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The sad first month of the Islamic calendar during which the family of the Holy Prophet were faced with a great ordeal and tragedy.
#18341
Rulings on KHUMS learnt from majaalis

If khums isnt paid in the year it becomes due, than instead of 20 % one has to pay 25% .

If one wants to take out khums from money kept elsewhere e.g in a bank in another city e.t.c and he pays from money in his hand then he has to pay 25 % to make the whole amount in bank, khums free. e.g. I have 10,000$ in bank, if i pay from that 10,000$ then I will pay 20% i.e 2000$ to make the remaining 8000$ paak ... BUT if I want the whole 10,000$ to remain as it is and to make it khums free then I will have to pay 25% .

If one has built a new house or purchased land and it has remain unused for a whole year, khums becomes liable for it.

Khums is to be paid on any item used in business/shop e.g furniture, fax machine, phone e.t.c though it has been used within a year, as it is an investment.

Those ladies who take orders/sell food items have to pay khums on utensils e.t.c that has been purchased for their business , though it has been used within a year, as it is an investment.

NOTE: Kindly reconfirm the rulings with your aalim-e-deen .
#18359
TIPS FOR HAVING FIRM FAITH

 Attach to Holy Quran (read-ponder-act upon it) -Holy Prophet

 Ayatullah Khomeini advised believers to look at the last 7 verses of surah Al-Hashr with full concentration for 15-30 minutes daily for 40 days -for deep faith in heart.

 Wear ring of aqeeq (make a habit of your kids to wear it from a tender age if they can take care not to loose it ) -firm faith

 Recite Azaan loudly in ones house (even ladies are allowed to recite loudly) -protects from shaytan

 Do excessive duas (from heart not only words) - for overpowering shaytan

 Increase & prolong your Sajdahs -for overpowering shaytan

 Perform all waajibaats & avoid all Muharramaats -advice given by all Ayatullahs.

 Take care that the food you consume is halaal -extremely important for spiritual strength

 Perform Salaat on its proper time -much stressed upon

 Recite tasbihatul arba 30 times after salaat -for overcoming spiritual sickness

 Eat pomegranates (even few seeds if not whole) on friday - cleanses one spiritually

 Perform ghusl-e-Jumaa regularly every friday (this ghusl is highly recommended and leaving it, is makrooh). It acts like kaffara for sins done within that week i.e. Friday to Friday (not to be misused). One can combine as many niyyats as one wants when performing this ghusl. Our ulemas combine up to 70 niyyats for it e.g niyyat of cleansing one off spiritual sickness like lying, gheebat e.t.c e.t.c

Note: Those women who are in ritually impure state can perform any mustahab ghusl (e.g ghusl of jumaa/ghusl of laaylatul qadr e.t.c) as they will get full sawaab for it .
#18364
HOW SHAYTAN ATTACKS: (lessons learnt from majalis)

Imam Muhammad Baqir a.s enlightens us on Sura A'araf verse 16 & 17 on how shaytan attacks us from all the four sides (front-behind-right-left):

" He (Satan) said: ' Since You have let me wander off, I will certainly lay wait for (deceiving) them in Your Straight Path '." " Then I will certainly come upon them from before them, and from behind them, and from their right and from their left ; and You will not find most of them thankful."

He a.s , commenting upon the four directions, said : "The purpose of coming 'from before' is that Satan shows the coming world, which man has in front of him i.e the hereafter as simple and hollow and thus makes him forget it.
The purpose of 'from behind' is that he (Satan) invites people to gathering properties and amassing wealth, and to niggardliness concerning the payment of the compulsory alms to be abandoned in favour of children and inheritors.
The purpose of 'right side' is that he spoils the spiritual affairs in man's view by creating doubts and dubious things(bad things presented as good)
And, the purpose of 'left side' is to make the material pleasures and lusts beautiful in the view of man thus making him busy in wasting time in recreation (both halal and haram)

When angels asked how mankind will be delivered, it was said: " There are two ways open for him, the upward (supplicate excessively) and the downward (increase your prostrations-sajdah)

Note:As soon as Adam was informed of the domination of Satan, he invoked Allah. Then he was addressed (by Him) not to be worried, because He will count a sin one fold and a good deed ten folds. Besides, the gate of repentance is open to him. (Tafsir-i-Nur-uth-Thaqalayn)

Some other tips for overpowering shaytan:

-Reciting salawaat of lady Fatima s.a (see Almanac ziyarat section (after ziyarat of lady Fatima s.a) online link http://www.duas.org/pdfs/salwaatladyfatimah.pdf

-Reciting Azaan loudly in ones home

-Keeping pair of pigeon in ones home/courtyard
#18366
GRADES OF BELIEVERS (lessons learnt from majalis)

1st grade believer: One whose whole body is engaged in enjoining that which is good (Amr bil maruf) & forbidding from evil (Nahy anil munkar) i.e. his words & actions are both involved in this act plus his heartaches when he sees evil done.

2nd grade believer: One who enjoins that which is good & forbids from evil by tongue i.e. only by words, plus his heartaches when he sees evil done.

3rd grade believer: One who Does NOT enjoin that which is good nor forbids from evil but his heartaches when he sees evil done.

4th grade believer (last grade): One who does NOT enjoin that which is good nor forbids from evil , plus NO pain even in his heart on seeing evil done, thus HIS HEART IS DEAD.
This is the one for whom Holy Quran and hadith clearly say, that though one sees him to be alive physically but in reality he is dead because his HEART is dead .

One example to make it clear: Once , Maulana Sadiq Hassan was reciting in Australia on the tragedy of the snatching of veils of Ladies of the holy household ,one person from the audience stood up and asked him what was wrong with the snatching of veils and why so much fuss was made about it!!!
The tragedy which was the most heart rending & the most difficult for our 4th Imam to bear, becomes not only easily digestible but even ridiculed by none other than the one who professes to be a believer ! Now surely, this is a dead heart indeed.

(This is the result of becoming so much indifferent to behijabi in the society, that it not only becomes the norm but is actually viewed as acceptable. Alas, the blame for this lies equally on the shoulders of our community, which is facing the consequences of its indifference to forbidding evil which has lead its members not only to keep silent but also to accept, propagate & encourage the ''so called hijabs'', in the name of fashion & smartness until it has been degraded, devalued & reduced to naught.)

QUESTION : WHICH GRADE OF BELIEVER ARE YOU ??? THINK ABOUT IT !
#18381
SOME TIPS ON GETTING HIGHER STATUS IN PARADISE: ( lessons from majalis)

#BELIEVERS WHO WILL BE NEIGHBOURS OF MASOOMEEN IN PARADISE:

(1) Those believers whose salaat is improving on a daily basis.
(2)Those believers who spend their wealth in the way/cause of Allah s.w.t
(3) Those believers who do tarbiyat (upbringing) of their children according to Islamic shariah.
(4) Those believers who avoid backbiting .

# TO BE RAISED IN COMPANY OF IMAM HUSSAIN A.S:

-Do tilaawat of sura fajr regularly.
Please note: Tilaawat means to read-ponder-understand & act upon it while qira'at means to read only.

# TO REACH TO THE STAGE OF HONOR AND KARAAMAT:

Act upon verse 54 of sura Qasas ''.... and avert evil with good...(as these are the ones who trust and hope in none but Allah s.w.t. They avert evils, such as: ugly words with good sayings, the indecency with virtue, the ignorance with knowledge, the enmity and grudge with kindness, and the rupture of relation with friendship and union of kindred. In short, instead of answering vice with vice, they try to repel it with goodness).

#FOR SUCCESS IN THIS WORLD & HEREAFTER:

(1) REMEMBER two things: Allah & Aakhirat (hereafter)
(2 )FORGET two things : the good deeds/acts you did towards others & the hurt and pain inflicted on you by others( i.e. forgive and forget)
#18401
OUR PRESENT IMAM AL-MAHDI (A.J.F.S) PART ONE: (Lessons from majalis)

#Favorite sura of Imam - sura Hashr

# For fulfilment of desires- recite ziyarate Isteghasa of Imam.

# Favorite ziyarats of Imam :
(1) ziyarat e Ashura (2) ziyarate Jamiah kabeer
(3)Ziyarate Aminullah (4) Ziyarate Aale Yaseen
Note: Muhammad Ibn Uthman (deputy of Imam) advised Imam's followers to recite Imam's ziyarat with full concentration whenever they wanted Imam's attention.

# 6th Imam advised to recite ''Assalam alayka Yaa Baqiyatallah'', first thing after waking up.
# Its much emphasised to spend the last hour of friday ( bfr maghrib) in worship as this hour is linked to our Imam.

# Two zuhoor of Imam:
(1) Zuhoor-e-sughra: Has already started as signs given of his coming are being observed.
Its much emphasised to recite Dua e Nudba,ziyarat of Aali Yaseen and pay khums during zuhoor-e-sughra.
(2) Zuhoor-e-kubra: actual reappearance of Imam (Yet still but inshAllah very soon)

# Philosophy of standing and keeping hand on ones head when Imam's name is mentioned:
Standing signifies that one will stand to support Imam when He a.j.f.s reappears while keeping hand on head signifies that one will give ones head (sacrifice oneself) for Imam.

3 types of lovers of Imam that hurt him (a.j.f.s) the most :
(1) The ignorant ones
(2) Those who move with the crowd ( i.e. adapt others characteristics/actions e.t.c without reflecting on whether its right or not)
(3) Those who have no value of their religion (carelessness regarding religion matters)
#18513
OUR PRESENT IMAM AL-MAHDI (A.J.F.S) PART TWO

Ayatullah Ali Hussain Sistani advises believers to regularly perform the following 4 things for 12th Imam:

(1) Recite dua ''Ilaahi adhumal balaa...,'' on a daily basis

(2)Recite dua e ghareeq in qunoot. (http://www.duas.org/imamezaman/ghareek.htm)

(3) Recite salwaat of 12th Imam

(4) Recite dua of 12th Imam (Allahumarzuqna tawfika ta'at ....) http://www.duas.org/mahdidua.htm

Note: This dua of 12 th Imam is very much emphasised. It contains 114 words just as the holy Qur'an contains 114 surah). It has 28 sentences (exact number of Arabic alphabets). It talks about 6 sins related to the body parts and above all each & every individual can relate himself/herself to this dua .

QUESTION: Each & every Imam was The guided one, the proof of Allah & the one who stood for saving Islam. Then why are the titles of Al- Mahdi, Hujjatullah & Al- Qaim used specifically for the 12th Imam only?

ANS:

Al -Mahdi, cause He a.j.f.s will guide the whole world towards salvation and not just some particular people for a particular time.

Hujjatullah cause He is the last one to complete/seal all the proofs of Allah on earth.

Al -Qaim cause when the angels were lamenting on the martydom of Imam Hussain a.s,
Allah s.w.t showed them noor of 14 masoomeen to put their grieved hearts at rest. The angels saw all the noor of masoomen in sitting position except for one, who was standing.
On enquiring they were informed & promised that this standing noor would be the one who would take the revenge of karbala thus giving them solace.

Injuries inflicted on Imam by his lovers : One touch by a non mahram is equal to injuring the Imam with a sword !!! Remember this when shaking hands with non mahram.
#18595
OUR PRESENT IMAM AL-MAHDI (A.J.F.S) PART THREE:

# characteristics of helpers of Imam according to 6th Imam;
~Waiting for Imam i.e Intezaar of Imam like the as'habe kahf (active not passive & with full conviction e.t.c) Indeed, His helpers will be at a sublime level of excellent morals and character.
~Piety (taqwa)

#For ziyarat of 12th Imam:

~Recite sabih hisma sura for 40 days
~ Ayatullah Behjat has said that most of the ulemas have had the honor of seeing Imam during recitation of hadith e kissa.

# Imam's love for his sincere & practising followers:

Ayatullah Sistani's father did 40 day aamal to meet the Imam. During the 38th or 39th day he suddenly saw noor penetrating his house. He realised that this might be Imam's noor and realised that it was emanating from a nearby house. As he went to that house he saw Imam reciting holy Qur'an over a covered dead body of a female and on inquiring came to know that such a great honor was bestowed on this female because she had spent the last 7 years of her life confined to her house due to Hijab ban issued by shah (during shah times).
As it was only allowed to go out of the house without hijab, this true lover & follower of Imam decided that the materials needed for her basic needs could be bought by the males of her family but her hijab could at no cost be sacrificed, hence she opted for confining herself to her house till her death.
SubhanAllah, may Allah make our faith as firm as this momina so that when our world and hereafter are at conflict we can sacrifice the transient over the everlasting.
#18603
OUR PRESENT IMAM AL-MAHDI (A.J.F.S) PART FOUR:

True anecdote for reflection :

    Once 2 people came to a shopkeeper(who was a believer) to buy camphor. As the shopkeeper had never seen them before he insisted on knowing where they came from. They tried much to dissuade him from asking this question but he remained firm and was not ready to sell them camphor without knowing their identity.

     At last they disclosed that  they were from the helpers of Imam a.j.f.s and had been sent by Him a.j.f.s for camphor for one of their companion who had died.

      On getting this information the shop keeper was much excited and insisted on joining them to visit the Imam. They advised him against it and tried much to reason with him but he stuck to it saying that he would accompany them and only if Imam allows then  he would meet him otherwise he would return. 

            So the journey began, they came across body of water(river/lake/sea) and the two companions recited something and started walking on it, the shopkeeper tried to do the same but couldnt and asked for help ,they told him to recite ''Yaa Aba Swaaleh adrikni'' with humility &  full trust which he did and started walking on water like them.

         As they reached halfway the shopkeeper started thinking that this was no big deal, he also could walk on water. As soon as he entertained these evil thoughts he began sinking and his companions had to save him. After repenting he again began walking on water.

       At last from afar Imam's tent came in view and clouds began to gather in the sky. The shopkeeper stopped in his place and when questioned replied  that he had to return back immediately as  he had put some soap to dry in the sun and if he didnt remove it on time, it would be spoilt by the rain. His meeting with Imam could wait !!!


We might have heard this anecdote again & again,   but have we ever tried relating ourselves to it?

#Aren't we amongst those who give more importance to materialistic things over & above spiritual ones?

#Aren't we amongst those who give more importance to our affairs that are related to this transient abode rather than the ones that are related to the permanent abode?

#Aren't  we amongst those whose daily lives are devoid of Imam's remembrance except ritually or in time of desperate need and that too with doubts?

Aren't we amongst the ones whose call of ''labbayk yaa Imam'',  is mostly superficial with hardly any depths from within ? 

 ~ In short, aren't we more like the shopkeeper in the anecdote ????
#18820
The banu hashim who were with Imam Hussain (as) in Karbala are actually Banu Abu Talib!

If one wishes to confirm the status of Hz Abu Talib, one just has to look at his offspring and how they supported the Imam of their time.
#18836
WAS IMAM HUSSAIN'S (a.s) STAND AGAINST ONLY YAZEED ?

Q: As we all know Imam Hussain (a.s) refused to pay allegiance to the tyrant of the time i.e yazeed laanatullah , so the question arises as to why did He a.s just not take a stand against yazeed only, but clearly stated that he was rising for bringing the UMMAH back to the path of enjoining good and forbidding evil i.e back to the path of the Messenger of Allah... Why the UMMAH???

ANS: lets take an example ...If a society is affected with malaria, what precaution will it take? Will it take hold of and inject each of the mosquito with medicine so as to prevent it from spreading malaria? OR will it spray medicine on the source of their breeding ground like stagnant water and pools so as to remove the threat from its roots???
All will agree that the 2nd option, is the only best way to confront the spread of this fatal disease.....

Well, thats what Imam Hussain did...after all,how was it possible for an evil person and open transgressor like yazeed to rise to power and claim to be the caliph of the Muslims??? Wasnt this possible only due to the indifference of the Muslim Ummah of that time ???
No doubt, the Muslim ummah was so much sick at heart & deep in slumber, that it didnt even care if the reigns of Islam were in the hands of the worst enemy of Islam and humanity at large..thus it was of utmost necessity to reawaken this UMMAH...hence the stand of Imam Hussain a.s

A KIND REQUEST: If this post has benefitted you in any way pls recite ONE SALWAAT for the benefit of my beloved papa, Shakur Ramin.
#20448
Reminders are important!
Learn from quran and the history so that we do not make the same mistakes as they did in the past

Surah Ankabut 29:2

“Do the people think that they will be left to say, "We believe" and they will not be tried?”

The challenge of test will be there for all depending on the ability to withstand it!
You will not get the same test as someone else but you will be tested. When tested do not ask “why me” instead say “try me”

We always ask why was I tested?
We tested those before them and allah will certainly know those who are true from those who are false (Surah Ankabut 29:2-3)
Do we deserve what we are receiving
To make the day of judgement fair
We are tested so that we can become stronger in our faith

2. We always ask “Why I never get what I wanted?”
It is possible that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knows, while you know not. (Surah Baqarah 2:216)
We aren’t all knowing

3. We always ask: “Why am I losing hope
So lose not heart, nor fall into despair: for you will be super if you are true in Fait (Surah Al- Imran: 3:139)


And whoever strives only strives for the benefit of himself. Indeed Allah is free from needs of the world (Surah Ankabut 29:6)
Your striving will be your own gain and allah will reward you with the best of what you do.

He doesn't need our prayer or our fasts, we are doing it for ourselves. It helps us become better people
Allah! There is no escape from you except to you. “You cannot escape him in the earth nor in the sky, nor do you have besides Allah any guardian or protector” (Surah Ankabut 29:22)
“And those who deny the signs of allah and the encounter with him- they have despaired of my mercy and for such there is a painful punishment (Surah Ankabut 29:23)

Learning from history:

Remember also Aad and thamud: clearly will appear to you from the traces of their bulldings their fate, shay tan made their deeds alluring to them and kept them back from the path, though they were gifted with intelligence and skills (Surah Ankabut 29:38)
Very proud of themselves
All of us get different signs from allah- observe for them, learn from them. apply lessons from them
Be Humble

Why does Allah test us when he knows us already:

The tests are designed to make us better people and bring us closer to allah
“Refine” our behaviour, to make us perfect
Purify us
Your faith is tested on many occasions; in times of struggles and in times of happiness. Testing ourselves not just in front of people.
Molded to be tested to become better people
#20449
Tawakkul: relying on allah is an action of the heart
In short trust in Allah, but do try your best and leave the rest on him. You do your bit; of course if you don't try you will never succeed and instead go through more loss
Nothing happens without his will
Achieving Tawakkul is the main goal! and tawakkul means that we have to act; act within our ability. That which isn’t in our ability will be helped by allah


Key points to remember about Tawakkul:

Tawakkul is a form of humility. Recognising that we are limited and can only do what allah has helped or wants us to do
Tawakkul is a key teaching of islam. the number of verses and hadith that speak about this signifies it’s importance. One example is the incident of prophet must when he began to lead the bani Israel out of Egypt
“Surely my lord is with me, and he will guide me” Story of Prophet musa: Surah ash-shuara 26: 61-63 Strike your staff and the sea parted and each portion was like a great towering mountain.

Our Duty:

We have to do our part. Strive at our best then leave the rest to him
Do your best to help your own situation
We need to aim to keep improwving
Take medicine and also pray to allah to help us
Responsibility


Importance of tawakkul:

A recognition that allah is part of our lives
He did not create us in vain, beingg our sustainer he has a major role in our lives
He can change the outcome of our actions because of our prayers
He loves those who rely on him because this is a way of forming a relationship with him
#20450
Allah is the best of planners and protectors. He is the all knowing and the all- powerful

Quick Facts about elephants

Largest land animals
Thick skin
Continues to growth throughout their life
Constantly eating
Calves can stand within 20 mins of birth
The tusks are actually their teeth
Get startled by anything moving near their feet
Extremely smart animals; largest brains within the land animals. Have emotions, feelings, compassion and self-awarenesss.
One of the only animals that can recognise their reflections in the mirror.
Don’t forget easily
The different species are noticed by their ears!

Lessons learnt from the elephant:

We need to start giving thanks for all these bounties. Be more compassionate, more self-aware, deal with our emotions. We shouldn’t forget the good things one has done for us rather than sticking to just the bad deeds. Have awareness at all times! — both about ourselves and about our religion (we should stand firm in our faith).

https://youtu.be/-3CI0FBr5ss?si=UNYS9HXtS24Gbr-P

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