Corrupt Society

On the verge of civil war we live in a society which despite knowing the path that will lead to destruction, have not amended ourselves. We know what dangers our generations will face, yet we turn a blind eye towards them. We are gradually moving towards destruction and chaos. Destruction and chaos will be caused by others but, at the core, it will be our actions, which will lead us to those butchers who are inhuman and barbarians. So, it’s not the injustice and barbarity of cruel people that harms society the most, but it is the silence of people, either due to fear or because the matter is not a matter of their concern. However, when forest catches fire, its heat is felt initially by every living being and later that small fire grips each part of the forest; burning everything in its path. Similar is the fate of our society. Some parts of our country are witnessing brutal barbaric acts against schools and teachers while others witness targeted killing of people belonging to a particular belief, every single day.

 

We don’t realize that today it’s them; tomorrow it will be us. Today it’s their belief because of which they are being butchered in every corner of the world. Tomorrow these barbarians would find some other reason to burn down your house. Their thirst of spilling blood will never end. Even when there will be nobody to fight, they would fight each other on false logics. As was the case in Afghanistan, after Soviets retreated and, the same was witnessed in Syria when the rebel Islamic Militant group fought amongst themselves for the control of small portions of the city or over pity issues.

 

We spend millions to fulfill our worldly desires and yet the list never ends. We become frugal when we have to contribute for somebody in need while we enjoy and eagerly wait to spend on movie tickets. While we become defensive and argue about our right to spend heftily on recreational activities, we overlook the needs of the less privileged in our society. We condone the needs of those struggling parents who can’t fund their child’s education; certainly, we are unable to find a single reason to help them out. As the earning increasing, so does the reason for not contributing for a social cause.

 

Our behaviors, actions, and decisions as an individual and society, are clear to us. However, we still portray ourselves as we’re aloof to the needs of the society; we don’t care. While we try to instill the best of ethics into our children, send them to good schools so they can be good humans, we’re simultaneously creating biasness in our children’s minds. We ignore the needs of those who are poverty stricken and deprived of basic life’s provisions such as food, clothing and shelter. While if this wasn't enough, we disrespect our elders,  in front of our children, and expect our kids to be respectful towards us when we grow old. This is mere hypocrisy; on one hand we expect others to treat us well, while on the other hand we don’t feel any responsibility to others in the society.

 

My question is still the same: what are we doing and what do we want to achieve? Do we want our kids to see us being killed just because one religious maniac thinks we are not acting according to rules of religion? Don’t we see everyday how innocent people are killed and don’t we just ignore such events because they are not related to us? Moreover, when people protest against such incidents don’t we curse such people for protesting and creating traffic jams on roads? Haven’t we reached the point where we need to check the level of corruption we ourselves have reached? A day will come when this fire will engulf our home, then we will look towards others for help to raise their voices against the injustice towards us. When we won’t find anybody to support us, we will forget about how we had acted when others needed us and would curse them for not standing by us.

Islam & Educated Class of Society

Our older generation had been slaves and had an enormous inferiority complex of the British. The school we went to was similar to all the elite schools in Pakistan, despite becoming independent, we are, and still are, producing replicas of English public school boys rather than Pakistanis. We read Shakespeare which is fine, but no Iqbal. 

The Islamic class is not considered to be serious, and when we leave school we consider ourselves amongst the elite of the country because we could speak in English and wore western clothes. Despite periodically celebrating and singing national songs on Independence Day, we consider our own culture backward and Islam an outdated religion.

Amongst our group if any one talks about religion, prayed or kept a beard he is immediately branded a Mullah or extremist for that matter who is misguided. Because of the power of the western media, all our heroes are western movie or pop stars or for that matter bollywood.

Now slowly we are entering an era where not just Islam but all religions are considered as anachronism. Science has replaced religion and if something couldn't be logically proved it did not exist. Moreover, if one reviews the European history, conclusion would be that they had an awful experience with religion. The horrors committed by the Christian clergy in the name of God during the inquest had left a powerful impact on the western mind. To understand why the west is so keen on secularism, one should go to places like Cordoba in Spain and see the various methods of torture applied during the Spanish Inquisition. Also the maltreatment of scientists as heretics by the clergy had convinced the Europeans that all religions are regressive.

But opposite to this if we observe why current and upcoming generations are moving away from religion is the selective Islam practiced by most of its preachers i.e. Mullahs. . In other words, there is difference between what we practice and what we preach. Also, rather than explaining the philosophy behind the religion, there is emphasis on rituals. We humans are poles apart to animals whereas the latter can be drilled; humans need to be rationally convinced. That is why the Quran constantly appeals to reason. The worst of course, is the exploitation of Islam for political gains by various individuals or groups.

In western societies, institutions are strong while they are collapsing in our country. However, there is one area where we were and still are better and that is our family life. One can observe the solitude of the old-age pensioners at different places built specially to accommodate old people.  One cannot imagine even of sending parents to Old Peoples' Homes. Western society on this point completely misses out on the security blanket that a joint family system provides. However one if studies western society closely would notice that the biggest loss which western society suffered was trying to free itself from oppression. While doing this they removed both God and Religion from their lives. Doing this created a vacuum in their society. And two questions always remain unanswered in such society. What is the purpose of our existence and what after we die? Both these unanswered questions have serious psychological impact in society.

After the event of 9/11; it looked like the whole world had turned against Muslims. And it was then many Muslims living abroad and also in Muslim countries realized that we are not equipped with even basic knowledge of Islam which could be adequate to solve our daily problems. If we look into what really Islam is about; Quran on this matter states clearly that “Those who believe and do good deeds.” But in our society and other Muslim countries the main problem is two extreme groups that exists. None of them are ready to accept the other. One is more tilted towards westernized outlook whereas on the other end we have religious fanatics who have labeled themselves as defendants of faith. 

But if one carefully studies what Islam really is about, it would be humanity along with fulfilling religious obligations. And to arrive at this given both extremes need to engage in dialogue. Dialogue not to label each other as infidels or fanatics but to understand and follow what was the right path. Group which is in majority and spends more on education should spend more time and resource in order to understand Islam. There is no forceful following in religion but one should arm itself with basic knowledge of religious beliefs to stand up against extremism existing in our society. Extremism could not be wiped off if we turn.

If our educated class starts to practice Islam, it would not only help in fighting extremism but would also help in nipping other societal evils. World would also realize how progressive religion Islam is. After all Prophet (pbuh) was known for his mercy for all mankind.

21st March - Naurooz

21s March is the day of Naurooz - the first day of Persian calendar. It is celebrated with reverence in many countries.

Where and how is Naurooz Celebrated?

The festival of Naurooz commemorates a centuries-old, agrarian custom that over time was integrated into various cultures and faith traditions. Today, Naurooz is celebrated in many parts of the Middle East and Central and South Asia, particularly among peoples influenced by Persian and Turkic civilisations. In countries such as Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, Naurooz is observed as a public holiday. Celebrations are also organized by the Shia Muslims communities in Pakistan, India and other places in the world where Shia Muslim communities exist.

People across the globe celebrate Naurooz with the recital of devotional poetry in the form of qasidas, and manqabas. Dried fruits, nuts and grains are distributed, symbolising blessings of abundance and sustenance. Naurooz is also a time of family gatherings and celebratory meals, thus strengthening family bonds and fraternal ties.

 

What do our scholars say about this day and its importance?

Ayatullah al-Uzma Makarim Shirazi, in his recent publication, Mafaatih al-Naveen (an updated version of Mafaatih al-Jinaan of Shaykh Abbas Qummi), writes: “In regards to what Islam has to say about Eid-e-Naurooz, we must state that amongst the scholars, this Eid is debated. Some of the traditions point to the importance of this day as one in which many nations were saved (from perils).”

He goes on to state that, “The Late Allamah Majlisi writes in Zad al-Ma‘aad that, “From a reliable chain of narrators from Mu‘alla ibne Janis it has been narrated that on the day of Naurooz, he was blessed to be in the presence of Imam as-Sadiq (as). The Imam asked, “Do you know the status of this day?” Mu‘alla replied, “May I be sacrificed for your sake! This is the day which the Iranians took as a great day. On this day, they send gifts to one another.” The Imam replied, “The act of holding this day in esteem and greatness is due to certain historical events which took place which I will now explain to you.” The Imam then mentioned the following events:

1. Naurooz is the day when Allah, the High, took the Oath of Allegiance from the souls of all human beings (before their creation) to His oneness, that they would not associate partners with Him and that they would accept and believe in His Prophets and Imams;

2. This is also the day when the flood during the time of Prophet Nuh(as) subsided and the ark rested on the mountain of Joodi;

3. Naurooz is also the day when the Messenger of Allah destroyed the idols of the polytheists of the Quraish in the city of Makkah.

4. This was also the day that Prophet Ibrahim(as) destroyed the idols;

5. Also the day when the Messenger of Allah ordered his companions to pledge allegiance to Ali as the Commander of the Faithful (this is in reference to the Day of Ghadeer which took place on the Eid-e-Naurooz);

6. it is also the day when the Qa’im from Aale Muhammad (the 12th Imam) will make his advent…”

However, Ayatullah Makarim Shirazi cautions that, “Since Mu‘alla ibne Janis is an individual whom the scholars question (and thus this tradition as well falls under question), for this reason, it is not possible to totally rely on this tradition.” None the less, He states that this day has Islamic significance, which we need to ensure is marked in an Islamic fashion. He concludes by stating that the Eid-e-Naurooz is an Eid of nature in the world of creation; it is the day when winter ends and spring blossoms with its natural life by the command of Allah. It is the time when the leaves of the trees begin to sprout their buds and the flowers begin to bring forth their bulbs in preparation of their blooming; it is a time when a movement towards life takes hold of all of creation and thus we, the believers, should be in harmony with this event of the creation as this is equivalent to being in sync with the tradition (Sunnat) of Allah.

 

The believers need to ensure that they remove all actions which are ‘cultural’ or ‘traditional’ – even if practiced by Muslims, and to follow the dictates of the Prophet and the Imams. Thus, some of the recommend actions which we should perform on this day include: a ghusl for Eid; wearing clean clothes; applying perfume; fasting, praying the recommended Salat after Salaatul Asr and the various supplications which should be read on this day, some of which are found in Mafaatih al-Jinaan [The Prayer’s Almanac in English by PET].

According to the Holy Prophet (sawaw) and 6th Imam(as), the rain water of this month is very useful for curing many ailments. It is also said that this water causes fertility in women. So if a childless female drinks this water, she may give birth to a child. [Mafateehul Jinaan - Pg 586].

Recommended Aamal of Naurooz

[As per – Mafateehul-Jinaan, Zadul-Maa’ad & Almanac]

(1) Have a bath - Ghusl

(2) Put on new or clean clothes and apply perfume.

(3) Keep fast.

(4) Pray a 4 Rak-a't salaat, (In 2 rak'at cycle) after the Z'uhr and A'sr prayers, as under:

In the first Rak-a't after the recitation of Soorah Al Faatih'ah, recite Soorah Al Qadr 10 times.

In the second Rak-a't, after the recitation of Soorah Al Faatih'ah, recite Soorah Al Kaafiroon 10 times.

In the third Rak-a't, after the recitation of Soorah Al-Faatih'ah, recite Soorah Al Ikhlaas 10 times.

In the fourth Rak-a't, after the recitation of Soorah Al Faatih'ah, recite Soorah Al Falaq 10 times, and Soorah Al Naas 10 times.

(5) Pray other Duas mentioned in Mafati-ul-Jinan and other books.

(6) Ask your hajats.

Source: www.ziaraat.com

Lessons from Life of Bibi Fatmia (a.s)

1. Be Kind to Your Parents:

Sayyada Fatima(a.s.) would speak with her mother 

Sayyada Khadija while she was in her womb to keep her company because the women of Makkah had boycotted her.

Sayyada Fatima(a.s.) would clean the Prophet’s wounds after the Makkans injured him with stones. Sayyada Fatema (a.s.) was a source of comfort to her father.  He would come to her when he didn’t feel well like before the event of the Kisa.

2.Trust Your Parents with important decisions of your life:

Sayyada Fatima(a.s.) trusted her father when he left her in Makah while he migrated to Madina.  

Sayyada Fatima(a.s.) trusted her father with the decision of choosing Imam Ali (a.s.) for her husband.  Several men had proposed to marry Sayyada Fatima(a.s.) but the Prophet only asked her about the proposal of Imam Ali(a.s.) and she agreed to marry him.

3.When choosing a life partner look for Piety not Money:

Sayyada Fatima(a.s.) chose to marry Imam Ali(a.s.) based on his piety.  She did not look at how rich he was.

4. Give in the way of Allah what you love most:

Sayyada Fatima(a.s.) gave away her wedding dress the day after she got married!

5. Always acquire knowledge:

Sayyada Fatima(a.s.) would ask her sons to tell her about the sermons of the Prophet Mohammed PBUH

6. Always share your knowledge:

Sayyada Fatima was always willing to answer questions of the women of Madina even if they were many, for example when an old lady sent her many questions about fiqh.

7. Raise your children in the way of Allah:

Sayyada Fatima(a.s.) raised Imam Hasan(a.s.), Iman Hussain (a.s.), Sayyada Zainab and Sayyada Umm Kulthum to be leaders of Islam.

8. Always Glorify Allah:

Sayyada Fatima(a.s.) would always glorify Allah by reciting the tasbih whenever she would perform the chores of the house.

9. Love your Children Equally:

Sayyada Fatima (a.s.) greeted both Imam Hassan(a.s.) and Imam Hussain(a.s. ) as “qurata aini wa thamarata fuadi”, “the light of my eyes and the delight of my heart” in the event of the Kisa.

10. Give in the way of Allah without expecting reward or thanks:

Sayyada Fatima(a.s.) and her family gave away their meals three days in a row to the poor without asking for any reward while they themselves remained hungry.  This event led to the revelation of Sura Dahar in their praise.

11.Treat your servants well:

Sayyada Fatima(a.s.) always treated Sayyada Fizza well and took turns in performing household chores with her.

12. Observe Hijab properly:

Sayyada Fatima always observed Hijab even if the visitor to her house was a blind man.

13.Speak up when your rights are taken away:

Sayyada Fatima (a.s.) went to court and spoke up against her rights and inheritance being taken away.

14. Prepare for your death:

Sayyada Fatima(a.s.) was very concerned about her burial and wanted her hijab to be maintained after she died and had a casket designed that would cover her body.

15. Never trust the enemies of Islam:

Sayyada Fatima(a.s.) asked certain people not to be allowed tocome to her burial and her exact burial place has been kept a secret.

The Prophet (s) said, “Fatima is part of me and she is my heart and the soul which is between my two sides.”

The Prophet (s) said, “Fatima is the joy of my heart, and her sons are the fruit of my soul.”

She was indeed one of the greatest Islamic personalities that had ever existed on this earth

It is said that Prayer is like a beautiful flower and the Tasbeeh of Sayeda Fatima(a.s.) gives this beautiful flower a beautiful fragrance.