5 Senses

Salaam alaykom respected readers,

How grateful are we to our 5 senses? Have we thought about this at all. Have we shown gratitude towards Allah swt for granting us our senses. Unless you have experienced losing one of these senses can you truly understand what that would be like? Many of us take our senses for granted, such as the sense to see, we look at the faces of our loved ones and the beauty of the outside everyday but pay little attention to being grateful for being able to have that experience.  The experience for seeing is not something you can make up in your mind if you are someone that has never seen before, you have no idea what seeing is really like. Likewise for any of the senses, if you have never experienced smelling a beautiful flower and could not, you can never describe to that person who's not able to, exactly what that experience is to smell that beautiful flower. Some God forbid may use the senses for haram, not being appreciative to what Allah has gifted them. 

Take sometime everyday and pay attention to the senses, when you look at a beautiful scenery like the green trees and grass, the lovely bird flying here and there or your beloveds face looking at you, think about the gift Allah swt has given you to be able to experience seeing, if you lost your vision God forbid would that same moment be the same, wouldn't your experience in that moment change dramatically? Yes it would. If you go to hajj you want to see the holy kaaba, this experience is not the same if you couldn't see it, but even those that see are they grateful for the other senses Allah swt gave them to experience with such as hearing the chants as many walk around the kaaba. All these senses that Allah swt gave you and I are such wonderful gifts from Him and we should show our upmost gratefulness to Him for allowing us to have these experiences that can bring us closer to Him. We should be careful not to use these 5 senses, touch, taste, smell, hearing and sight for anything forbidden. This is a way of showing gratefulness to Allah swt. 

May Allah swt grant us an awareness and thankfulness towards the gifts He has bestowed upon us, and may He grant us the experience of true sight of the heart that opens the experience towards Him and brings us closer to Him in Sha Allah ameen. 

What are we Working for?

Salaam alaykom,

What are we working for? What a question to ponder on, often when we think about working we think of having a good job, earning enough money, buying that dream home or that dream car. Our achievement we are striving for is often based on this world, and often this striving for this world plays a huge part on forgetting the hereafter. Even if we remember the hereafter here and there, it's often forgotten most the time. Our want for material gain, mask what we should truly be striving hard for. Let us ponder over working hard for the material world, think about how much we work getting the job we want to be able to afford the house or car we have really wanted, but after so long the car gets old or something happens that the house gets ruined, we worked so hard to gain that item but it was never meant to be ours forever. Even if it stayed in the greatest conditions till our death, we still will depart it at this point, all we worked so hard for, we often trade our hereafter for this world without even realizing it. But for what, an item that was never meant to last forever, an item you will depart with, did it help to gain your hereafter? The hereafter after all is an eternal abode. How much have we worked to get the best in the hereafter? Now getting a home or owning a car isn't bad in itself, but what is, what could ruin you, is being attached to that item. Think to yourself, that item you hold so dear to yourself if it was to get ruined right now how would you feel? Would you be angry or upset or cry? If it will hurt you to lose that item this is harmful to yourself, to you soul. This attachment should be redirected towards your Lord, attach this love to those Allah loves, our Holy Prophet SAWA and his Ahlu Bayt AS. The same deep love that you had for that item once, attached it to those beloved by Allah, this deep attachment and love will create action of obedience towards Him the Almighty. At this time you begin to strive and work towards your hereafter, but stay vigilant not to become attached to any other item in this world, use the items to help you through this world and to better yourself for the hereafter. Use the money that Allah gives you and support the poor, help the sick, give much to orphans and widows. Know that working for this world leaves you and is quickly dissolved at the moment of your death. Ponder much on your attachment to this world and work hard for the hereafter. May Allah grant us this dis-attachment from this world such like Imam Ali AS said I have divorce this world three times.

The Beauty of Creation

Salaam alaykom,

For many years I observed beautiful scenery, tried to capture the best pictures, and when looking at art it brought a type of enjoyment on observing the beauty. As I was watching pictures on my TV as I have seen so many times before, I started to think about the reason to the ripples on the hill, being amazed that this could be natural, no man made, but God made.... I realized SubhanAllah all the beauty we see around is beauty from Allah. I started to truly realize that all the beauty I observed in past and am at this moment is all Allah's creation, painters just try to copy that beauty, a picture tries to capture Allah's beauty. Of course I could intellectually know this when in the past I would see beautiful scenery but it was a moment of a small realization. A realization that all the shapes, all the colors are highlighted and becomes awe stricken to the beauty Allah has created. 

Example to explain what I seen and felt, say you have never felt or seen snow, you knew about snow, but you never physically seen it nor have you touched it, but you get the moment that you look outside and see the snow fall outside, you run out and touch it this moment you experienced it. 

Try to look around today, observe all that you see and the beauty of Allah's creation. 

How to Better or Start Praying?

The Messenger of Allah (S) says,
“One who considers prayers light (insignificant) is not from us.” Another hadith mentions that such a person will not get the intercession of Ahl ul-Bayt (a.s.). 

So how do we better our state to either begin to pray or to better our namaaz?
One should realize that this act of namaaz was a command by Allah swt and therefore as a Muslim we should submit to His command. But doing this isn't always easy for everyone  this may be easy for sum while on the same hand a test for another. The more we learn about namaaz and its benifits to us we will come to realize its importance and will want to be doing it as perfect as we can.
So for those finding it hard to connect in namaaz and therefore finding ourselves not eager to pray we should first learn the meaning behind the words we are reciting so that way this would have an impact on our thoughts while we recite.  Don't feel overwhelmed when starting this processes as shaytan will be on the road trying to deteriorate you from achieving your goals and that is to worship Allah how He has asked us too, and to confirm this Quran says surah 7 ayat 16 "[Satan] said, "Because You have put me in error, I will surely sit in wait for them on Your straight path."
So it shouldn't seem odd when we decide to try to go towards worshipping Allah we start to find the world tempting and hard. At this point we need to ask Allah for help and persistently push forward towards our goal and that is obidence to our Creator. 
Of course we could speak about this for along time, but let's start here and make our way to pleasing Allah swt in sha Allah.

Conforming to a Liberal way

Bismillah hir Rahman nir Rahim 

Salaam alaykom respected readers,

Recently I was comforted with a lecture that got me thinking of how I see myself, and if I see myself as a Muslim, and if so what type of Muslim? The lecture went on to explain briefly what liberal Muslims stood for, and their side of the scope of being a Muslim.

In the past I've encountered several people calling themselves Liberal Muslim. If fact when I watched their behavior and the way they presented themselves, which obviously to those that aren't familiar with Islam one would think this is what Islam stood for. From no hijabs to partying like secular people, I had started seeing the unbelievable things being done. 

This got me thinking what is a Liberal as some said they believe in one way or Islam and another one said they believed in another way. However if we look at Quran, the book every Muslim adhered to as a book from Allah swt.  The ayat stands out quiet boldly
Surah 5 ayat 3
"..This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion."

And just to make it clearer another ayat
Surah 6 ayat 153
"This is my straight path, so follow it, and do not follow other paths, lest they scatter you from His Path. This He has enjoined upon you, that you keep from disobedience to Him in reverence for Him and piety to deserve His protection."

Now with just these two ayats I know that their is a straight path, and this straight path is the correct way Allah wants us to be on, this path is Islam. So with this throught in my mind I needed to find what exactly this path entailed. Was the liberal Islam the right and straight path or was it a path opposite to this?

First I want to give my observation on how I have seen Liberal Muslims that I have been in contact with. I believe the best detention for them and a simple one was they formed their thoughts and desires and moulded their ideas to say that this is Islam. For example they believe we should be more like others, to fit in and so others will see that we are similar to them. 

First this is the wrong way of thinking, to feel or believe you need to be like anyone else but what Allah has asked of you. So if we look at the example of hijab Allah has clearly asked us in Quran,

Surah 24 ayat 30-31
“Say to the believing men that: they should cast down their glances and guard their private parts (by being chaste). This is better for them.”

“Say to the believing women that: they should cast down their glances and guard their private parts (by being chaste) and not display their beauty except what is apparent, and they should place their khumur over their bosoms…"

Surah 33 ayat 59
"O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful."

So forming any ideas other then this is opposing Allah's command on us. But that's not it for us as Shias. We have more then this, as we also have sayings from our Imams AS in which one needs to look at as we believe they continued to teach what the Prophet Muhammad SAWA taught, and these teaching reflected what Allah swt ask from us. We really do not have any right to say we know better. Certainly anyone with a sound mind can clearly understand Allah, the One who created us, knows us better than we know ourselves.

Surah 50 ayat 16
"And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein"

With this beautiful ayat I will end this blog with saying that our souls can whisper to do what we desire but we need to oppose this when its conflicting with what we can clearly see in Quran. We can not conform to all those around us, these differences stand out and many will find truth because of our differences, I for one was that person. Don't feel the need to be like those around you, you don't answer to them on the day of judgement. Their way is not always the right way, we need to be careful not to go with our low desires and end up displeasing Allah.

For just one moment I want you to think, if others see you like them is there any reason for them to even look into our religion and see what it is all about? I tell you from experience that no they will not. They will treat you like all others and look right past the Islamic path, which I already established was the correct religion.

And to end now I want to just make a small note, it is perfectly fine to respect everyone as a human beings as our beloved Imam Ali AS said "People are of two types: they are either your brothers in faith or your equals in humanity."

I see you

I See You 
Written by Zaynab McCabe 

You don't know it but I see you. 

I see you wake up in the middle of the night to pray to Allah.
I see you silently whisper dhikr of Allah.

I see you take only three sips of your warm water,
I see you respect your mother and father.

I see you hold the tasbeeh in the dark night,
I see you tiered during the day as you mend everyone's right.

I see you leave your comfort of your home to meet with the poor,
I see you cry for ones that are oppressed and wish you could have done more.

I see you study whenever you can,
I see you when not many can.

I see you have to be criticized and verbally abused,
I see you turn to Allah and seek refuge.

I see you give the speeches day and night,
I see you mend a couples fight.

I see you translate another hadith to a knowledge seeker,
I see you watch tentatively to others while your not the speaker.

I see you, you are not alone.
I see you, your like a precious stone.

You don't know it but I see you!

Dedicated to all our respected scholars, may Allah swt bless you and grant you all a highest level of Jennah! AMEEN!

Imam Hussain's Mission, and What Lesson we Can Take From Karbala

May Allah double up our rewards on the account of our sorrow for imam Hussain AS
And may He include you and us with those who shall take revenge upon his killers with his blood clamier, Iman al mahdi, who belongs to the household of Muhammad SAWA

I Want us to reflect on these points I'm going to give, really reflect upon them while I'm going through them and afterwards, in fact please, this is my humble request, and  that is for us all to sit tonight and reflect upon these points and see if there is anything in our lives we can change so that we are more closer to Allah swt. Let us not go through these days and nights of muharram and pass them by with tears and lamenting for it to end there at the 40 day mark, if afterwards we have not changed ourselves even a little towards being closer to God we have not allowed Karbala and the event of Ashura, or that of which happened after, pierce our hearts. If we do not change we would have not only disappointed Imam Hussain, but what about Lady Fatima or Lady Zaynab and don't forget about lady Sukina.

The love we have for imam Hussain the tears we have shaded for Lady Zaynab SA, how her covering was snatched away from her, what excuse do we have not to obey Allah? What excuse do we have to not wear hijab? I know this may sound bold but these tears and the pain in our chest should produce love for Lady Zaynab SA and Imam Hussain AS, this love should produce actions, these action of what Lady Zaynab stood up for the actions to which Imam Hussain sacrificed himself for, truth my dear sister, what is this truth, this truth is obedience to Allah! Can you imagine only 48 years after the holy prophet SAWA had passed away those who claimed to be Muslims were trapping the caravan of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Rasoul- Allah. This is a very short time from the Prophets death to these tyrants tactics in slaughtering the grandson of imam Hussain. This stance of imam Hussain and his caravan is for us 1300 years later to know truth, not just the truth of Karbala which by the way was the critical role of women in Karbala, it was the woman that kept the message alive after by spreading the awareness of the tragedy that they had seen and was Subjected too.
We see the stance of Hussain before he even left medina when he said "The purpose of my stand is the reformation of my grandfather’s nation. I intend to enjoin goodness and forbid evil. I want to emulate my grandfather, the Holy Prophet (S)and my father Ali Bin Abu Talib (A). Whosoever accepts me by accepting the truth, then Allah is higher than the truth. And whosoever rejects me then I will bear patiently until Allah adjudges between me and them and He is the best Judge.”

By far one of the worst tragedies of Karbala came when the tyrants snatched the women's coverings from them, we mourn every year for Lady Zaynab as they dragged her through the hot dessert without her rights of covering, not only her right but a command by Allah in which these so called tyrants said they adhered to. Lady Zaynab knew the truth, that was obedience to Allah commands and yet someone snatched that away from her, what excuse do we have! Who snatched our coverings away? Maybe some of us wear beautiful hijab but what about everything else in our lives, can I say I'm mirroring the beautiful and pious Lady Zaynab or her mother Lady Fatima bint Muhammad SA?
So through this speech I've made we can clearly see very crucial points in this tragic event that we much reflect of in our lives and see if we are living like that to which imam Hussain AS and all his companions and family stood for on the plains of Karbala. We really do not have a right to cry Hussain but not be good shias everyday! We have the most perfect religion, let us be an example for all that this perfect religion has good and pious followers. Listening to the call of imam Hussain in which he cried out on the hot plains of Karbala "is there anyone else to help me?" Me to truly help Hussain in his mission and that was to hold firmly to Allah and the truth against the oppression we may face everyday and stand in the face of falsehood and reject it whole heartily! 
Lets put these reflecting into points  today, because if we do not reflect and change even just a little from now to next muharram we have not came running to Hussains call.

Point one truth will prevail over falsehood and that this truth is completely obeying Allah even if that's against ones desires. Don't think that mothers and wives that sent their men out for hussain did not love them, but it was that they sacrificed this love for a greater love and that was obeying Allah! I want to bring you to the event I recall from Karbala and that is when the mother of Wahab and his wife went to Karbala to defend Imam Hussain. This event he goes towards the army of yazid LA and fights courageously and dies on the plains of Karbala, the tyrants behead him and throw his severed head towards the mother,  the mother throws it back and says "What we have sacrificed for our Imam and for Islam we do not take back. I am sorry I have one son only. If I had twenty, they all would have fought Yazid today." I want to mention that this family that stood for truth that day was previously a Christian family but converted just before this event. This love they had for imam Husayn and the truth was shown through their actions that day when they sacrificed a lot, a mother lost her son and a new bride her husband. How much in our lives can we say we sacrificed for truth, for Allah, have we obeyed Allah, have we truly lived like those that stood for truth

Point two which I feel is not usually talked about when it comes to Karbala and that is knowledge. Karbala was the number one reason for us to be able to learn and seek knowledge about our religion. Around 70 to 80 years after Karbala the tyrant regime was overthrown due to the event of Karbala, then in this time, which was the time of imam Sadiq AS knowledge was able to flourish and grow, institute of learning happened, had this not happened we would not have been privileged to gain so much knowledge from these types of circles that happened. And this point I want us to reflect on if we have been truly grateful to this, how many of us learn any Islam studies, other learnings we get from school is good but what very important, and is more important is learning about our religion. 

Point three is rights, Karbala was a picture perfect event to teach us that we need to obey the right Allah has set forth on us, like the right of a teacher, rights of the parents, rights on ourselves and mainly right towards Allah swt. Let me take you to the event in Karbala where Imam Hussain spoke to the enemies, Imam Husayn offered to take one of three alternatives. He wanted no political power and no revenge. He said “I came to defend my own people. If I am too late, give me the choice of three alternatives: either to return to Mecca; or to face Yazid himself at Damascus; or if my very presence is distasteful to him and you, I do not wish to cause more divisions among the Muslims.

Let me at least go to a distant frontier, where, if fighting must be done, I will fight against the enemies of Islam.” Every one of these alternatives was refused. 
Here this story we can clearly see that imam Hussain was lowering what was rightfully his in order to keep peace between Muslims and to protect the right of other Muslims. 
However the enemies were no true to being followers of Prophet Muhammad SAWA as then trampled on imam Hussain rights through this tragic event and the rights of all those there. Imam Hussain stood for humanity, that people should have the right to practise their beliefs, the right to live and the rights of protection. 

Courage of the fighters and especially the women, and that of lady zaynab

1. Lady Zaynab courage to standing up and defending Imam Zain ul Abidien 
2. Lady Zaynabs courage towards her leadership through out the events of Ashura and as they marched them through the hot sands
3. Lady zaynabs speech toward the coward tyrant yazid, here I want to give you a simple yet mighty example of part of her speech,
"O Yazid! Allah and His Prophet have said that committing sins and considering the signs of Allah to be false is ridiculing them
"O Yazid! Do you think that we have become humble and despicable owing to the martyrdom of our people and our own captivity? As you have blocked all the paths for us, and we have been made captives and are being taken from one place to another, do you think that Allah has taken away his blessings from us? Do you think that by killing the godly persons you have become great and respectable and the Almighty looks at you with special grace and kindness?

For this reason and on account of this incorrect thinking you have become elated and arrogant. You have become boastful because you have seen that the matters have taken a turn in your favour. You have, however, forgotten what Allah says:

The disbelievers must not think that our respite is for their good We only give them time to let them increase their sins. For them there will be a humiliating torment." (Surah Ale Imran, 3: 178)"

Last point is Justice. 

Hussain rose for justice by not submitting to paying allegiance to an oppressor like yazid. Here we need to remember that in life excpecially now a days we see so much oppression in life, we see Kashmir,  Palatine, bahrain and many like these place being oppressed and sadly being sometimes forgotten. We need to stand up for these oppressed people and speak out or do whatever we can for them. 

Here I wish to end the speech by on last thought and that is as we see Karbala was a sad event in which on the outwardness, we see the greatest people being killed and rights taken away however as you see through our reflections today in sha Allah the spirtual side was justice, courage,  loyalty and obidence to Allah this is what Sayyida Zainab meant when he said she saw nothing but beauty!