Existence of God by Imam Ali (as) in Nahjul Balagha

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Text:
Cicero - "There are many question within philosophy to which no satisfactory answer has been given,
but the question of the nature of God is the darkest and most difficult of all."

Ali ibn Abu Talib (as) on the Existence of God

Imagination cannot reach Him so as to assign Him quantity;
Understanding cannot think of Him so as to give Him shape;
Senses do not perceive Him so as to feel Him;
Hands cannot touch Him so as to rub against Him;
He does not change into any condition;
He does not pass from one state to another;
Nights and days do not turn Him old;
Light and Darkness do not alter Him;
It cannot be said that He has a limit or extremity or end or termination,
nor do things control Him so as to raise Him or lower Him,
nor does anything carry Him so as to bend Him or keep Him erect;
He is not inside things nor outside them;
He conveys news, but not with tongue or voice;
He listens, but not with the holes of the ears or the organs of hearing;
He says, but does not utter words;
He remembers, but does not memorize;
He determines, but not by exercising His mind;
He loves and approves without any sentimentality (of heart);
He hates and feels angry without any painstaking;
When He intends to create someone He says, "Be," and there he is,
but not through a voice that strikes (the ears) is that call heard;
His speech is an act of creation.

The foremost in religion is the acknowledgement of Him;
The perfection of acknowledging Him is to testify Him;
The perfection of testifying Him is to believe in His Oneness;
The perfection of believing in His Oneness is to regard Him pure,
and the perfection of His purity is to deny Him attributes
because every attribute is a proof that is different from that to which it is attributed,
and everything to which something is attributed is different from the attribute.

Thus whoever attaches attributes to God recognizes His like,
and who recognizes His like regards Him two,
and who regards Him two recognizes parts for Him,
and who recognizes parts for Him mistook Him,
and who mistook Him pointed at Him,
and who pointed at Him admitted limitations for Him,
and who admitted limitations for Him numbered Him;
Whoever said 'in what is He?' held that he is contained,
and whoever said 'on what is He held?" He is not on something else.

He is a being but not through the phenomenon of coming into being;
He exists but not from non-existence;
He is with everything but not in physical nearness;
He is different from everything but not in physical separation;
He acts without connotation of movements and instruments;
He sees even when there is none to be looked at from among His creation;
He is only One, such that there is non whom he may keep company or whom He may miss in his absence.

Holy Qur'an 41:53  - "We will show them our signs in the universe and in their own selves until it becomes manifest to them that this is the truth."

Silman Liman Salamakum

IRC 2011

On the recent Columbus/Thanksgiving Day weekend I was blessed to attend the third International Revert Muslims Conference in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. This conference was hosted by the Masumeen Islamic Center and sponsored by the Islamic Humanitarian Service IHS, and was attended by born Muslims and reverts alike, hailing from regions all over the West, including the UK, Canada, US, the Bahamas, and Trinidad and Tobago. The speakers were a diverse group of scholars and reverts with origins in Iran, Pakistan, India, Canada, and the United States.

 The conference was organized and carried out by board members of the Revert Muslim Association RMA, founded by revert Sr. Jennah Heydari in 2005, as well as many volunteers from RMA, IHS and the Masumeen Center. Speakers included Sheikh Jaffer H. Jaffer, resident Alim of the Masumeen Islamic Center who was born in Los Angeles, California; Sheikh Muhammad Ali Shomali from Qum, Iran; Sheikh Muhammad Bahmanpour from the UK and Iran; Sheikh Saleem Bhimji from Canada; Sayyid Mohammad Rizvi from India and Canada; Sheikh Mohammad Razavi from Pakistan, Iran, east Africa and UK; Sheikh Hassnain Kassamali and Sister Tahera Kassamali from East Africa and Canada; Sister Arifa Hudda from East Africa and Canada; and Sheikh Shafiq Hudda from East Africa and Canada. The revert speakers were Sr Fatima Ali of Montreal, Br. Vinay Khetia of Toronto, and Sr. Masooma Beatty of Colorado, as well as emcee Br. Mohammed Langston from Detroit. British revert brother (and cast member of the movie 313) Abd al Rauf Shokoya spoke on behalf of Ahlulbayt TV and worked with staff to collect interviews with reverts for the program Revert's World.

 The intention behind organizing a revert conference was not to separate reverts from the general Shia Muslim population, but rather to bring together reverts and born Muslims alike from diverse backgrounds to address education, needs, and issues encountered by reverts and also born Muslims in the West. One of the beautiful things about the IRC has been the coming together of believers from many communities and, in the case of many reverts, no communities at all, to experience the benefits of brother and sisterhood. Many enjoyed the feelings of coming together and one lady even announced her intention to convert to Islam after being invited to the conference and traveling from the United States and feeling the love and and beauty of Islam at the event.

 The topics of lectures and workshops covered a wide range of needs. For example, Sheikh Mohammed Saeed Bahmanpour spoke on life and death in the hereafter. Sheikh Bahmanpour made a beautiful analogy between this world and the hereafter and a "caterpillar universe" and "butterfly universe". He taught that this existing universe will evolve in the universe of the hereafter and was apply to supply inspiring explanations and descriptions.

 Sheikh Mohammed Ali Shomali spoke on the collective nature of wilayah. Based on an article he has written in The Message of Thaqalayn, vol. 10, no. 3 (Fall 2009), in this lecture he explained that we often think of wilayah as an individual relationship of guardianship between ourselves and God and Ahlulbayt (as), but there is a social function of wilayah that stresses the unity of believers. Among many sources, he cited a saying of Imam Mahdi (as, ajtf): "Surely, if our Shi'ites - may Allah help them for their obedience to HIm - were united in their hearts securely on their promises with us, there would not be any delay in the blessing of meeting us." Thus, he stressed that the various communities should be working, meeting, and praying together in spite of whatever differences they have, and that every believer should be meeting with and knowing the well-being of other believers and interacting with them peacefully, and that this is a crucial duty in preparing ground for the Imam (as)'s return. We must unite and not divide no matter what.

 Sheikh Saleem Bhimji spoke on a western-muslim cultural identity in a very practical lecture highlighting 6 aspects of developing this identity, including using the common language, developing artistic expressions, finding contemporary manifestations of spirituality such as volunteerism, creating inclusive social events beyond just "religious" events, and networking and supporting the businesses of one another.

 Workshop topics included issues related to salat, light/noor, the Qur'an, prophets, hijab, spouse selection, interfaith, morals, facing difficulties, free will vs. predestination, and interacting with non-Muslim family, and there were also many other lecture topics such as mercy in the Qur'an, Irfan, social and domestic issues of reverts, and pluralism and perennialism. Question and answer sessions were held and many scholars and guests offered assistance to the cause of helping reverts as well as serving the needs of Western youth, etc. Vendors provided information or sold Islamic clothing, decorations, prayer items, and media, and halal food was provided throughout the conference. For many reverts, the vendors provided access to Islamic items and information that they did not know how to find previously.

 The Revert Muslim Association is already making plans for the next conference, and organizers are hoping that it will be held in London in 2012. Many of the lectures from this conference were recorded and pictures were taken. People interested in the conference lectures and images may visit the RMA website for more information. The videos may not yet be up but should be forthcoming. People can also join the forums there and/or the group on Facebook. Anyone interested in getting help to learn more about Islam, get help with revert or other issues, or to help reverts find Shia contacts wherever they may reside or provide other assistance can contact RMA.

 As a revert myself, I am grateful for the efforts of others that I have benefited from on my journey to provide opportunities such as this. Many of the efforts made by born Muslims for their own children being raised in the West are also of great benefit to reverts and are appreciated. Sometimes reverts have very bad experiences that can sour their understanding of Islam, and often they may feel the highly cultural/linguistic divisions of many Shia centers and organizations leads them to be always outsiders or guests and never really fit in anywhere. The multicultural nature of a conference like this and the use of the lingua franca both help greatly in forming relationships and providing a hopeful direction for the future.

The Nature of Knowing God

Science is a human exercise in making sense of that which exists through the use of reasoning and gathering evidence. The scientific process is generally agreed to be one of positing of a conjecture, gathering and analyzing evidence to test the conjecture, and then drawing a conclusion about the conjecture based upon that evidence. The nature of conclusion that can be drawn from this process has some limitations. Some limitations arise from the methods of gathering evidence. For example, if the evidence is gathered from a study on 100 people, there are limitations on how far any conclusions can be said to apply to other individuals outside those 100 people in the study. Yet, since testing every person is impossible and ridiculous, guidelines are developed from probability theory to make a prediction about how well the study results might apply to other individuals, and decisions are made based on that prediction. This prediction in reality is one that is rarely if ever testable - we do not have means to know if the prediction is right or wrong, but we must act on it anyway. Limitations arise due to the psychology of the scientific process as well - even scientists, trying to be objective, are more likely to report, publish and be swayed by evidence that conforms to their existing beliefs.

Limitations also arise due to the nature of evidence itself. Consider the example of planetary motion. Most people may laugh today at the idea that the Sun moves around the Earth instead of vice versa. Yet, it is not such an unreasonable idea given the evidence that most people understand and have access to even today let alone in the past. When a human looks to the sky, it certainly appears as if the Sun is rising in the East and setting in the West and thus moving around the Earth. And, if a person lives his life under such a belief, his quality of life or ability to function and thrive are unlikely to be affected. Yet today's world would not be as it is if we as a society still held such a belief. A person might think that the Sun's motion around the Earth is a "fact" because it seems so obviously true given the evidence. In reality, it is not a fact, but is instead a conception or explanation that humans constructed in order to make sense of that of which exists. At some point, people made some observations that are at dissonance with this "fact". Eventually, as more observations were made and more evidence was gathered, the preponderance of evidence no longer seemed to support the conception that the Sun moves around the Earth and so most people changed their conception to a new idea that does seem to be in accord with the evidence - the Earth revolves around the Sun. Yet, this construct is not conclusively proven "fact", either. That is, it is impossible to absolutely and completely be certain that there might not be some other explanation for what is observed or that some evidence in the future might not come to light that would again lead to a further revision of our conception of planetary motion. Even interplanetary travel and imaging is not 100% proof of our conception. One might say that it is extremely powerful evidence against the former conception, and the current conception is in accord with the evidence much better, but we do not know for sure that future evidence might not modify our conceptions even further.

Actually, we rather hope that there will be further revisions to our conceptions, because increased and refined sense-making of what exists tends to have benefits. As we learn more, we are able to do things such as send craft to other planets, treat diseases, and communicate with each other across vast distances nearly instantaneously. Science provides models, and models are very useful even if they might not ever be 100% correct, or even if we can never truly know just how correct they are. We do not prove things in science, per se. We make a decision to believe or adopt a certain model to explain things and operate by, given a preponderance of evidence one way or another.

Even outside of the realm of formal science, people constantly engage in the act of sense-making in order to function. If we see a shadow, we naturally seek an explanation for the shadow. Barring an "obvious" or "natural" explanation, we tend to make up explanations, such as an unseen person, or even a creature made of shadow, or a ghost. Once we adopt such a conception, whenever we see a similar shadow, we interpret it as evidence in support of what we believe, even if it might not really be evidence in favor. The shadow is just continuing to be whatever it is, but we are interpreting it as evidence in support of what we believe or have decided it is. This psychology extends well beyond the physical realm and plays into everything we do, such as politics. Once someone develops a political belief, such as "Obama is a good leader", he or she will interpret events as supporting that conception the vast majority of the time, while someone else with the belief "the Tea Party is right" will interpret the very same evidence in favor of his own belief. It will take extraordinary evidence to cause someone to change his established conception, and in some cases no matter the strength of evidence, he will not change. This kind of sense-making, although sometimes faulty, is key to our survival, because it allows us to make decisions such as avoiding something that sounds like the rattle of a rattlesnake even though we haven't actually seen the snake.

A skeptic is someone who demands a higher threshold of evidence than most people in order to firmly adopt a conception. A skeptic will look for alternative explanations for events, especially in cases when a "natural" explanation does not seem to be at hand. Just exactly what is "natural" and what isn't, however, is in itself a construct that is determined by many factors such as education, culture, history, personality, and more. Generally speaking, it is wise to be a skeptic and to demand a high threshold of evidence. This critical thinking improves the societal process of sense-making and can prevent victimization from intentional deception or misguidance. For example, skepticism and the scientific process has enabled us to learn that what people may be inclined to interpret as a paranormal ability for fortune-telling can be accomplished through skillful employment of flattery, double-headed statements, vagueness, interpreting body language and facial expressions, redirection, misdirection, and so on. Even someone who genuinely believes in his own ability to tell fortunes may subconsciously employ these techniques. Further, we have learned that so far, no tested example of fortune-telling could be shown to not be explainable by these means. Similarly, other paranormal phenomena such as out-of-body experiences, telekinesis, talking to the dead or spirits, seeing ghosts, hypnotism or mind control, and prophecy can be shown to have "natural" explanations, and no examples that could not be explained "naturally" have come to light in tested conditions. (If you have interest in this area, you might enjoy reading Paranormality by the famous British skeptic Richard Wiseman.)

Therefore, it seems perfectly reasonable to reject these phenomena as paranormal, but it must also be understood that science has no means of proving that every single instance of any of these phenomena can be explained "naturally". That is, just because 1000 instances of some type of event can be explained a certain way, one cannot know absolutely that the 1001st instance will be the same. However, we call it "likely" that the 1001st instance will be like the others and "reasonable" to adopt a construct or belief and behavior in accordance with the 1000 known instances.

As we have seen so far, all of our constructs, even those we typically consider "facts", are really things that we have simply decided to believe, usually based on interpretation of evidence of some kind. No construct or belief is proven or disproven by science or any other means, but its likeliness can in some cases be gauged and we are often comfortable saying evidence is so convincing as to enable us to reject certain ideas with a sense of "certainty". All of these constructs we develop constitute one kind of knowing. But, many people claim that there is another type of knowing, one that might be compared to one of recognition rather than one of learning. This second type of knowing, if it exists, is not so easily tested. This cognizance or recognition knowledge is cited in matters of religion such as the existence of God or the soul. Religious texts or scholars may say that people cognize God. But if one wants to test the existence of God or soul or life after death, no one has come up with a way to do so.

What we can do is test what people claim is evidence of any of these. If someone claims that an Out of Body Experience (OBE) is evidence of the soul, we can scientifically investigate OBEs to search for a "natural" explanation for them. And, we should not be surprised to find a "natural" explanation if we have the appropriate tools, conditions, and means to carry out appropriate tests. But, whatever results we get tell us nothing about the soul, but only about OBEs. If OBEs have a natural explanation, this does not prove or disprove the existence of the soul. And if OBEs do not have a natural explanation, this also does not prove or disprove the existence of the soul. Neither result provides any evidence either way about the soul, but may only serve to advise people that the phenomenon of OBEs does not prove the existence of soul (which could have been concluded without conducting the studies anyway.) But we must also say that the fact that OBEs may be naturally explained does not even prove that OBEs have nothing to do with the soul, either.

Muslims believe, according to the Qur'an, that God creates through His "wish" (mashiah). Some things or events are created directly, in which case the Qur'an uses first person singular "I" in describing the Conductor of the action. But generally, things or events are created through means or causes, and the Qur'an uses the plural "We" to indicate the Conductor. Thus, we expect what we observe in our existence to have explanations, to make sense, and to have natural causes, because that is the nature of their creation or existence. So, a Muslim should believe as skeptics do, that "paranormal" phenomena most likely have natural causes that we can gather evidence about and learn from and that can aid in our sense-making of the existence. We should not expect "paranormal" phenomena to prove the existence of things that fall into the realm of recognition knowledge rather than testable knowledge. Yet, the Qur'an is made of and speaks often of a large variety of ayahs, or signs, of things that fall into the recognition category. These signs aid in recognition and some people may interpret some of them as "evidence", but as we have already seen, science cannot speak to this one way or the other.

This is indeed a discomfiting situation for the particularly hard core skeptic, because his high standard of evidence that he prefers to operate by and which usually serves him exceedingly well is not functional or usable for decision making for recognition knowledge, if it is exists. Many atheists reject God and whatever else must be cognized rather than learned because they decide that if is untestable it cannot exist, or they mistakenly believe that tests involving "paranormal" phenomena disprove God if the results suggest "natural" explanations.

In conclusion, critical thinking and reasoning are essential tools of sense-making that advance society. The scientific process develops our understanding and level of functioning in this existence. However, not all types of questions can satisfactorily be answered through this method, even though many wish it were so. Every thing we think we "know" is really a decision to adopt a certain construct or belief. In every day life, people routinely adopt some constructs as "true" even though they are improbable in light of evidence, but skeptics tend to demand higher probability for certain constructs. In the case of the learning type of knowledge, scientific reasoning helps us choose useful constructs. In the case of recognition knowledge, ayahs or signs can guide what we believe but scientific process is of little use. If you believe in God, you know Him through recognition.

Circumcision

On July 1st, 17 U.S. states will drop Medicaid coverage of circumcision as part of budget-cutting measures. However, other forms of insurance may still cover the procedure, or families may opt to pay out-of-pocket to cover the expenses. Dropping circumcision coverage comes at a time when movements against the procedure are gaining steam.

A bill banning routine circumcision was introduced in Massachusetts last year, and some other states have similar bills in the works. Circumcision bans have been proposed in municipalities such as Santa Monica and San Francisco. In the November elections, these cities may make circumcision a crime.

Historically, the United States is one of the most circumcision-friendly nations in the world. According to the World Health Organization, circumcision is the most commonly performed medical procedure on American children. It estimates that 75% of men in the United States are circumcised, while only 30% of Canadian men and 6% of UK males are circumcised. Many Americans pursue circumcision as a matter of social custom and/or religious belief. There is a general cultural perception that uncircumcised boys and men face ridicule from peers and mates, and that being uncircumcised is less hygienic.

On the other hand, opponents to circumcision claim that it is a procedure with no real medical justification and that infants are not able to give informed consent for the procedure. At the least, they would have males wait until the age of consent. However, some doctors point out that adult circumcision is a more complicated, expensive, and trying process. Some studies have shown that circumcision slightly reduces incidence of urinary tract infections in infant boys, and that it slightly decreases HIV and other STD transmission in sub-Saharan Africa, but as with any medical procedure, complications such as bleeding and infection from circumcision can occur. The most extreme anti-circumcision activists tend to equate male circumcision with female genital mutilation (FGM), which is commonly illegal and culturally held as a heinous and repugnant practice.

The Jewish Anti-Defamation League (ADL) considers legislative efforts to ban circumcision a violation of free exercise of religion and considers the efforts to be a form of anti-Semitism. In Jewish tradition, the reasons for circumcision are stated in the Torah and relate to a covenant between Abraham and God. In Genesis 17:1-14 the covenant is mentioned, and Abraham is commanded to "circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, as a sign of the covenant between Me and you. At the age of eight days, you shall circumcise every male child born to you throughout the generations."

Circumcision is not mentioned in the Qur'an, but is mentioned in hadith, although rather sparsely. Some hadith indicate that all prophets were born circumcised. One tradition on circumcision mentioned in Shia sources is from Imam Ja'far Sadiq (as), with a nearly identical tradition related from the Prophet (saw): “Do the circumcision of your child on the seventh day of his birth. This is best for him. It is also beneficial for his proper growth and upbringing. Certainly, the earth abhors the urine of the person who has not been circumcised".(Wasail al-shiah, v15, p. 171) Another tradition, from Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir (a.s.) has said: "I asked Abu Ja'far (a.s) about a bondwoman that was captured from the land of polytheism and there was no woman to circumcise her. The Imam said: "The Sunna recommended the circumcision of men and not of women." (quoted from fatwa of Sayyid Fadlullah) As for female circumcision, other hadith are more ambiguous or even apparently recommending it, but scholars have spoken out against female genital mutilation, referring to a saying attributed to the Prophet (saw) that if female circumcision is practiced, it is necessary not to wear out and do not mutilate. The general stance toward female circumcision is that if it does not cause harm and is not required by Shariah, then it is a matter of personal choice, but if it causes harm then it is prohibited. This general guideline applies to male circumcision also, but it is more commonly considered that male circumcision is required by Shariah, or at least strongly recommended.

Practices vary as to the age at which circumcision is usually performed and whether it is considered required. Among the four Sunni schools of thought, Shafis consider it wajib, Hanafis consider it mustahab, and Malikis and Hanbalis consider it ja'iz (allowed, but not recommended for or against). The reason for male circumcision in Muslim tradition is generally considered to be honoring of the covenant between Abraham and God and is thus related with the hajj rites. Many Muslim scholars consider circumcision a prerequisite for performance of hajj by an adult discerning male.

The matter of declining insurance coverage of circumcision likely cannot be construed as stemming from the anti-circumcision movement, but it may reflect a gradual change in cultural sentiment around circumcision in the United States that can be bolstered by declining budgets and vocal anti-circumcision activism. If bans of circumcision gain ground, Muslims may join Jews in concern over religious freedom and may question if motivations lie in anti-Muslim sentiment, just as the ADL is now crying anti-Semitism. At this time, anti-circumcision movements are generally motivated on opinion of cruelty to perform a painful and perhaps medically unnecessary procedure on a child who cannot consent, with anti-religion themes as prominent side-issues. However, people must constantly be alert to threats and erosions of freedoms regardless of their origins, and must educate themselves on the issues and make themselves prepared to self-advocate, because freedom has a way of disappearing when left untended.

Shining Sun

Shining Sun was written by Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Husayni Tihrani, a close friend of 'Allamah Tabataba'i, as a tribute to the latter shortly after his passing in 1981. It has been translated to English by Tawus Raja and is now available for purchase from ICAS press.

Sayyid Tabataba'i is probably best known today for his exegesis of Qur'an called Al-Mizan (The Scale), which is notable for its methodology of using the Qur'an to explain itself. The tafsir and its methodology have both become standards for scholarship in the field.

The tribute consists of two main parts; a brief memorial of Tabataba'i followed by transcriptions of several discussions the author and/or other students of the 'Allamah had on religious topics in the fields of history, philosophy, mysticism, theology and Qur'an. As is standard for books published by ICAS, the work is graced with copious footnotes, glossary of transliterated terms, indices of Qur'anic verses, hadith, and poetry for comparison or reference between the English translation and original forms, and a general index.

If a reader approaches this book expecting a biography or a religious textbook, he may be surprised to find neither. The memorial section does contain biographical information that provide glimpses into certain aspects of Allamah Tabataba'i's life, but is in no way comprehensive enough to be considered a true biography. A reader with little or no prior knowledge of the scholar will not be able to develop a very clear picture of him as a religious scholar or as a man, but will be able to appreciate the love and high esteem afforded him by many people such as the author, and will also be able to have a basic appreciation for his importance and achievements in Shia religious scholarship. Similarly, the larger discussion section of the book may contain some religious information that educates the reader, but that would be incidental to the apparent larger purpose of elucidating methods and content of religious reasoning and discussion employed by 'Allamah Tabataba'i and his students.

These discussion transcripts cover a range of topics such as explanation of particular verses in Qur'an, logical analysis of the concept of tawhid and its ramifications on what happens to the perfected soul when it reaches a stage of annihilation or return to God, explanation of the meaning of ruh in Qur'an and the role of angels, method of delivery of Qur'an, history of Qur'an compilation, numerology, experiences of barzakh depending on spiritual status of the individual, tayy-al-ard (claimed ability of highly-advanced mystics, jinn, and others to instantaneously transport themselves to other locations), issues related to Torah and Gospel and other prophets, and more.

Many of the issues or questions discussed are the type of questions that almost everyone has at some point in his life, often beginning in childhood. For example, most people have worried or pondered about what happens to their souls after death. Do the souls continue to exist permanently? Or, at some point, is all creation annihilated and no identities remain except the one true identity, God? Was the Qur'an revealed to the Prophet (saw) through Gabriel only, or was it sometimes revealed directly to him, and if it wasn't always revealed the same way, why was that so? Who compiled the Qur'an, and when, and is it the same as what was originally revealed? Why are there minor differences in recitations, such as "Owner (Malik) of the Day of Judgment" vs. "King (Maalik) of the Day of Judgment"?

If a reader is hoping to use Shining Sun as a reference to answer these essential questions, it might not be satisfying for that purpose. The discussions do not really take place in a question/answer format. Rather, in many cases a philosophical or logical debate amongst the 'Allamah and the students takes place. The general aim in many of these discussions seems to be to use logical reasoning, grammar, and accepted reference in Qur'an, hadith, poetry, etc., to "prove" a posited answer. For example, a student may claim and provide evidence using logical reasoning as developed in the field of philosophy that all of us will at some point cease to exist and there will only remain God. Others may find logical inconsistencies in the reasoning and then try to solve those inconsistencies. The group becomes satisfied with a solution if it answers the question and has no logical inconsistencies or errors. But some of the discussions expire without any solidly arrived-at conclusion or summary of results. It is illuminating to see that students freely disagreed with the teacher or each other in some cases and yet the reputations of participants and decorum in the discussions remained impeccable, as the focus was clearly on Truth-seeking rather than egoistic tendencies.

However, a reader may be dissatisfied in following such a discussion seeking the ultimate answer, because the end result may not be an indisputable conclusion. Rather, it is more likely that a reader may come to appreciate or understand the process that was taking place as an act of scholarship and reasoning, but may not always be personally convinced that every solution or answer mentioned by 'Allamah Tabataba'i or his students is definitely correct. In fact, some readers may be a little disturbed by a few of the issues raised and the uncertainties or implications arising in their discussion. This disequilibrium may precede a reader's personal resolution of the issue, or the issue might remain personally uncomfortable and unresolved.

Shining Sun is an important text as a memorial of a master of Islamic philosophy and spirituality. It provides a unique window into processes of reasoning and discussion applied to religious topics that must be preserved and developed in the current and future generations for the sake of all mankind. While logic and reason are held separate from religion in some schools of thought, they are essential in the Shia faith. While the lay person may not need to engage in such exercises on a regular basis, every person needs to learn how to think and reason and how to apply these processes to all matters, including religion, so as not to be misguided or oppressed. If Shining Sun is read with this in mind, a general audience has much to gain from the experience.

Capacity of Hearts

"Tell them that God's Mercy is on those who direct peoples' love toward us, on those who teach the people that which their hearts can accept to their capacity, and on those who put aside that which is too heavy for the peoples' hearts to bear." Imam Sadiq (as)

The Passing of Sayyed Fadlullah

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un (انّا للہ و انّا الیه راجعون)

Sayyed Fadlullah influenced me in a few profound ways; of all the maraje', I felt a human connection with him. He is the only marja' that I'd ever seen in person; when I went for hajj in 1999 he was also there and I saw him in a meeting room near where our group was staying. He made arrangements to meet with people from the group to answer questions, etc., - he made efforts to be accessible to all. Also, a few of his writings touched me personally. He wrote a short biography of Fatima (as) called The Infallible Fatima (as) - A Role Model for Men and Women that remains the best work about her I've ever seen in English. I also have his World of Our Youth which contains questions and answers in a wonderful readable, mild, informative style. He was a true champion among the elite for the causes of women in particular, and his rulings were found by many women to be easier on a practical level and liberating from traditions that may be more cultural than religious in nature. What I liked about his fatawa is that he explained his reasoning in many cases - very simply and clearly, especially when he differed from the more traditional views, such as on moon sighting for the start of an Islamic month, or rulings about following a marja, and so on - and those explanations always meant a lot to me because they gave me room to reflect, ponder, absorb, and understand. I think those explanations helped to provide the human connection and addressed the need for appealing to reason. Through his website he and his appointees answered questions in a timely manner compared to many others. His Friday khutbas were regularly sent out in e-mail and on his website and he always had good messages and did a lot for the cause of unity worldwide, not only among Muslims but also particularly between Christians and Muslims. He often took strong political stances compared to some other scholars, perhaps due to his position in Lebanon instead of certain other locations where he might have been more restricted - but he also was far removed from hard line absolutist us-them world views, in the true moderate Shia tradition. His death is a great loss.

Obituary of His Eminence, the Religious Authority, Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah



In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
"To Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return"

"And among men is he who sells himself to seek the pleasure of Allah; and Allah is Affectionate to the servants." (02:207).

"If a 'alim dies, there will be a rift in Islam that nothing, whatsoever, could fill."

At a time we are in most need for him, this great man has died, leaving in the hearts of those who love him a grief that has incorporated all the tragedies of history.

The leader, father, Religious Authority, renovator, guide and human being has left us.

He left with the prayers and the remembrance of Allah on his lips and the nation's causes in his heart.

Finally, his heart has stopped after 75 years that were spent in the struggle for the cause of Allah, as well as in jurisprudence, renewal, opening up on and committing to the cause of the nation and confronting all the powers of arrogance and tyranny…

He left, after a lifetime of embracing the cause of Islam, as a thought a movement, a methodology and a commitment in all the fields of life. He left saying, as he has frequently expressed: "These are my only wishes. I have never had any personal wishes. I lived all my life and strived to be a servant of Allah, His Messenger (p.) and his Household (a.s.), as well as Islam and Muslims."

His most essential advice for the Muslims before his demise was to preserve Islam the Islamic nation and its unity, for he believed that the arrogance would not be defeated unless the Muslim unite and support one another.

He was, with his illuminating mind and radiant soul, a reference, a guide and an advisor to all the aware Islamic movements in the Arab and Islamic worlds that were inspired by his thought and methodology.

His Islamic integrity and originality lead him to institute a school of dialogue with the other on the basis that truth is the child of dialogue.

He opened up on all people and he embodied dialogue in his movement, thought and entire life away from any slogans that lack any realistic content.

He experienced Islam in complete awareness of the responsibility that ought to be shouldered and the line of justice that ought to be followed. He was the mastermind who launched the resistance movements, which inspired from his thought the spirit of confrontation, opposition and steadfastness and were able to achieve big accomplishments and victories in Lebanon and Palestine and any position of Jihad [struggle]…

His main concerns and top priorities were always the big issues of the Arabs and Muslims, knowing that Palestine was his biggest concern since his early age and until his last breath, for he has always said: "I shall not rest until the Zionist entity falls."

His Eminence was a distinguished mark in the movement of the religious authority institution towards being concerned with the nation's pains and ambitions… Actually, this institution guided the people to the light away from backwardness, and shouldered the responsibility, side by side with the people, of building the future and confronted all forms of exaggeration, myth, and Takfir, guided by the path of the Messenger of Allah (p.) and his pure Household (a.s.).

Armed with piety and righteousness, Sayyed Fadlullah stood against the strifes amongst Muslims, for he rejected that they undermine their existence as a result of narrow sectarian fanatic acts. He also called on the nation's aware religious scholars and people to fear Allah when dealing with issues pertaining to people's lives, considering that whosoever knits seditions amongst Muslims aiming to rip apart the unity of Muslims and their word is a traitor to Allah and His Messenger, even if he fasts and prays…

He always strived to make sure that the relations between Muslims and Christians be based on "common terms" and understanding over the mutual issues, and he called for developing the relations between them on the basis of moral and humanitarian conceptions that take part in elevating man's status at all levels, and the value of justice in the face of all forms of oppression.

Actually, he adopted the Quran as a basis for his activist and missionary methodology and jurisprudential and activist movement, for he regarded the Quran as the book of life that could only be really understood by the activist and innovative people…

The Sayyed was known for his modesty, humanitarianism, and supreme missionary morals. His heart encompassed those who loved him and those who did not love him as well, and he used to advise all people to: "Love each other, for love is what authenticates and enables one to be creative and productive… Join us in love away from personal, regional, partisan and sectarian considerations… Let us all meet and gather under Allah's shadow instead of disagreeing in His name…" This can only mean that his pure heart held no grudges or spites towards anyone, for it is he who always repeated: "Life cannot bear spite, for spite is death and love is life…"

Moreover, he believed in the role of the institutions which he considered to be the primary and most essential civilized pillar for the rise of every nation and society… Thus, he established minarets and buildings for knowledge and care, which represented a sanctuary and shelter for the orphan and the needy, and an oasis of ambitions and high hopes for the physically-disabled, and a lighthouse for the learned towards the wide and open horizons, and a haven of security and safety for the sick and the elderly…

O Sayyed, you true master! Your house was and will remain the destination of the seekers of knowledge and whosoever is in need, for the call of "love" towards people, all the people, was your everlasting call.

The poor and the downtrodden were the closest to your heart, and you saw in the youth an aspiring hope, provided that they arm themselves with culture and knowledge…

The heart that filled the entire world with activist Islam, and missionary awareness and humanity that endlessly poured love and good until the last breath… this heart has rested in peace…

O Dear Sayyed, your pure body has rested whilst aspiring to achieve all hopes and ambitions at the level of constructing the present and future of the nation…

You left us having undermined all the conspiracies, threats, distortion campaigns and assassination attempts, be they physical or moral… you left after you surpassed all that and preserved the all-purity of your mind, heart and soul…

O Abu Ali, you left, yet your blessed name will remain curved in the conscience, heart and mind of the nation. O Sayyed, you left, yet you will remain present and vibrant by your thought and methodology in the life of our present and the future generations…

The Sayyed's body has gone, but his soul thought and line will stay with us. The nation whom he loved and made every effort to serve, will continue the march of awareness that he has set out its line throughout his life.

Dear brothers! As we offer our condolences to the entire nation upon the death of this great academic and religious scholar and this great missionary pioneer and struggler. We vow and promise Allah, and we vow and promise you, your Eminence, that we shall proceed with the march that you established its foundations and that we will execute your will that calls us to defend the nation, uphold its unity and maintain the humanitarianism of the Message.

"O soul that art at rest!Return to your Lord, well-pleased (with him), well-pleasing (Him),so enter among My servants,and enter into My garden." (89-27:30).
04/07/2010 A.D 22/07/1431 H

Easter

Jesus Saves! About this, Muslims and Christians agree.

This weekend, many Christians and even non-Christians observe Easter, either as a religious or secular/traditional event. To Christians, Easter is a remembrance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (as) after his execution by crucifixion. The most commonly held date according to some Christian sources for the execution of Jesus is Friday, April 7, 30 CE, which would put the date associated with his resurrection as April 9. But, even the four gospels in the New Testament do not agree entirely on the events of the crucifixion and resurrection and their timings, with the Gospel of John account differing significantly from the other three in many respects. So far, nothing has been found in historic sources or through archaeological research that clearly indicates much about the life or death of Jesus.

The date of Easter observance was set by the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE as the first Sunday after the first Paschal full moon after March 20. March 20 was the date of the Spring Equinox in 325 CE. Orthodox Christians modify this rule slightly compared to other Christians by using the Julian instead of the Gregorian calendar, and using the Nicaea calculation only if the date comes after Passover (14 Nisan on the Jewish calendar). The date of the execution is believed to have occurred after Passover, which Christians consider as a symbol of the blood sacrifice of Jesus. Passover is the observance of an event mentioned in Exodus, when God visited plagues on Egypt, including the killing of firstborn sons. Hebrew followers of Moses (as) who marked their doorsteps with lamb's blood were passed-over for this plague.

There are a few opinions about the origin of the term "Easter", most of which address ancient pagan religious observances. "Easter" is said to come from the name of the goddess of fertility Ishtar/Eostre/Austron. This pagan connection shows up in many modern Easter practices - both secular and religious - such as eating hot cross buns, the symbols of rabbits and eggs, Easter lilies, sunrise services, and Easter candles, traditions that appear to have origins in the worship of Ishtar in the season of the Spring Equinox. Some people do make a connection between the figure of Isthar Ishtar and Biblical figures - she speculated in some sources to be the Queen Semiramis, the wife of Nimrud, great-grandson of Prophet Noah (as).

Nimrud (or Nimrod)  - whose name means "the rebel", according to the Bible and legend gathered from many sources, was a disbelieving powerful tyrant, head of an occult mystery religion, and founder of great but corrupt cities like Babel and Nineveh. When he died, his wife deified him as a Sun-God,  later known by such names as Baal and Molech. She later had an illegitimate son, Tammuz, whom she claimed was the resurrected Nimrud supernaturally conceived.

Since pagans associated this resurrection story with the Ishtar festivals around the Spring Equinox, and Spring is the season in which the execution and resurrection of Jesus (as) are purported to have occurred, it was a natural fit for the two resurrection observances to comingle as pagans became Christians, leading to the Easter we know today.

Easter is largely considered the most important observance on the Christian calendar today, because it is associated with the belief in Jesus's (as) role as savior. Generally speaking, many Christians believe that no human being can live a good enough life to warrant entry into God's presence in heaven. Further, God is Just, so every sin must be paid for or punished. In order that humans have access to Heaven and aren't all doomed to Hell by their sinful natures, through His Mercy, God wills and accepts the death of Jesus, the only sinless person ever to live (a proof of his divine nature), as payment for the sins of all those who believe and acknowledge this "Gospel Truth." Therefore, they celebrate his (as) rising from the dead as the completion and acceptance by God of this sacrifice, and thus as the guarantee of their after-lives in Heaven rather than Hell.

While Christians generally cite the divinity of Jesus (as) as key to the way he saves, Muslims consider deification of Jesus (as) as an obstacle to knowing God and His true salvation Good News. Muslims, like Christians, regard Jesus (as) as savior, but not through a redemptive sacrifice. Islam rejects a few essential notions in the Christian salvation concept:

1. According to some Islamic sources, all prophets (as), and not just Jesus (as), lived sinless lives, and this trait is an indication of a messenger or guide of God, but not of divinity or godhood. The purpose of all these messengers and guides is to demonstrate and teach how to live a good life via example and delivery of God's guidance, and sinlessness is an important trait in being able to serve as a proper guide and example.  Sinlessness does not mean absolute perfection or super-humanness, however.  Most people admit they could commit and succeed at getting through one day without committing anything they understood to be sin.  Many Muslims believe that the best among us can do so day after day.

2. Muslims believe God can forgive sins by simply doing so, and has not chosen to constrict His forgiveness to the method of a blood sacrifice of a sinless or divine person. Salvation is in essence a meeting between a human's approaching God by trying to live a sinless and ideal life according to God's guidance, and the Love and Mercy of God turning to His Creation with forgiveness. No one is guaranteed salvation by claiming a certain set of beliefs, but people's actions, beliefs and intentions will all be weighed with both Justice and Mercy.

3. According to the orthodox interpretations of Qur'an and other Islamic sources, Jesus (as) was not crucified, and did not die for anyone's sins. He has not died yet, and was raised alive and will return. There is some suggestion that a crucifixion or attempt did take place, but it was a case of a scapegoat or mistaken identity - some have said this person was Judas.  However, the matter is not clear, and the Qur'an indicates that people have speculated about what happened and built a house of cards on speculation.

On these latter points of being raised alive and returning, as well as many other awesome aspects of Jesus' (as) nature, such as virgin birth and performance of miracles, Muslims and Christians tend to agree or at least have a lot of similarity/commonality in belief. Thus, the primary differences between Muslims and Christians about the historical Jesus (as) are only his divinity and his death - but these differences contribute to considerably different conclusions about salvation.

Christians claim Jesus (as) as their savior, and Muslims do, too. In that sense, Muslims are Christians. But in the same sense, Muslims could also be called 'Abrahamans', 'Mosans', 'Noahans, and even the politically incorrect 'Mohamedans'. Muslims claim all the sinless prophets and guides as saviors, through their deliverance of God's message to mankind, as well as perhaps through intercession. Therefore, applying the name of any one of them alone is incomplete as a reference to Muslims. The universal message that all the prophets delivered and which instructs mankind about knowing and approaching God, distinguishing truth from falsehood, and distinguishing right from wrong actions, is what Muslims consider as the "Gospel" that Jesus (as) delivered and that saves.

In the Qur'an, Christians are mentioned as the closest in faith to the Muslims because of the shared lineage of guidance both faiths recognize from Adam to Jesus.  The Qur'an makes examples of Jesus (as) and other prophets extensively. We learn and apply the teachings from all of them and not Mohamed (saw) alone. However, we are not limited to the Bible or Qur'an for knowing and following Jesus (as). Shia hadith collections and surviving apocryphal texts are other sources on Jesus (as) worthy of study for Muslims and Christians alike, each to be understood within the context of their individual limitations. Some of the sayings in Shia sources attributed to or about Jesus (as) are also contained in the Gospels of the Christians, while others would be found as relatively unique to a Christian reader, related from Ahlul-bayt (as), but not commonly found in Christian sources, if at all. Al-Hajj Muhammad Legenhausen translated the most comprehensive collection available in English, Jesus (as) Through the Qur'an and Shi'ite Narrations. In the Easter season, Muslims and Christians can expand their understandings of Jesus(as) and better apply his universal message by delving into more than just the Qur'an or the New Testament for his teachings, or by seeking to extend open hands to each other in solidarity, acknowledging that our love and connection to God by way of Jesus (as) is something we share, regardless of some differences in the details.

Vain Talk

That music is a drug
You're addicted to that ear bud
It makes you lazy and distracted
You've been thoughtless in your actions

Show you what to wear and how to speak
You think you're cool but you're really weak
Easily controlled and manipulated
Practically uneducated because you're fixated

You sit in class, but can't listen to the teacher
Gotta get your fix, gotta rattle that speaker
You disrespect the sources of wisdom
"Entertain me, or I'll die of boredom!"

Don't want to concentrate or learn how to focus
You think that your future will come by hocus-pocus
No room in your brain to ponder the sad state of affairs
Idols on TV, who's gone next - a replacement for your cares

You can Name That Tune in just one note
but it was too much of a hassle to get out and vote
You can sing all the lyrics to 20 albums by heart
But to learn a new ayah of Qur'an you'll never start

Silence makes you suffer because you gotta face the fact
That you don't know how to think or even how to act
Are you so gone, so horribly addicted
that you don't even know that you've been afflicted?

Turn off that noise and face the world without a crutch
Let a little thing control you and what you lose is much
Have some self-respect and live up to your potential
Become a human being instead of something bestial

You'll never change the world with that wire in your ear
You're a slave and no free thinker while they dictate what you hear
A believer is better than the mind-numbed masses
But vain entertainments help keep people in their classes

You're hyperconnected, but to all the wrong things
Turn off and tune out and instead build your dream
The Right Path is the ultimate connection, the singular message
But you've been drowning it out with meaningless verbiage

Can you go for a week without a multimedia hook?
Examine your soul, give it a deep, hard look
Your soul will not perish if you miss an episode
But if you died today, what will you have sowed?

If you want to be liberated, if you want to be strong,
You can find your new beginning by admitting you were wrong
Sit in the silence and learn to think for yourself
Take the dusty Qur'an down from the top bookshelf

Think and ponder so hard that you get very tired
Know yourself and the Universe and you will have conspired
Against Satan and his allies who have easily beguiled you
By making evil so fair-seeming that you always failed to argue

Stay away from whatever makes you unmindful of God, the Sublime
That which makes you careless about morality and wasteful of time
Do not idolize or imitate the Materialists or the Capitalists
If being friends of the Ahlulbayt (as) is really what you wish

Peace of mind and purity of heart are not unattainable
If you will remove from your deeds whatever is blameful
Replace them with a pleasant demeanor and a gentle disposition
Soon to that vain talk you'll no longer desire to listen

A sad substitute for profound and beautiful words
Written by great thinkers as opposed to famous drunkards
Or to your own reflections and concentrations
That inspire you to love your God and to always be thanking.

That music is a drug
You're addicted to that ear bud
It is time to set yourself free
Undistracted, who knows, you could be someone mighty

Christmas and Ashura

"When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings with toys at Christmas, why are we not grateful to God for filling our stocking with legs?" G K Chesterton

And today, many are not even grateful for their gifts from others, but instead evaluate and compare those gifts against some sense of entitlement. But what are we truly entitled to in this world? Has God promised us even another breath? And even if He did, is it because we are entitled to that breath, or because it is a gift?

While I have not been making the longer drive to the north Denver area for Muharram services, I of course have not failed to notice that it is Muharram, and that Christmas and Ashura are two days apart this year. I know many far surpass me in their piety and their religious observance, but for whatever reasons I have needed seclusion and do not feel up to the nearly four-hour daily commute going to Denver would entail.

I have written about Muharram and what it means to us, what it enjoins on us, etc., many times. And I still feel I don't know hardly anything about that topic. I cannot weigh or measure the sacrifice of Imam Hussain (as), and therefore I cannot weigh or measure my debt. But I feel I have a great debt, for my personal benefit at the price of that sacrifice is potentially exceedingly great. The least I can do is acknowledge the debt and to try not to waste the gift of sacrifice for truth.

Many Christians believe that al-Masih, Jesus Christ (as), made a great sacrifice for humanity, but now they acknowledge his birth, albeit in largely pre-Christian traditions, consumerism, and more consumerism. While Muslims do not believe Jesus (as) was crucified, we do believe he lived his life in complete submission to God, annihilating his own personal will and whims within the will of God. He was and remains a supreme, immaculate instrument of God, like Imam Husain (as), and all the Imams and Prophets (sa). We are all indebted to him, as well, for his struggle in the way of truth.

Every godly person who struggles for truth and preserves a measure of it does a noble thing, a thing that may help countless others. What is Christmas Spirit? What are the lessons of Karbala? Isn't there a call to self-sacrifice, to become more than a taker, a user? I go to work and listen to teenagers speak day after day and go home and hear more people speak on television or Internet, and most of us are all about ourselves. We feel entitled. We feel we know more than others. We feel we should be special. We feel we should have easy lives and abundance. If some misfortune befalls us, we feel personally affronted or wronged. If all we are is a sea of people, each obsessed with himself, what a waste! Is there no more point to life than personal gratification? Who cares if I am gratified or he is gratified or she is? Especially when most gratification comes with a cost, paid by others.

I don't know what self-sacrifice for truth, for right, looks like for you or me, but we've seen it in our prophets and guides. But one thing I understand is that we should be grateful. To God. To our families. To the Prophets (sa). To the Imams (sa). To Jesus (as), to Imam Husain (as). To people who smile at us, to people who try to teach us, to people who pick up our garbage, to people who try to cure us,to almost anyone we meet.

In wishing all who would want it a Merry Christmas, what I really wish is well-being, peace, guidance, and appreciation. And in condoling the mourners over the disgusting murder of holy and sincere servants of God, what I really wish is for none of us to oppress another, to cause another to shed tears, or to take another for granted.

Eid Ghadeer Mubarak

Eid Ghadeer

As a revert to Islam, Eid Ghadeer is the one Eid that always has made the most sense to me and been the most significant in my worldview. Part of me has found Eid ul Fitr tempered by the loss of the holy days of the month of Ramadhan, and Eid ul Adha significant if you or a loved one is performing the hajj, but otherwise less so. But the Eid al-Ghadeer has always been special to me because it is a celebration of the culmination of Islam - a celebration of the very events that first enabled me to know the status of Imam ‘Ali (as) and the crucial role of Ahlulbayt (as) in the preservation of the True Religion so that I, in 1994, had the blessed chance to discover true Islam for myself. It is only because of Ahlulbayt (as) that I had that chance – without them, the True Religion would have long ago been lost in corruption and time.

I remember feeling exhausted after becoming Muslim. I had spent a year in intensive research, questioning the entire framework of my existence, engaging in deep self-evaluation so that in the end I had turned my life upside down and accepted all the conflict and challenges that would bring my way. But I had yet to scratch the surface of Islamic knowledge and had so far yet to go. I had become aware of the sects and divisions between Muslims, much to my sadness. As a Christian, I had been dismayed by all the man-made churches, none of them holding God’s Truth more than any other. I regretted that I might again find nothing in Islam that provided complete access to Reality.

But then, I read about Ghadeer Khum. The more I read, the lighter my burden became. Here was what I had known must exist – the evidence that God had protected His message from corruption. Every time a revelation from God has come down, man has corrupted it. But the Qur’an has survived because God has protected it, and in Ghadeer Khum I found the means. I felt tears of deep joy and gratitude to find the protectors of the Qur’an, the ones who have lived the real Islam; for without them, I would have no chance of ever finding the truth, I would have remained a deprived wayfarer, unsatisfied with the religions of man’s making.

If I had not been blessed to know about Ghadeer and appreciate the status and role of Ahlulbayt (as), I would have been left very disappointed after my struggle to find the Truth. While I would have gained the clarity of Tawhid that is in Islam, I would yet know I was stuck in a quagmire of man-made distortions that rip apart the Truth and replace it with ignorance and oppression.

In the Qur’an it is written, "And hold fast, all together, by the Rope which God (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude God's favor on you; for you were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, you became brethren; and you were on the brink of the Pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does God make His Signs clear to you, that you may be guided." (3:103)
Numerous hadith inform us that the Rope is none other than the blessed Ahlulbayt (as).

I feel this ayah resonating deep in the very fiber of my existence. Without the rope, I would have nothing to hold to, no hope for access to God’s Truth. It is a great favor from God for which I owe immeasurable gratitude that I was able to find this rope and try with my best effort to cling to it. I cling to this rope with the love of Ahlulbayt (as) who made my journey to Islam possible, and who have provided me the means to hope for progress on the journey of Truth and salvation from the Fire of Hell. For without Ahlulbayt (as), I could only be on the brink of the Pit of Fire, but by clinging to their Rope I might be pulled away from it.

The Ahlulbayt (as) have given me, and have given all of us, the chance to realize our potentials, the ability to hope, and the opportunity for the complete peace that can only be found in one who has glimpsed the Truth. Therefore, the Eid of Ghadeer is the most joyous and meaningful Eid to me, It is the Eid of hope and opportunity for all of us. May Allah swt bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad with His greatest blessings and grant them the most fulfilling peace, and may more and more of humanity come to realize the great gift given to all of us when Allah swt perfected religion by securing the role of Ahlulbayt (as).

originally written for Islamic Insights last year

For Thanksgiving

An article I wrote for II a little while ago....

One of the best gifts Allah swt has granted mankind is the ability to feel and express gratitude. Being grateful at the most basic level is very simple and very beneficial. It is simple because it requires no special knowledge, skill, equipment, or preparation - anyone can access the gift of thankfulness. Yet most of us fall short of the mark in expressing due thanks for what others do, and probably all of us owe far more thanks to Allah swt than we even understand. However, improvement is also simple: just make it a practice to notice blessings and kindnesses, to think about them, and to honor them.

One reason gratitude is beneficial is because it improves relationships, - whether interpersonal or with our Creator. When we can feel and express appreciation for God's blessings or other's kindnesses, affection grows. But the personal benefits are also great; a thankful heart is a content and awed heart. Even in times and circumstances of hardship, we always have much to appreciate. When we acknowledge this, our burdens are easier to bear.

Imam Sadiq (as) wrote in Lantern of the Path, "With every breath you take, a thanksgiving is incumbent upon you, indeed, a thousand thanks or more. The lowest level of gratitude is to see that the blessing comes from Allah irrespective of the cause for it, and without the heart being attached to that cause. It consists of being satisfied with what is given; it means not disobeying Him with regard to His blessing, or opposing Him in any of His commands and prohibitions because of His blessing."

Our breathing comes without thought, and yet each breath is a blessing. The struggle for breath is an agony that we are usually spared thousands upon thousands of times without thanking for it. If the gift of breath is taken from us, we will die; breath is life. It is but one of countless examples of blessings from God we owe thanks for. At the very least, we should appreciate that it is a gift from God, be satisfied with the gift, and never use the gift of breath for anything opposing Allah swt. One could possibly say that if we truly wish to express gratitude for the gift of breath, we must never allow ourselves to purposely breathe in any haram substances and we must never use our breath to utter any lies, backbiting, or other haram speech. For even if we claim to feel gratitude, the proof of real thankfulness comes in our actions. If we are thankful for a gift, we will not be careless with it. If someone gave you a birthday present you really loved, you would use it with caution in order to protect it. Similarly, if we are truly grateful for the blessing of breath, we will use it with caution, too.

Imam Sadiq (as) continues:
"Be a grateful bondsman to Allah in every way, and you will find that Allah is a generous Lord in every way. If there were a way of worshipping Allah for His sincerest bondsman to follow more excellent than giving thanks at every instance, He would have ascribed to them the name of this worship above the rest of creation. Since there is no form of worship better than that, He has singled out this kind of worship from other kinds of worship, and has singled out those who practice this kind of worship, saying,

‎وَقَلِيلٌ مِّنْ عِبَادِيَ الشَّكُورُ

Very few of my servants are grateful. (34:13)"

Expressing thanks to God is a great form of worship, and at the minimum is part of our daily prayers. Allah swt has taught us that when we give thanks, blessings increase. Not only is this true about the blessings directly from God, but it applies for gratitude to the blessings of Allah swt that come from people as well. For example, a child who demonstrates true appreciation for Eid gifts or quality time spent with daddy inspires the giver to happily continue to give to that child, while a child who seems to take a gift for granted or does not seem to like or appreciate it may find the giver less generous in the future. God is not in need of our thanks and is not hurt in the least by our ingratitude, but gratitude enriches us immeasurably. "Allah is not in need of the obedience of His bondsmen, for He has the power to increase blessings forever. Therefore be a grateful bondsman to Allah, and in this manner you will see wonders." (Ibid.)

Even feeling and expressing gratitude is itself a merciful blessing from God.
"Complete thankfulness is to sincerely repent your inability to convey the least amount of gratitude, and expressing this by means of your sincere glorification of Allah. This is because fitting thanks is itself a blessing bestowed upon the bondsman for which he must also give thanks; it is of greater merit and of a higher state than the original blessing which caused him to respond with thanks in the first place. Therefore, every time one gives thanks one is obliged to give yet greater thanks, and so on ad infinitum, and this while absorbed in His blessings and unable to achieve the ultimate state of gratitude. For how can the bondsman match with gratitude the blessings of Allah, and when will he match his own action with Allah's while all along the bondsman is weak and has no power whatsoever, except from Allah?" (Ibid.)

The world would be a better place if we were more grateful to Allah swt and to others. Therefore, I would like to publicly thank God for His continued mercy toward me, and to thank my parents for their love. Those few words are not adequate at all, but should not be left unsaid. I invite readers to use the comments section to thank Allah swt and/or any person.

Happy Birthday of Imam Reza (as)

I bear witness that there is no God save Allah, the One; and there is no partner to share with Him.

I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, verily, he is the lord of the ancients and the moderns, verily, he is the head of the Prophets and the Messengers.



O Allah send blessing on Muhammad, Thy servant, Thy Messenger and Thy Prophet, the chief of all that has been created by Thee, blessings which no one is able to measure other than Thee.



O Allah send blessings on the Ameer ul Moomineen, Ali ibna Abi Talib, Thy servant, the brother of Thy Messenger, whom Thou elected to have Thy Knowledge, made him a guide to show the right path to those of Thy servants who want to be led aright, an evident proof for those who pay careful attention to Thy Message, he managed the affairs of the religion according to Thy system of justice, made application of Thy commands to settle the issues which cropped up among the people, and let Thy will and command rule supreme in all matters; peace be on him, also mercy and blessings of Allah.



O Allah send blessings on Fatimah, the daughter of Thy Prophet, the wife of Thy friend, the mother of the two sons, Hasan and Husayn, the prime leaders of the people of Paradise, she is pure, purified, pious content, wise leader of all the women of the Paradise,
blessings which no one is able to measure other than Thee.



O Allah send blessings on Hasan and Husayn, the two sons of Thy Prophet, the prime leaders of the people of Paradise, Thy established authority among the people, Thy two evident proofs for those who pay careful attention to Thy Message, who managed the affairs of the religion according to Thy system of justice, and made application of Thy commands to settle the issues which cropped up among the people.



O Allah send blessings on Ali bin Husayn, Thy servant, Thy established authority among the people, Thy evident proof for those who pay careful attention to Thy Message, who managed the affairs of the religion according to Thy system of justice, and made application of Thy commands to settle the issues which cropped up among the people, the lord among Thy adorers.



O Allah send blessings on Muhammad bin Ali, Thy servant, Thy representative in the earth, the deeply versed in the knowledge of Prophets. O Allah send blessings on Jaa'-far bin Muhammad, the truthful, Thy servant, the defender of Thy religion, Thy decisive argument over the mankind, the truthful, the just.

O Allah send blessings on Moosa bin Jaa'-far, Thy upright servant, Thy approved spokesman among Thy people, Thy decisive argument over the mankind.



O Allah send blessings on Ali bin Moosa who please Thee most, the chosen, Thy servant, the defender of Thy religion, rightly and justly established by Thee as an authority who made earnest presentation of arguments to promote Thy religion which is the religion of his truthful ancestors, blessings which no one is able to measure other than Thee.

O Allah send blessings on Muhammad bin Ali, Thy servant, Thy chosen representative, appointed by Thy command, who invited people Thy path.

O Allah send blessings on Ali bin Muhammad, Thy servant, the defender of Thy religion.



O Allah send blessings on Hasan bin Ali who put Thy system into practice, the established authority among the people, Thy demonstrator who carried out the mission of Thy Prophet, Thy witness over the mankind, distinguished with Thy excellence, who reminded people to obey Thee and Thy Messenger. Thy blessings be on all of them.

O Allah send blessings on Thy demonstrator, Thy established representative among the people, perfect, growing and everlasting blessings expedite his arrival
and help him, let us be with him in this world and in the Hereafter.

O Allah I seek Thy nearness through my love for them. I make friends with their friends, I oppose their enemies, so, on account of them, give me good of this world and the Hereafter, keep away from me the evil of this world and the Hereafter, the dreadful fright on the Day of Judgement.

Peace be on you, O the representative of Allah!Peace be on you, O the evident proof of Allah!

Peace be on you, O the light of Allah in the darkness of this (ignorant) world!

Peace be on you, O the mainstay of the religion!

Peace be on you, O the Inheritor of Adam, the sincerely attached friend of Allah!

Peace be on you, O the Inheritor of Nooh, the Prophet of Allah!

Peace be on you, O the Inheritor of Ibrahim, the intimate friend of Allah!

Peace be on you, O the Inheritor of Ismaeel, the sacrifice offered to Allah!

Peace be on you,O the Inheritor of Moosa, who spoke to Allah!

Peace be on you, O the Inheritor of Eesaa, who received mercy , joy and ease from Allah!

Peace be on you, O the Inheritor of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah!

Peace be on you, O the Inheritor of the Ameer ul Moomineen, the representative of Allah, the executor of the will of the Messenger of the Lord of the worlds!

Peace be on you, O the Inheritor of Faatimah Zahra!

Peace be on you, O the Inheritor of Hasan and Husayn, the prime leaders of the people of Paradise!

Peace be on you, O the Inheritor of Ali bin Husayn, the pride of the worshippers!

Peace be on you, O the Inheritor of Muhammad bin Ali, the deeply versed in the wisdom of the ancients and moderns!

Peace be on you, O the Inheritor of Jaa'-far bin Muhammad, the truthful, the virtuous!

Peace be on you, O the Inheritor of Moosa bin Jaa'-far! Peace be on you, O the virtuous and pious guardian!



I bear witness that, verily, you established the prayers, gave the prescribed share to the needy, commanded to do that which is right and lawful, not to do that which is wrong and unlawful, sincerely served Allah, till the inevitable came unto you

Peace be on you, O Abal Hasan, and mercy and blessings of Allah be on you.



O Allah I had left my place of domicile to go towards Thee, and crossed many a town in the hope of getting Thy mercy, therefore, do not disappoint me, do not send me away without awarding that which I need, have mercy on my restless agitation near the son of Thy Messenger's brother, Thy blessings be on him and on his children.



My father and mother are at your disposal O my Mawlaa! I have come to visit you, adore you and take refuge with you from the excesses I indulged into, from the burden of sins I carry on my back, so, in the day of distress, be my advocate before Allah, because you enjoy special privileges in the presence of Allah, and He shows respect for you and brings honour to you.



O Allah I seek Thy nearness through my love and friendship for them (the Ahlul Bayt), I love each and every one of them, from the first to the last, and avoid intimate association with anyone other than the Ahlul Bayt Curse of Allah be on those who subverted Thy "Favour" suspected Thy Prophet to be guilty of falsehood, denied Thy revelation, laugh at Thy representatives, and gave preference to nonentities over the "Aali Muhammad.

O Allah I seek Thy nearness by calling down curses on them, I keep myself aloof from them in this world and in the Hereafter, O Beneficent!

Blessings of Allah be on you, O Abal Hasan!

Blessings of Allah be on your soul and your body! You suffered patiently and exercised self-control, (although) you were truthful and your truthfulness had been confirmed; Allah destroyed him who gave the orders to kill you, and him who carried it out.

Lady Masooma (as)

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH THE ALL-BENEFICENT, THE ALL-MERCIFUL

FELICITATIONS TO YOU ALL ON THE OCCASION OF THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTHDAY OF HADHRAT FATIMA MA'SUMA (PEACE BE UPON HER)

10 DAYS OF NOBILITY:

The first ten days of the lunar month of Dhul Qa’dah are celebrated in some Muslim countries like Iran as Daheye Karamat (ten days of nobility). This is because they start with the birthday of Hadhrat Ma’suma (‘a) on the 1st of Dhul Qa’da [173 AH] and meet with the birthday of her sibling, Imam al-Ridha (‘a) on the 11th [148 AH] of the same month. Both are epitomes of spiritual greatness and nobility. Their life histories are brim with lessons for us to learn and emulate. Celebrating such occasions is to remember their personalities and instill in us the spirit of obedience to Almighty Allah. When one beholds the tomb of Hadhrat Ma’suma (‘a) in the holy city of Qum, which in reality serves as its fundamental source of light, one should be overtaken with the purity it exemplifies. Her radiant shrine constantly echoes a very important message for all her lovers: protect yourself from sin and struggle for infallibility. She was known as al-Ma’suma by her infallible brother Imam al-Ridha (‘a) due to her immaculate personality. If we are receptive enough to absorb her message, we would struggle for purity. Celebration in reality is an act of commitment and pledge. We must resolve to flee from sin, in order to celebrate this occasion of joy. Imam al-Ridha (‘a) likewise gives a similar message but in another language: the language of Divine pleasure. The word al-Ridhaa connotes both al-Raadhi (the pleased one) and al-Mardhi (the one whom one is pleased with). In other words He is pleased with what Allah does, and Allah is pleased with Him. He thus enjoys the state of a contented soul (al-nafs al-mutma’inna), whose status is so high, that Almighty Allah addresses it thus: “O soul at peace! Return to your Lord, pleased, pleasing! Then enter among My servants! And enter My paradise!” (89:27-30)The word “jannati” (my Paradise) in the verse refers to the loftiest kind of Paradise, which scholars of authority call “Jannat al-Liqa’”(the Paradise of encountering Allah). Such a station is what has to be experienced and words do not qualify to express. Fortunate are those who are able to visit the radiant shrines of Imam al-Ridha (‘a) and her noble sister Hadhrat Ma’suma (‘a). Mere visitation, however, is not enough. We need reflective minds who are able to draw a world of information by beholding such edifices of light, that can transport every receptive heart to the true meaning of belief, action, love, steadfastness, extinction in the Divine, absorption, revolution, emancipation, concern, etc.

Salams and Du'as
Holy Proximity of Hadhrat Ma'suma ('A) (From Muhammad Khalfan)

Please visit imamreza.net to read more about Lady Masooma (as). Also, here is a book about her at al-islam.org.

Her Ziarat, given to us by her brother, Imam Reza (as):

Allah is the great
Glory be to Allah
Praise be to Allah
Peace be on Adam, the Choice of Allah! Peace be on Noah, the Prophet of Allah,
Peace be on Ibraheem, the Friend of Allah, Peace be on Mosa who spoke to Allah, Peace be on Isa, the Spirit of Allah.
Peace be on you, O Messenger of Allah, Peace be on you, O the best of the Mankind
Peace be on you, O Choice of Allah! Peace be on you. O Mohammed bin Abdullah, the last of the Prophets!
Peace be on you, O Ali bin Abi Talib, Commander of the faithful and the Successor of the Messenger of Allah.
Peace be on you, O Fatimah, the Leader of the women of the worlds,
Peace be on you, O the grandsons of the Prophet of Mercy, and the leaders of the youth of Paradise
Peace be on you, O Ali bin Husain, the leader of worshippers, O Coolness of investigating eyes,
Peace be on you, O Mohammed bin Ali, O the explorer of the knowledge
Peace be on you, O Jafar bin Mohammed, the truthful the benign, the trustworthy,
Peace be on you, O Mosa bin Jafar, the pure, the purified,
Peace be on you, O Ali bin Mosa, the pleased, the gratified,
Peace be on you, O Mohammed bin Ali, the pious one Peace be on you, O Ali bin Mohammed, the pure, the advising guardian, and the trustworthy
Peace be on Hasan bin Ali, Peace be on the successor after him
O Allah, bless your light, the successor and vicegerent of Thy Messenger and Thy decisive argument over mankind
Peace be on you, O daughter of the Messenger of Allah! Peace be on you, O, daughter of Fatimah and Khadeejah!
Peace be on you, O, daughter of the Commander of the faithful! Peace be on you, O, daughter of Hasan and Husain!
Peace be on you, O, daughter of the vicegerent of Allah! Peace be on you, O, sister of the vicegerent of Allah! Peace be on you, O, Aunt of the vicegerent of Allah!
Peace be on you, O, daughter of Mosa bin Jafar! May Allah confer His Mercy and blessing on you!
Peace be on you May Allah grant us your companionship on the day of Judgment
and guide us to follow your footsteps and lead us to your grandfather's fountain andquench our thirst out of it, with Mohammed's own cup in Ali's hand,
Allah bless you All. I ask Allah to grant us, through you, happiness, ease and your companionship,
together with your grandfather on the day of Judgment
and not to deprive us from understanding you. Indeed, He is Protector and Powerful on everything.
O Allah, I seek Thy nearness through my love for you, my enmity for your enemies and my surrender to Allah willingly, not arrogantly my acceptance,
with unshaken faith, what He communicated to Mohammed seeking in that Thy Face! Thy satisfaction, and the next world.
O Master! Stand by us when Allah sits in judgment over us, O intimate of Allah,
O Allah, I ask Thee to make my ending happy, and not to take away what you have given me
There is neither might nor power but with Allah, the Great, the Exalted.
So by Thy generosity, might Mercy and bounteousness, comply with our supplication,
Allah, bless Mohammed, and his pious and pure Progeny and give them abundant peace! O the most Merciful of the Merciful.

Muslim Convert - Baba Ali video

Imam Ali (as) Wiladat Mubarak

The story of his birth.

One suggestion of what someone could do to celebrate: gather up a few bags of groceries from your pantry/freezer/fridge, and post on your local Freecycle.org - feed someone in your neighborhood in need!

Okay

My tomato plants are doing well so far this year. There are three together in the middle pot - that other pot is just supporting one of the plants so it doesn't drag on the ground. Just thought I'd share that. :)

Yesterday and today I was at North Middle School working on Understanding by Design aspects of the curriculum writing work for 10th grade mathematics for the district. In the bathroom in the school's library, a little sign hung on the wall that said,

"Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end."

I really liked that idea. I don't think I'd say it is universally true; for example, an evil person's ultimate fate might not be 'okay' in some sense. But I think it is more true than not and a good perspective on our daily pains, disappointments, and losses.

It is a virtue to be content. Sometimes it is harder than others - sometimes our needs are really not being met and we struggle with illness, loneliness, financial troubles, injustice, or whatever. No matter how great someone's life appears to be, all of us know pain - wealth, health, talents, fame, etc., notwithstanding. I have come to believe that no matter our circumstances, it is not so hard to be content unless we feel helpless/powerless/hopeless.

Hopelessness alone is, I think, the eater of peace in one's heart.

“...and despair not of Allah's Mercy; surely none despairs of Allah's Mercy except the unbelievers” (Yusuf, 87)

True hopelessness occurs if we no longer believe in the possibility of Allah's Mercy. If we, for example, convince ourselves that we will never find a mate, or that we will never get a good job, we are precluding the possibility of something beyond our expectation from Allah swt. At the same time, we struggle to put ourselves in balance with whatever the will of Allah swt may be - maybe it is not our fate to have a child or to get a promotion like we wanted to. But maybe something else, something ultimately better for us, is in store. Shouldn't we then always be living in a state of expectation for the mercy of Allah swt, that next surprise twist that ends up being wonderful? May Allah swt help us to attain and maintain that state.

Do people think they will be left alone saying: We believe, and not be tried? And certainly we tried those before them so Allah will certainly know who are true and He will certainly know the liars. (al-Ankabut, 2 & 3)

What would the point of our living be if we are not tried? If we are never tried, then we never grow. The disappointment I feel now makes me more compassionate to others facing similar situations in the future. It makes me better, insha'allah. And that is far better than getting everything I think I need or want.

What defines a person is how he handles disappointment. Great scientists, inventors, and so on generally experienced many severe failures before ever achieving a success. But that success only came because the disappointment of failure didn't destroy them - it didn't make them quit, wither away, or define themselves as failures or victims. So perhaps we can take a lesson - a disappointment or failure is opportunity. It is opportunity that hurts, sometimes a great deal, but probably a bigger opportunity with bigger potential benefit than something that comes easily.

Rainbow

We had a huge beautiful double rainbow (actually, upon further inspection, I think it is a triple rainbow - right underneath the brighter bow the colors repeat, but it doesn't show up really well in the picture.) this evening in Colorado Springs. I took a few pictures that don't do it justice and posted them here.

"And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth."
~~Genesis 9:12-17~~

As far as I can tell, the rainbow is nowhere mentioned in the Qur'an.

I did find this hadith from Imam Hasan (as):

"Regarding the rainbow, you should not name it 'Quzah ---the bow of Quzah-' because 'Quzah' is the name of a devil.
You should name it 'Qawsullah---the bow of Allah-'. It is security against drowning."

Now, this could refer to the mercy covenant mentioned in the Bible, or it could also refer to the simple science of rainbows - in order for the rainbow to appear, the sun must be shining into the rain, which means that clearer skies are around the area of the rain and thus there will not be enough to threaten flooding.

Please let me know if you find any other religious references to rainbows, I'd love if people would share them.

In any case, rainbows are beautiful signs and are merciful if for no other reason than their beauty and the rain associated with them.