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 I try to subscribe to as many Islamic websites as possible; here is what one of them sent their subscribers for the month of Muharram:

All Praise Belongs to Allah (Azza wajl), and May the Salah and Salam of Allah (Azza wajl) be upon our beloved Messenger Peace and Blessings be upon him. Insha Allah you are all doing exceptionally well. Alhamdulillah we are in the month of Muharram, below is some information about this sacred month. May Allah accepts our deeds.
What Is Muharram?

Allah has made Muharram sacred, as it is a blessed and important month; because:

1) It is the first month of the Hijri calendar. 2) It is one of the four sacred months concerning which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, the number of months with Allaah is twelve months (in a year), so it was ordained by Allaah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them, four are sacred. That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein…” [al-Tawbah 9:36]

3) Muharram itself also means sacred and confirms its sanctity. 4) The 10th of Muharram is the “Day of Ashura” 

History of The Day of Ashura

When the Prophet (s) arrived in Madinah in 622 CE, he found that the Jews there fasted on the 10th of Muharram and asked them the reason for their fasting on this day.

They said: “This is a blessed day. On this day Allah saved the Children of Israel from their enemy (in Egypt) and so Prophet Musa fasted on this day giving thanks to Allah.”

The Prophet (sa) said: “We are closer to Musa than you are.” He fasted on that day and commanded Muslims to fast on this day. (Al-Bukhari)

The Prophet (sa) said: “For fasting the day of ‘Ashura, I hope that Allah will accept it as expiation for (the sins committed in) the year that went before.” [Reported by Muslim, 1976]

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Fasting the day of ‘Arafaah expiates for all minor sins, in other words this brings forgiveness for all sins except for major sins. (As they need separate repentance)

Yesterday while I was re-reading Bertrand Russell’s the Practice and Theory of Bolshevism, I encountered a passage I forgot was there, it reads:

What Mohammedanism did for the Arabs, Bolshevism may do for the Russians. As Ali went down before the politicians who only rallied to the Prophet after his success, so the genuine Communists may go down before those who are now rallying to the ranks of the Bolsheviks.

 I don’t know how much Bertrand Russell knew about Islam – and I strongly disagree with the sentences that precede and proceed this–, but it is interesting to note what he wrote here.

   Last week I asked my students to make a list of what they thought were some of the worst sins they could commit as Muslims. I told them that they could name only five, but, if they really wanted to add any more, they could add two more in brackets next to number four and five. This task was performed for me to prove a theory I always had. A theory which maintained that most people, myself included, fail to recognize how gross a sin backbiting truly is. Usually, as in this case, if Muslims were asked to compile what they perceived to be some of the worst sins they could commit, most, if not all, would neglect the sin of backbiting. But the reason for the omission, as it appears to me, isn’t because many view backbiting as a positive thing, or only as an unnecessary thing, and nothing more, (more…)

For those too busy to stay updated on the everyday events of the Shia community, it will come as a surprise, as it has for me, to find out that Sayed Amar Nakshwani’s lectures have effectively been banned from the Ahlul Bayt TV Network (ABTV Network). Even worse, the reason for the banning only highlights the rather hard to obscure problem of censorship within the Islamic world.

In a private correspondence with Sayed Amar he shared with me the reason for his banning. According to him – and I am convinced that this in fact is the case – his lectures will no longer be played because he spoke positively about Dr. Ali Shariati, a popular lecturer on Islam. (more…)

[016:125]  Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance.

    A few days ago I was having a discussion with a friend of mine on Surah 80 of the Holy Quran. This friend was a Sunni, and, as anyone familiar with Sunni and Shia debates over the years rightly knows, his interpretation of that verse vastly differs from that of the Shia madhab. But rather than focusing on the surah itself, and subsequently trying to prove whose version of events lay closer to the truth, I want to focus on a very interesting exchange that happened between the brother and me. (more…)

Due to recent international events, this site will now be updated regularly again.  We thank those who have contributed and followed us via this site over the years and are ready to devote more time to this project again.  Peace be upon those who deserve it.

An extremely sad audio to listen to, this is the last recorded conversation of Shaheed Al-Sadr. God willing I will be uploading the biographies of our scholars, in hopes that we can learn more about them.The Sayed was killed shortly after by Saddam Hussein and his prison guards.

If we wish to discuss the Shi`as without fanaticism or affectation, we would say that they are the adherents of the Islamic School of Thought which respects and follows the twelve Imams from the family (Ahl al-Bayt) of the Prophet. They are Ali and eleven of his offspring. The Shi`as refer to the Prophet and the Twelve Imams regarding all fiqh (jurisprudence) issues and public dealings. They do not prefer anyone over the Twelve Imams with the exception of their grandfather, the bearer of the Message, Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah. This is briefly the true definition of the Shi`as. Disregard the allegations circulated by scandal mongers and fanatics who claim that the Shi`as are the enemies of Islam, that they believe in the “prophethood” of Ali, and that he is the one who bears the prophetic Message, or that they belong to Abdullah ibn Saba, the Jew, and that they are this and that…

 (The Shi’ah are the real Ahl al-Sunnah- Dr. Muhammad Tijani).