imam al-Jawad was poisoned and martyred when he was only 25 years old. He was martyred in the youngest age in comparison to our other 11 Imams. His holy shrine is located in Iraq (al- Kaẓimayn) next to his grandfather Musa b. Jafar’s holy shrine.
Every year, millions of pilgrims from Iran, Iraq and other countries of the world head for al-Kaẓimayn to pay a visit to these two hallowed shrines.

Religion