Astan-e-Malaik Paseban (the Threshold of Angels): It means that the angels of Allah – the Exalted- are safeguarding the Holy Shrine, and serving the pilgrims.Arze Aqdas (the Holy Land): It means that the Holy Shrine is the holiest land in the world. It is said that the title “ Holy Land” was given to the region of Toos where Imam Reza (A.S) had been buried there after his martyrdom.Boqeye Mabarakah (the Holy Mausoleum): Mausoleum is an ...
WHO WERE THE FIRST PERSONS TO EMBRACE ISLAM?
The advancement of Islam and its penetration into different peoples took place gradually. In the terminology of the Holy Qur'an those persons who preceded all others in embracing and propagating Islam are called as-Sabiqun (the preceding ones), and in the early days of Islam this precedence was in itself a criterion of virtue and superiority and, even amongst these persons, one who preceded another ...
Regime of Mu'awiya
The topic of this book is an account of the sacred rising of Imam Husayn, which is a glorious chapter in the history of Islam. We propose to state briefly the important events of this period of less than a year which is quite short from the viewpoint of duration but extremely effective and eternal so far as its role is concerned.
Distortions have taken place and continue to take place in every chapter of Islamic and ...
Al-Mawardi and other transmitters of hadith have recounted that a number of thieves were brought before Mu‘awiyah for judgment. He cut the hands of all the thieves save one. Then, Mu‘awiyah said to the remaining thief, "I have cut the hands of all of your companions. What should I do with you?"
The mother of the thief whose hands had not yet been cut interjected and pleadingly said, "O Amir! Consider this to be one of those sins which you ...
All cultures are constantly changing. Changes may happen rapidly or slowly. Since culture consists of various factors, changes in one will also affect the others. Some sociologists believe much social maladjustment is due to unequal changes in different cultural components. When some parts tend to lag behind others, cultural retardation develops. Most of the cultural retardation observed in the history of the United States concerns ideas, ...
" Pilgrims making the hajj, or "greater pilgrimage, " will declare a niyah also to visit Arafat, Muzdalifah, and Mind on the eighth through the tenth of Dhu al-Hijjah. Their prayersmust stipulate whether or not they intend to interrupt the state of ihram during the interval that may lapse between the performances of 'umrah and hajj. (b) A second form of prayer is the salat, which includes the formal prostrations in the direction (qiblah) of the ...
The Tribal Order
Prior to the advent of Islam, the Arabs of °ij¡z obeyed neither a government nor a political institution. For this reason, their social life differed greatly from that of the Iranians and Romans. This is because in these two countries, i.e. Iran and Rome which bordered Arabia, there were unified central governments which ruled all over the country. However, there was no central power in °ij¡z or in any other city (in the ...
Letters of the Kufians to the Imam
After two days the people of Kufa sent about 150 letters, each of which was from one, two or four men. Most of these letters were brought from Kufa to Makkah by Qays bin Mashar Saidawi, Abdur Rahman bin Abdullah bin Shaddad Arhabi and Ammāra bin Abdullah Saluli. Two more days passed and then the supporters of Kufa sent a letter to the Imam through Hāni bin Hāni Sabi'i and Sa'id bin Abdullah Hanafi. ...
In the middle of the month of Zil Qa'dah of the eighth year of migration the Prophet disposed of all the booty of Hunayn at Ji'rinah. Haj days were fast approaching and it was the first year when the polytheist Arabs and the Muslims were to perform Haj ceremonies together under the supervision of the Islamic Government of Makkah. The participation of the Prophet in these ceremonies would add to the pomp and grandeur of Haj, and it was under his ...
In this battle the forces of the idolatrous Arabs and the Jews were mobilized against Islam and, after forming a strong military alliance, they besieged Madina for about one month. As various tribes and groups participated in this battle and as the Muslims dug a ditch around Madina to check the advance of the enemy, this battle is called the Battle of Ahzab (i.e. Battle of the Tribes); it is also named Battle of Khandaq (i.e. Battle of the ...
The fourth Imam addressed the people of Kufa and delivered a sermon before them. After making a sign to them to keep silent, he said: "O people! Whoever knows me knows me, and he, who does not know me, should know that I am the son of that person, who was dishonored and whose entire belongings were looted and plundered, and whose women and children were made prisoners......... "Of course, if the fourth Imam had not mentioned the plundering and ...
The rites of remembrance for al-Husayn began in this stage in a simple form, as we mentioned in the introduction of this chapter. However, throughout this stage, they developed in form and in mode.
The formal aspect, we believe, provided the rites of remembrance with fixed times, i.e. they entered into a framework of time and became a cultural activity which was progrAmined in terms of times. This programme of times consisted of:
Occasions ...
Starting from the thirty ninth year of the Islamic calendar, Mu‘awiyah ibn Abu Sufiyan started to carry out widespread terrorist attacks on the Shi‘ahs of Amir al-Mu'minin ‘Ali (as). He dispatched cruel and irreligious people to attack the Shi‘ahs. He intended to subdue Imam ‘Ali's followers by sending gangs of faithless people to invade and attack anyone under the protection of Imam ‘Ali's (as) government.
1. He sent Nu‘man ibn ...
Shi'ite Authors in Islamic History
The pioneer in this field was Asbagh bin Nabatah Tabi'i who was one of the closest friends and companions of of Amir-al-Muminin Imam Ali(A.S.). Ash-Shaikh has said in Al-Fahrist that Ad-Dawri reported through him the accoumt of the battle against Imam Husain (A.H.). He has also given the authorities for itHe died during the first centuryThe first one to write a book on Islamic History was Aaban Bin Uthman ...
Some people are of the view that those schools of fiqh, such as,Shafi"i andHanafi which have no differences in principle should establish brotherhood and stand in one line. They believe that denominations which have differences in the principles can in no way be brothers. This group view the religious principles as an interconnected set as termed by scholars of Usul, as an interrelated and interdependent set; any damage to one ...
One has to look beyond the canvas of the battlefield itself, into the early days of Islam, in order to understand the cause and the facts and circumstances, which led Imam Husain (a.s) to face an enormous army at Karbala and the reason and philosophy behind his refusal to submit to an apparently simple demand for allegiance to Yazid. From a reading of the following pages, the reader will understand that the seed for the battle of Karbala was ...
The tribe of Thamud was living happily in the land of Hajar which was located between Syria and Hejaz. They were enjoying the green gardens, big springs and rivers, the productive land and beneficial animals of this country. But gradually idolatry and corruption got over spread among the people of this tribe and consequently God appointed Saleh, a pious man of a noble and respectful family in Hajar, who was quite well-known for his knowledge and ...
In the sixth year of the hijra, the Prophet decided to go for pilgrimage to Mecca. The Meccans stopped the Muslims at a place called Hudaybia and did not allow them to enter the city. This encounter ended in a peace agreement between the Prophet and the Quraysh of Mecca. This peace agreement created a relatively safe environment for the Prophet to embark on extending the call of Islam to the tribes and people far away from Arabia.
As a ...
The Pre-Islamic World
Before the advent of Islam, people all over the world were sadly impoverished in thought, opinions, and individual and social attitudes. Although such conditions were not the same in all parts of the world, generally speaking, all the people of the world shared superstitious beliefs, intellectual deviations, inhumane social traditions, myths and social and moral conflicts.
Before Islam emerged, the Jews had changed the ...
SETTLEMENT IN NAJAF
Najaf is situated five miles to the west of al-Kūfah. There is a legend that log ago there was a mass of water at the place. When the water was totally absorbed by the soil and its substrata, the place was called annajaf or nayjaf, meaning the water had dried up. With excessive use the place came to be called Najaf. Adjacent to Najaf, there was another habitation, three miles from al-Kūfah, that was known as al-Hirah. ...