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This forum is dedicated to discussions related to the Cover Story/Main Story of each issue that shall be the responsibility of Muhaddisa.

Muhaddisa: Please put forward your ideas and topics for next few issues and anything else that you want to share in relation to the Cover Story.
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By Umm.aly
#8075
Salaam..
For the first issue do i cover Muharram, safar & Rabi ul Awwal?
Was thinking of writing bout Azadari..
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By Umm.aly
#8156
I havent really narrowed down a specific angle of it, but insh will soon put down my points right here!
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By Muhammad Mahdi
#9458
Why Azadari is a threat


The eyes well up with tears as they anxiously scan the sky for the new crescent of Muharram and Safar and spot it. This is the proper way to bring in the Hijri New Year, since our Aimmah (a.s) looked at the new crescent of Muharram and wept in remembrance of Imam Husayn (a.s) and his household.

The crescent of sorrow also brings with it the coming out of black clothes, the majalis, the matam, and the juloos. In one word AZADARI.


All over the world, the followers of Ahlul Bayt (a.s) may commemorate this tragic event in varying degrees and different ways, the universal feeling and aim is the same- to mourn Imam Husayn (a.s) and his family and friends who gave away their lives to save Islam, in the way they deserve.

For we are the ones who were promised to Bibi Fatimah (a.s) by the Holy Prophet (saw) that we would mourn her son’s unjust martyrdom and continue to spread the cause for which Imam Husayn (a.s) gave away his life for.


Although the months of Muharram and Safar come every year, the remembrance of the trials and tribulations never fails to bring out fresh tears out of our eyes every time we hear it. This by itself is one of the biggest miracles of our time. When one of our own family members die, we remember them a lot in the first few months and every little memory of them would bring about a lot of tears. But gradually the pain diminishes as time passes by, and their remembrance is not as sad anymore. However the remembrance of Imam Husayn (a.s) is unique in that the more you think about the Tragedy of Kerbala, the more the pain hits you. The pain that comes deep from within the heart will bring a rise to various emotions like sympathy and anger.

When the event is being commemorated and the various individual stories narrated, a person automatically feels sympathy towards the household of the Holy Prophet (saw), for it is in our human nature to feel empathetic towards tragedy. One would feel sorry for the mother who lost her infant son or the one who lost her youthful son.


These feelings of sympathy are gradually replaced by those of anger. What wrong did these righteous people of the household of the Holy Prophet (saw) do to deserve such merciless treatment? It is not like they committed a crime that they should be punished nor did they cause any harm to anybody that you could call it revenge. It was totally unjust, undeserved and uncalled for!!


But the act was already done. Inhumanity was served at the highest possible level. And by doing so, Yazid may have won the battle, but he surely lost the war. Imam Husayn (a.s) will remain victorious as long as his name and cause remains alive.


The sympathy that turned to anger now turns into an urge to act. To do ‘something’ that would ensure that the sacrifice given by our Holy Imam (a.s) is not in vain. To ensure that Imam Husayn (a.s) and Bibi Zainab (a.s)’s cause remains alive and thrives as well.


That something is called Azadari. Imam Khomeini (a.s) puts it very nicely when he says “lamentation for the martyrs of Ashura moves the people to such an extent that they get ready for anything.”


Today, this is what is threatening the world of non- Muslims in general and non-shia in particular. They fear that Azadari and the remembrance of the trails and tribulations faced by the Holy Family will once again soften the harden hearts of the Muslims. It will startle them once again out of the slumber that the Muslims fall into the rest of the year. It will jar them awake to the injustice that is once again being done to the Muslim Ummah.


The funny thing is, the more the barriers that are put in the way of the Azadars, the sweeter the Azadari is and thus we do it with more determination and zeal to ensure that it never dies down. It brings about a unity within us that may not necessarily be there otherwise, but comes up to defend these practices.


Azadari is a precious and priceless gift to us, given by Bibi Fatimah (a.s) and Bibi Zainab (a.s). It is also a lethal weapon and a great threat to the world today for once it is truly understood rather then being attacked, it can bring about radically changes in the Muslim world, something which the non-Muslims truly fear.


It is sad but true that the non-Muslims know the true value of Azadari and the great potential it has to destroy all the injustice that is being done against the Muslim Ummah.


To end this discussion, a further extract of Imam Khomeini (RA)’s views on Azadari has been put forward.

“These lamentations have preserved the Master of Martyrs; His ideology has been preserved by the cries of mourning and by tears shed, by these passion plays, elegies and breast-beatings. If instead of these actions, some saints would stay at home, confined to a room in which they would do nothing but recite Ashura prayers and use rosary beads, nothing would have survived. It requires clamour, every school of thought or ideology demands clamour. No ideology can be saved and maintained unless tears are shed for it and breasts are beaten. The antagonists merely do not understand they are like children; they do not know the role of the clergy and of those who preach in the pulpits of Islam. You, too, may not know it. This is a role that has kept Islam alive. It is a rose that has been kept in full bloom by irrigation with tears. It is these recitations of pains and anguish (suffered by the martyrs on Ashura) that has kept alive the ideology of the Master of Martyrs. If someone near to one of us is slain, we cry and mourn and raise black banners; we weep, shed tears and hold mourning sessions. Our passion plays, recitation of elegies and bemoaning from pulpits and at meetings, are just cries to revive the ideology of the Master of Martyrs. These cries and lamentations are the things that have kept us alive and have advanced the movement that could not take one step forward it there was no Master of Martyrs. The Master of Martyrs is present everywhere - "All lands are Karbala!"; all pulpits are thresholds of Imam Hussein (AS); all altars belong to the Master of Martyrs.

Imam Hussein (AS) saved Islam by his blood, should we remain silent while he sacrificed so much to perpetuate the true Islam? We must cry and mourn everyday; we should climb up the pulpit everyday to preserve the movement and the ideology, these moves owe the Master of Martyrs a great deal!

The first time they seized and took me away, on the way from Qum some of the agents said they had been sent for me but were frightened by the tents (set up for the Ashura lamentation gatherings) lest the mourners would become aware and, as a result, they fail to accomplish their task. Not only minor elements such as those who had taken me, but even great powers are afraid of these lamentation tents!!! The major powers fear the organization, which, without a single hand to run it, has gathered these mourners together, has welded national elements together, so solidly all over the country, for all times especially in the 2 months of Muharram and Safar.

The antagonists' specialists had made comparative studies of the circumstances of nations including the Shi'a people and found out that as long as these Ashura gatherings and lamentations are in force, as long as elegies for the innocent and condemnation of the oppressors are voiced at these meetings, they (the antagonists) shall not achieve their aims.”

(Ref of extract of Imam Khomeini (RA): http://www.jafariyanews.com)

By Muhaddisa

(Editing done)
#12291
HE IS COMING…
In the darkness of ignorance, where daughters used to be buried alive, men were at each other’s throats for petty issues, females were of lesser value than cattle and stone idols were more precious than man’s life on earth, there came a Prophet, though whose radiance could be seen The Dawn of Islam.

Imagine the strong waves in the middle of the sea, at a time when the tide is in, and visualize the froth covered wave tops; or a cup of Cappuccino, with the creamy part floating on top, that makes the coffee seem tempting. The froth on the waves vanish as the waves hit the shore, and the water remains as a reality; the creamy froth on the tempting cappuccino does not have any flavor, for the real flavor lies beneath, in the coffee itself. Life is covered with such delusive froths that blind us from the real truth and hence we move towards situations where truth starts getting concealed with temporary falsehood.

Then, as for the foam, it passeth away as scum upon the banks, while, as for that which is of use to mankind, it remaineth in the earth. (13:17)

Several times in human history we have seen Truth getting the décor of falsehood and gradually falsehood taking its shape as though it was a reality. A popular example of such times is that of the tragedy of Karbala.

Muawiya came to power with zeal in his mind; to take the people back to the religion of their forefathers. This was proved by the words of Yazid in the court of Sham where he said to the captives of the caravan of Imam Husayn (as), “The Hashemite played with the dominion so indeed, while no news from the Heaven had come, nor was there anything revealed.”

Yazid’s character is well known. In the name of Islam he practiced all the vices practiced by the idol worshippers of the pre-Islamic era. Being an Islamic Political ruler, he was in a position to eradicate Islamic values. This was the sole reason that made Imam Husain (as) rise; to uphold The Truth.

And say: "Truth has (now) arrived, and Falsehood perished: for Falsehood is (by its nature) bound to perish." (17:81)
Truth can be concealed temporarily but cannot be obliterated. The reality of a human’s creation is to be in a state of submission towards his Creator.

Surely, the Religion before Allah is Islam (submission to His Will) (3:19)

The only religion is the religion of submission towards Allah. When all entities on earth shall submit to Allah and none other, Islam shall prevail. This will be the era when there is no falsehood, there are no delusions, and the reality stands out like a mirror that reflects without concealing any defects, reflecting in all perfection.

Looking back at our History we notice that Imam Husayn (as) distinguished truth from falsehood through his incomparable sacrifice. However, the task of establishing Truth, and Truth alone, still remains. Imam Husayn (as) was not assigned to do this.

He it is Who hath sent His messenger with the guidance and the Religion of Truth, that He may cause it to prevail over all religion, however much the idolaters may be averse. (9:33)

He fulfilled his mission to uphold the Truth. But the mission was yet to be complete. We state in Dua Nudbah, “Where the one who shall take revenge of the blood spilt in karbala?”

He will be establishing truth. He will appear at a time where falsehood will be prevailing; an era where wrong acts will be the norm of the society, an age where religion will be considered backward and impossible to practice.

That time is rapidly approaching, as we see homes playing music, youths indulging in wine and drugs; elders found in casinos, ladies moving around deceiving themselves that they are observing hijab when the essential areas to be covered are left unconcealed! We are hastily moving towards days like those of Yazid, when falsehood was practiced as if it were Islam. Where falsehood had begun to become the norm!

A savior shall appear to uphold the Truth once again, this time not temporarily, but to make it prevail, as promised by Allah and His Messenger.

Knowledge of these facts and conviction upon the words of the prophet (saww) give us responsibility to pave the way for that bliss.

“Happiness is for the one who will attend the Al Qaim of my Ahlul Bayt and will follow him before his rise.” (Holy Prophet[saw])

Consider a student having gone oversees for further studies. His room being vacant, his mother starts utilizing it as a store room for her extra stuff. Days pass into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years. The youth finishes his course and is now planning to return. His mother also sends him e mails, one after another, expressing her love for him, and her feelings about how eagerly she awaits him. The son joyously returns home, acknowledging the fact that his mum missed him in his absence. They come back from the airport and as he enters his bed -room to place his luggage, he exclaims,” Mum, what is this?” His mum reassures;” Don’t worry, son. Now that you are here, I will get it cleared soon.”

It is needless to say that if she anticipated his return, she should have prepared for his return by clearing unwanted material before his return.

Imagine a newly married couple expecting their first born child. They anticipate the birth of the child and as days go by, their patience is on its edge. They cannot wait to hold the baby in their arms. They have prepared the baby’s room with colourful furniture, clothes for the baby, all facilities that the child will need on setting foot in this mortal world.

Finally, the mother goes into labour. Several hours later a baby’s scream is heard. The nurse tells them it’s a boy. They look at each other. “What? We wanted a girl! We have prepared clothes, room decor, and our minds for a girl. We never expected a boy. We never wanted a boy!” they both exclaim.

The nurse looks at them and says, “You cannot decide what you want. However, you could have known what to expect, using available means like ultra sound tests.”

Let us take lessons from these parents. Preparation for the arrival is important but it is more important to know and realize what to expect and not to expect what one wishes to possess. Preparation needs to be done pro-actively, in the correct manner, so when time comes, there is no dismay.

We should not be taken by surprise when the Imam comes, by realizing he wishes to do things in a different way, or would be shocked like the youth’s mum was, if the Imam questions us on not having cleared away the filth before the final return.

It is important to know what the Imam will be doing after reappearing, that we begin the work in his absence, for him to continue from where we have reached. Preparation for Islam to prevail should be our motto at all times.

To do this, we only need to trust our conscious, for that is a guide Allah has blessed each individual with. We should accommodate other people’s ideas and understand that ultimately, there is only one entity, one faith. So, when Al Qaim (atfs) shall finally return, true followers of all religions shall unite and submit to The Entity, Allah (swt) and thus ISLAM (Submission) shall prevail.

Filthy minds need to be cleansed, dirty souls polished; news about Al Qaim (atfs) needs to be spread, information about him made available, to lead a smooth transition for the public into the era of peace and contentment, an era where there will be no fear, no danger. Gardens shall flourish, flowers shall bloom, fields shall give tons of grains, and animals shall dance in joy. All shall finally prosper without any fear of destruction.

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