Envy (Hasad)

Or do they envy [other] people because of what Allah has given them of His bounty?(Qur'an, chapter 4, verse 54)

Hasad or malicious envy is a psychological state in which a person wishes for the deprivation of a blessing, talent, or merit possessed by another person (the mahsud). Islamic ethical teachings shed light on the causes and motives of hasad and its harmful spiritual, moral and social effects, and offer practical solutions for combating this spiritual disease.

  

Envy is one of the deadliest diseases of the heart and it produces additional vices such as hypocrisy, backbiting, slandering, abuse, taunting, and torturing, all of which are grave sins. This hideous condition makes the human heart so narrow and gloomy that its effects pervade the realm of one's inner and outer being. The fears and grief of the hasid revolve around the person(s) of whom he is envious.

The hasad he harbours in his heart blinds him to the virtues of the envied, and he becomes unhappy over the blessings of God conferred upon the mahsud. The spiritual light and the divine spark of faith which makes the human heart greater than anything else in the world cannot go along with the darkness and narrowness caused in it by hasad. The heart becomes grieved and depressed, the chest narrow and suffocated, and the face grim and frowning.

The more this state gains in strength, the more it diminishes the brightness of faith, while this faith is the source of his salvation in the Hereafter and the life and vigour of his heart. Eventually this disease reduces the hasid into a helpless wretch. 

The Prophet Muhammad (s) said: Beware! Do not bear enmity with the blessings of Allah. When asked about the people who bear enmity with the blessings of Allah, he (s) replied: Those who are envious. (Al-Mu`tazali, Sharh Nahj al-Balagha, vol.1, p. 315)

Hasad is a disease of the soul that has grave psychological, moral, and social consequences. Fortunately, with faith and, sincere and persistent efforts, it is curable. A faithful person is optimistic, has a hopeful attitude towards God, and is satisfied with the way He has divided His bounties among His creatures.

Imam Ali (a) said: The person who gives up hasad is loved by people. (Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 77, p. 237, hadith no. 1)

Reference: www.al-islam.org

 

Syeda Fatima Zehra (a.s)- Spirtual Excellence

• Name: Fatimah daughter Mohammad 
  
• Titles: Az-Zahra, Sayyidatin-Nisaail 'Aalameen  
  
• Kuniya: Umm-ul-A'immah  
  
• Birthdate: Friday, 20th of Jamadi-ul-Akhar in Mecca  
  
• Father: Holy Prophet Muhammed ibn Abdullah (peace be upon him and his family)  
  
• Mother: Khadija binte-Khuwailid    
  
• Died: (Martyred) Date: 14th Jamadi-ul-Awwal, 11 A.H. Place: Madina, Arabia  
  Age: 18 years      
  
• Cause: Injury inflicted upon her due to the force of a falling door upon her pushed by a hypocrite    
  
• Buried: Madina, Saudi Arabia

The most manifest excellence of her is being Mohaddetha, as used to talk with angels, and the angels used to come in her holy presence and talk, the commands and prohibitions, and the inspiration of the verses of Quran was completed on the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.) , but the inspiration on other matters and their revelation was going on, just as the Holy Qur'an had deemed mother of Moosa and Janabe Maryam as the stations of inspiration and has described them as being conversant with angels. 

 

The distinction of Siddiqa-e-Tahera (s.a.) being Mohaddetha, is that, she had collected all the revelations and a book was ready, which is termed as Sahifa-e-Fatemah. And about which Imam Sadiq (a.s.) has said that, this book is three times in volume and thickness than Qur'an, but there is no repetition in it of the meanings and knowledge of the Holy Qur'an, on the contrary all those matters are discussed which can be needed by mankind, and all those events and governments are described which will be formed, up to the Day of Judgment. 

 

At this juncture there should not be any wrong opinion that this is some second Qur'an on which some people or a community has confided in. Qur'an is the only one Qur'an, for which only the pure Ahle Bayt (a.s.) have been deemed as part and participants, this is a book which in linguistic terms is called Mus-haf, as Mus-haf is a collection of treatise and words- Terminologically the Holy Qur'an is called Mus-haf, otherwise this word is common and can be applied to any book. 

 

The Holy Qur'an too has applied inspiration on different places to revelation and infusion or induction, and it is in no way allocated to the Quranic verses or divine law- It has also been used regarding a honey bee- A human s still a human- And if a human be a best human, and his grade be highest of all mankind. Purity The lord of the universe has deemed Siddiqa-e-Tahera (a.s.) as a center of sanctity, and for the revelation of the verse of sanctity (Aayat-e-Tatheer) has selected her house and her cloak, which has been confessed by innumerable traditionalist and commentators and in Hadeeth-e-Kisa a detailed explanation of this event is present. 

 

Truthfulness In the field of Mubahela the Noble Messenger (s.a.) came out with witness of the reality of Islamic beliefs, greatness of Quran, and his own truthfulness, so amongst women no one was there except Siddiqa-e-Tahera (s.a.), which is a sign that amongst men can be possessors of one kind of truthfulness- but in the class of women no other than Siddiqa-e-Tahera (s.a.) was there to be made witness of messenger ship and brought forth- And it is a proof of this matter too that Siddiqa-e-Tahera (s.a.) is alone enough of the testimony of Messenger ship , thus to ask her for a testimony in some matter is synonymous to negligence or opposing the Holy Qur'an. 

 

Bravery: Bravery is of two types. One kind of bravery is exhibited by the force of mind and compassion, which generally comes forth in the perilous fields and stage, and kind of bravery is exhibited by the force of tongue, when truth is declared even before a tyrant ruler. The lord of the universe has awarded Siddiqa-e-Tahera (a.s.) with both kind of bravery. As per the force of mind and compassion, that aspect is worth nothing when the complete family of the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a) was surrounded by the forces of enemy, and he had emigrated to Medina. In the house of Messenger ship, on one side where the Lion of Allah Ali Murtaza (a.s.) was engrossed in resting on the bed of Messenger ship, on the other side Siddiqa-e-Tahera (s.a.) was facing this siege at a very tender age, and no fear or alarm was seen on her, whereas by the fear of these very deniers the most courageous person were involved in grief and anxiety, and there were tears in their eyes. In the battle field of Ohod itself this scene was witnesses, whence by the fear of the deniers and idolators the soldiers of Islam had left the battle field. But Siddiqa-e-Tahera (s.a.) came towards the field along with Safiya and also cried at the corpse of Janab-e-Hamza, and hospitalized the injuries of her father too. The onlookers of the battle of Ohod and the readers of, the story of the flight of the companions of the Messenger (s.a.w.a.), in the Holy Qur'an, can very well adjudge this force of mind and compassion of Siddiqa-e-Tahera (s.a.), and they could sense that at this tumultuous moment, to step towards the battle field is a courageous and forceful task.

 

For her literary courage, that prodigal moment of the history of Siddiqa-e-Tahera (s.a.) is enough, when after the Messenger (s.a.w.a), she had come in the court of caliphate to prove her rights, and admonished such a historic speech which moved the hearts of those present, and compelled the contemporary ruler to tears. A detailed description of this speech and its connectivity is present in history, and from its mention the bravery and courage can be completely judged. In this speech the reason and defects of Islamic commandments, reasoning from the Qur'anic verses, a challenge to the zeal of the Ansars (helpers in Medina) and Mohajirs (emigrants from Mecca), proving her own rights, defending of Women's rights, those realities and instructions, which have been mentioned, they cannot be described in a state of normal senses and tranquility, not to speak of the then prevailing serious and though situation. Such a speech is a lifetime achievement to a lady, which cannot be graded less than a miracle and great nobility.

Causes of Abundant Wealth

The aforementioned discussions elucidate the fact that Allah the Almighty has distributed sustenance and livelihood amongst His creatures on the basis of prudence and justice. Differences in sustenance and wealth are to examine the creatures. Nevertheless, we can bring changes in this destiny through our actions. Just like our age that has been determined by Allah beforehand but can be changed by our actions i.e. our good actions can increase our age while our evil deeds can reduce the lifespan. The same applies for sustenance and livelihood. Our actions can increase or decrease our sustenance.

Hereunder, we shall mention a few factors that can increase our sustenance.

1) Seeking Forgiveness:
“So I said (to them), ‘Ask forgiveness from your Lord. Verily, He is Oft-Forgiving. He will send rain to you in abundance. And give you increase in wealth and children. And bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers.”
(Surah Nuh (71): Verses 10-12)

2) Piety:
“And whoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a away for him to get out. And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine.”
(Surah Talaaq (65): Verses 2-3.)

3) Good Behaviour:
Imam Ja’far Sadeq (a.s) prophecies,
“Whoever behaves well with his family members, his sustenance will be increased.
(Meezanul Hikniah, Chapter of Sustenance, H. No. 7185)

4) Good Deeds:
Imam Ja’far Sadeq (a.s.) foretells,
“Whoever performs good deeds, his sustenance will be increased.
(Ibid. H. No. 7186)

5) Good Ethics:
Imam Ja’far Sadeq (a.s.) informs,
“Whoever bears good ethics, his sustenance will be increased. ‘
(Ibid. H. No. 7187)

6) Easy Reckoning:
Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) states,
“Rudeness destroys good ethics and easy accounting with family members increases the descent of sustenance.
(Ibid. H. No. 7189.)

7) To Feed Others:
The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) informs,
“Sustenance descends faster when you feed others. It descends faster than a knife pierces through the meat of a rooster.
(Ibid. H. No. 7190.)

8) Helping a Believer:
Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) says,
“Helping a brother in religion increases one ‘s wealth.
(Ibid.H.No.7191.)

9) Trustworthiness:
Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) informs,
“Trustworthiness increases sustenance and livelihood. “
(Ibid. H. No. 7192)

10) Praying for a brother in faith:
Imam Muhammad al-Baaqir (a.s.) advises,
“Pray for your brother in faith in his absence.This helps in the easy descent of sustenance.
(Ibid. H. No. 7193)

11) Always Being with Wuzu.
A person came to the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) and pleaded, ‘I intend to increase my sustenance.’ He (s.a.w.a.) replied,
“Always be with wuzu, it will increase your sustenance.
(Ibid. H. No. 7194)

12) Giving Sadaqah:
The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) advised,
“Do as much charity as possible that Allah may increase your sustenance.
(Ibid.H.No.7195).

13) Giving Zakaat:
Imam Muhammad al-Baqer (a.s.) informs,
“Payment of Zakaat increases sustenance.
(Ibid. H. No. 7197).

14) Good Intentions:
Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) states,
“One whose intentions are good and pure, his sustenance and livelihood will increase.
(Ibid. H. No. 7198)

Causes of Straitening of Sustenance

Just as in the previous part we have discussed about the factors that increase our sustenance, here we will briefly talk about the causes that decrease our livelihood and wealth.

1) Sins:
Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) says,
“When a person commits a sin, his sustenance is dispelled from him.”
(Ibid.H.No.7199)

2) Non-fulfillment of the Rights of brothers in faith:
The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) prophecies,
“If somebody does not fulfill the rights of his believing brother or tramples upon it, Allah will disallow blessings in his sustenance, unless he repents.
(Ibid. H. No. 7200)

3) Intake of Prohibited Foods and Drinks:
Imam Ja’far Sadeq (a.s.) informs,
“Intake of prohibited food straitens sustenance.
Ibid. H. No. 7201.

4) To do the opposite of all those deeds that are mentioned in the factors of increase of sustenance and livelihood. Some of these are as follows: Evil intentions, not to pay zakaat, not to fulfill divine rights, not to give charity, bad morals and undesirable ethics, ill-behaviour and so on and so forth.

Reference

Ziaraat.com

Endless Torture

While we as ordinary citizens of Islamic Republic of Pakistan are busy with our day to day life, busy with our lunch and dinners, luxurious life style and parties; a mother silently weeps death of her young son, somewhere in our country an old father is struggling to earn because his son who used to run affairs of house was shot dead.

A Young girl is forced to stop her studies and find some job to support her family for her brother who used to keep her like a queen and promised her to educate her had been assassinated.

Many of us even cannot imagine what goes through when a widow having child in her arms explains to other, that her child has to go to bed without having any meal because her husband was killed. We even cannot think of the agony a mother would face when the child would ask her for a candy. News, statistics and even statements of political figures cannot explain agony of a all those Pakistanis who have been victim of Terrorists specifically Pakistani Shia Community. Newspaper can only quote number of people killed in an incident of firing or bomb blast. What we collectively tend to forget is one sole bread earner or family being killed is like killing the whole family who have to die every moment of their life.

Our doctors, bankers, religious scholars have been frequently targeted in name of God. Bomb blasts, shootings, target killings and on-camera slaughters on an almost daily basis are now becoming a norm of our society.

With the approval of the ideologically corrupt western governments and their dummies in the Arab world, groups like Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) aka Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) carry on the bloodshed in Pakistan

Ayatollah Khomeini once said about the terrorist attacks in Iran, "They have lost all logic, for if they had any logic they would have sat down and spoken to us".

If mass killing could have achieved goal of imposing hatred ideology, I guess Saddam Hussain would have succeeded.  For those who hate the Shias, you need to know that they are followers of Ali(a.s) who said: 

"You have two kinds of brothers; one is your brother in faith and the other is your brother in humanity, be merciful to both of them as you would want Allah to be merciful to you."

HAZRAT MEESAM-TAMMAR AND PROPHECY OF IMAM ALI (a.s)

Meesam-e-Tammar was a slave belonging to a woman of Bani Asad. Imam Ali (as) purchased this slave from the woman and set him free in the way of Allah (SWT). He used to sell dates in Kufa Market and on this account he was known as Meesam-e-Tammar.

Imam Ali (as) asked Meesam: "What is your name"? "Saalim", he replied. Imam Ali (as) said: "Prophet Muhammad (saw) has told me that the Iranians call you Meesam." Meesam was astonished because no one knew his real name. So, he said: "Allah (SWT) and His prophet are truthful." Since that day, Meesam had not left Imam Ali (as).

Meesam was one of the distinct and favorite companions of the Commander of the faithful Imam Ali (a.s.), rather he, Umro bin Humaq, Mohammad bin Abu Bakr and Oways Qarani were among his disciples. Keeping in mind their merit and worthiness, Imam Ali (a.s.) had trained them with concealed knowledge and mysteries, which would occasionally be apparent from them. Once Meesam told Abdullah bin Abbas, who was one of the students of Imam Ali (a.s.) and had learnt the Quranic Exegeses from him, and whom Mohammad bin Hanafiyah had referred to as " the Divine of the nation " that, " O son of Abbas! Ask from me whatever you desire regarding the interpretation of the Quran, as I have recited the revelations of the Quran before Imam Ali (a.s.) and have received it`s interpretation from him."

Meesam-e-Tammar used to take lessons from Imam Ali (as) and Imam Ali (as) acquainted him with a good many secrets of the faith. Imam Ali (as) taught him many branches of knowledge which included ilm-e-Manaya wal Balaya (the knowledge of death and future calamities) and ilm-e-Taweel (Interpretation and exegesis of Glorious Qur`an). At times with the permission of his master, Meesam-e-Tammar used to acquaint the public about the deep secrets learnt by him.

Once Imam Ali (as) told him that he (Meesam) would be hanged on account of love for his master. He also gave the address and told him that he would be hanged in a farm next to the house of Amr ibn Huraith. The tree on which he would be hanged was the smallest of the ten trees existing in the farm at that time. Meesam was also informed that his tongue would be cut out because he would not stop praising his master [Imam Ali (as)].

After getting the information, it is recorded in history that Meesam would go to the palm-tree and looked after the trink which his master has pointed, water its branches and used to clean the place and would say "Oh tree! You are for me and I am for you. Meesam-e-Tammar had visited the palm-tree for more than twenty years. Meesam-e-Tammar would go to Amr ibn Huraith and say, "I will be your neigbour, thus fulfill the rights of neighborhood well." Amr ibn Huraith would not understand his meaning and would ask, "Do you intend buying the house of Ibne Mas`ood or Ibne Hakeem"? Meesam kept silent. Amr ibn Huraith was puzzled. He wondered: What does Meesam mean?

Months and years passed by, Imam Ali (as) was martyred then Imam Hassan (as) was martyred and Meesam-e-Tammar kept waiting for the time. Finally came 60 AH when Ubaidullah ibn Ziyad was appointed Governor of Kufa, Iraq.

Meesam-e-Tammar then went to Makkah to perform Hajj pilgrimage and there after returned to Kufa, Iraq. Thereafter Meesam went to Kufa and was seized and taken to Ubaydullah. Ubaydullah was told that, "This man is the most beloved of Ali." He said, "Woe be to you! This Persian man"? He was replied in the affirmative. Then Ubaydullah asked Meesam, "Where is your Lord"? Meesam replied, "In ambush of the oppressors, while you are one of the oppressors." Ubaydullah said, "Even after being a Persian (non-Arab) you say what you mean (your Arabic is eloquent). Tell me then, what your Master (Imam Ali) predicted to you as to what I shall do to you"? Meesam replied, "Yes, he did tell us that I will be the tenth one whom you shall put to the gallows, and that the timber of my gallow would be the shortest, and also that I shall be closer to the ground than them." Ubaydullah said, "By Allah! I shall do the opposite of what he said." Meesam replied, "How can you do the opposite, when by Allah, Imam Ali (a.s.) had heard it from the Prophet (s.a.w.s.), while he had heard it from Jibraeel, who in turn heard it from the Almighty. How can you oppose them? And I even know the place in Kufa where I shall be hanged, and I shall be the first in Islam to be bridled."


Thus Meesam was imprisoned alongwith Mukhtar bin Abu Ubaydah Saqafi. Al-Mukhtar said to his two friends: "Be ready to meet Allah (SWT)! After Imam Hussain`s killing, Ubaidullah ibn Ziyad will kill the Imam Hussain`s (as) supporters."

Abdullah bin al-Harith said: "Yes, he will kill us sooner or later."

Meesam said: "No, he won`t kill you. My master, Imam Ali (as) has told me that you (al-Mukhtar) will get revenge of Imam Hussain`s killers. And you will kick Ubaidullah ibn Ziyad`s head with your foot."

Then Meesam said to Abdullah bin al-Harith: "You`ll rule Basra."

When Ubaidullah ibn Ziyad called for al-Mukhtar to be killed, a message arrived from Yazid ordering him to free al-Mukhtar. He released him and ordered Meesam to be crucified.

Meesam-e-Tammar was brought to the same tree to be hanged as pointed out by Imam Ali (as). Meesam began singing the praises of his master, and about a thousand people gathered to see Meesam being hanged.

After Meesam was hanged, his tongue carried on singing the praises of Imam Ali(a.s) and the virtues of Ahle Bait(a.s). Meesam said with a smile. "By Allah (SWT), this palm trunk has been created for me! And I`ve been created for it." Thus, the people knew the secret of Meesam`s visit to the palm-tree throughout the long years.

When the news of Meesam`s praises reached Ubaidullah ibn Ziyad, the tyrant ordered that the tongue of Meesam-e-Tammar to be cut and hence the prophecy of Imam Ali(a.s) became true and Meesam died after his tongue wad cut. Inna lillahe wa inna elaihe rajioon.

When the visitor leaves the holy city Najaf, on his way to Koofa, he sees a beautiful dome that decorates the shrine of Meesam-Tammar.

REFRENCES:

> http://www.ezsoftech.com/islamic/meesam.asp

> http://www.shia-azadari.com/madras/page.asp?catid=21&scatid=399

10th Muharram 1435 AH - Day of Ashoora

10th of Muharram 1435 A.H. - The day of Ashoora when Imam Hussain(as) and his 72 companions were martyred in the desert of Karbala in Iraq in 61 AH.

Imam Hussain(as) was the icon of Islam who was upholding the religion of Allah(swt) against an icon of oppression and cruelty (Yazid bin Moawia Laeen) who had usurped the noble status of Khalifa-e-Rasool. Imam Hussain(as) refused to accept this unjust person as Caliph and started off on a memorable journey to expose the nefarious designs of Yazid Laeen. This endeavor of Imam Hussain(as) marked a turning point in the history of Islam and set out a clear distinction between the true Islam and the false brand of Islam that Yazid Laeen was trying to established.

Imam Hussain(as) arrived in the land of Karbala on the 2nd of Muharram and his camp was moved away from the river Euphrates on the 7th of Muharram and from the 8th of Muharram all water and food resources finished in his camp and the women and little children of his family were without water and food in the scorching heat of Karbala for 3 days. On 10th of Muharram, battle between the small group of Imam Hussain(as) and the 30,000 (upto 100,000) strong army of Yazid(laeen), led by Omar ibn-e-Saad(laeen), started and one by one all male members of Imam(as)'s camp were martyred including children of tender ages of 14 and 12 years and the cruel men did not even spare the 6-month old Ali Asghar(as) - the son of Imam Hussain(as).

Just before the time of Asar prayers, Imam Hussain(as) was left alone and he gave a thought provoking speech which highlighted the reasons why he had started this campaign and how the people of Kufa betrayed him and left him alone. Then he started a valiant battle all alone against the enemies and fought like his brave father till the time of Asar prayers when a voice called him to put his sword down and come to Allah(swt) as Nafs-e-Mutmaeenah - satisfied soul.  Imam Hussain(as) started praying and while he was in prostration, Shimr-e-Maloon attacked him and martyred the Imam(as) with an unsharpened dagger hitting him 13 times.

I present my condolences and Pursa to Prophet Mohammad(sawaw), Bibi Fatima(sa), Imam-e-Zamana(as), the Ahl-e-Bait(as) and all Momineen and Mominaat  on this day of Ashoora and as instructed by our Imams(as), you should also present  condolences to your friends and family members on this day of the great martyrdom  of Imam Hussain(as) and his companions.

 

Source:

www.ziaraat.com

Lessons from Shia Processions

As history states that after 7/7 bombing in London, people living in this great city refused to give up to demands and propaganda of militants. They continued their way of life, greater part of London remained open, public services remained accessible and the message was life goes on with slight marks of terror. I am not a big fan of Tony Blair who was prime minister at that time but the message he gave in his speech requires appreciation. Without any doubt our rulers and political leaders should learn from this. He stated and I quote:

“I think we all know what they are trying to do. They are trying to use the slaughter of innocent people to cow us, to frighten us out of doing the things that we want to do, trying to stop us from going about our business as normal, as we are entitled to do and they should not and they must not succeed. When they try to intimidate us, we will not be intimidated. When they seek to change our country or our way of life by these methods, we will not be changed.”

When military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq who we can give credit of sowing seed of religious extremism in our society and creation of madressas for producing brain washed religious animals in Pakistan. And he was supported equally by our Pious Saudi Brothers.  Persecuting other sects and faiths (Shias, Sunni Barelvis, Ahmadis, Christians, Hindus etc) begun and after 30 odd years now we are hiding ourselves from the devil which was given birth by equal efforts of Zia and Saudis.

 Pakistani Shias since creation of our Holy Motherland have remained subject to constant discrimination, harassment, hate speech and violence by various jihadi and sectarian proxies of the State, i.e., the Sipah-e-Sahaba (ASWJ), Taliban, Jaish-e-Muhammad, Jundullah, Lashkar-e-Taiba (JuD) etc.  

What harm have they caused to society because of which they are frequently being targeted? Yes their only wrong doing is that they follow & practice a faith (belief in Imams instead of Caliphs) which is unlike from the majority Sunni faith. They decline to admire those “companions” of the Prophet Muhammad whom Sunnis consider as heroes while Shias consider as villains, specifically head of Umayyad Dynasty Abu Sufyan, his son Muwiyah and Muwaiya’s son Yazeed.

While if we look at last ten year of our history Shias who were first targeted in Imambarghas and Mosques now are also being targeted in their homes & workplaces. Now their children and their women are also subjected to this brutal killing. Yet Shias have stood by their faith and facing all dangers still they follow their path of faith. Every year when Muharam starts; knowing that they will be targeted they still are going to attend, or the juloos (procession) they are participating on Ashura, may be subject to a brutal assault by a suicide bomber.

As muharram nears every year, it is observed that everywhere from streets to workplace objections are raised against Shias and their religious rituals. It is to be noted that our so called liberals are also a part of group which raises objections. They forget that such processions even on political grounds are allowed in western countries. And such liberals are silent when hard core elements of our society attack Shias, bomb girls school, attack Christians etc. On face f it every year Shias take out their processions which clearly reflect that Pakistan is alive. Not only this it also shows that we are a resilient nation and can stand against a ruthless enemy.

Every year these Holy Guided warriors of Islam and their masters issue ultimatums that Shia gatherings specifically processions would be attacked. Yet the Shias of Pakistan have time after time refused to bow down as our government and political leaders have bowed to their demands. They have refused to cave in to the demands and tactics of terrorists. This point was highlighted by Batool Zehra:

…no one is really in doubt about how vulnerable the Ashura procession is this year. In their majalis, Shia clerics have been philosophic about the possibility of suicide bombing, acknowledging that while safeguards have been taken, the threat by its very nature cannot be eliminated by better security.

Come Ashura and each mourner or ‘azadar’ on the long stretch of M A Jinnah Road (in Karachi) is more than a mourner — he is a protester and also a fighter. When the azadar walk out of their homes and join the procession, it is with the understanding that, had they been present at the battle of Karbala, they would have formed part of Imam Hussain’s (RA) army. To a follower, there are no anachronisms.

The Ashura procession is a concrete recreation to the idea that evil, even if it were to hide behind piety, behind religious facades, must be identified and exposed. And if the procession today is Imam Hussain’s (RA) lashkar, then in many ways, the Taliban today in their excesses, rigidity and barbaric cruelty still broadly embody the characteristics — intolerance, cruelty and a penchant for barbarism — of the Imam’s enemies.

Those who suggest that the processions should not take place, are missing the essential point. The Taliban attack not just lives, but a way of life, and it is the latter which must be protected, and which needs to survive. As hundreds of empty schools in Fata and Balochistan testify, it is all too easy to relinquish a way of life in an ultimately empty bid to protect lives. While the fear of bombing is crystal clear, there aren’t many today who are debating whether or not to go to the procession this year.

By posting this, personally I would salute every Shia who has given his life fighting against the ideology of hatred. I would also praise all those who till this day stand by their faith and have not backed away due to terror threats. My salute to all Hindus Christians and Sunni brothers who practice their faith and face terror threats and activities every day.

A day will come when these forces will exhaust all their resources and their ideology would also die. That day will be the day of victory for all those who stood against tyranny.