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the qur'an says : "o you who believe! fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those who were before you. so that you may become cautious (2 :183) these verses indicate three facts : first, that the fasting has been established in all religions. second, that fasting in islam differs in the intensity of its goals from other religions. third, that in fasting, muslims accomplish 'taqwa', which leads to a complete dedication to god. many religions encourage fasting because through it, god's grace becomes apparent and a person's faith becomes more meaningful. fasting is a direct aid to strengthen humans faith and train oneself to control his wimps. fasting is a way to teach one how to keep his body and soul in balance. the events of ramadan to abstain from food, drink, and any foul language or action is the main practice of fasting. there are several ways fasting can be broken such as by eating or drinking during the day of ramadan. first, ramadan begins with 'suhar', that is to eat and drink before dawn, enabling a muslim to sustain his fast throughout the day, as it was the prophet's (p.) practice. second, reciting the qur'an, the word of god during the days of ramadan. this helps a person to dedicate some time of his to worship, to give charity, and after each prayer recite the following invocation: oh god almighty, let those who have preceded us in this life have your grace and mercy. oh lord, help every poor person and make every hungry person full, and clothe those who are naked. oh god, help every indebted person pay his debts, and let every traveler be united with his loved ones. oh god, let every prisoner of war be liberated, and help dishonest one become pure in heart, by your grace. oh lord, cure every illness and fill our poverty with your fullness. help us to change our faults and give us the beauty of your perfection. third, 'iftar' which means breaking the fast after sunset. the prophet (p.) says: "whoever of you feeds a hungry person, or a fasting person in this month, shall receive his reward from god and will have his sins forgiven, and shall be rewarded in the hereafter." muslims, at the time of breaking fast, recite the following short invocation: " oh lord almighty, only for you we fast, by your bounty we break our fast, and only upon you we rely." fourth, the 'lailat-ul-qadr' " the night of planning, during this night, god has planned the course of humanity. it is recommended for muslims to worship and be especially close to god during this night. the qur'an devotes to this night the whole chapter number 97. among the nights of ramadan. the 19th, 21st and 23rd, are considered the most holy nights. therefore, many invocations and rituals are described in the books of worship. id-ul-fitr breaking the fast on the first day after the month of ramadan, muslims throughout the world celebrate after breaking the fast. it is an international muslim celebration. members of each family gather to praise god almighty and visit each other, exchanging gifts. this day gives muslims a chance to plan their future and review their obligations. imam ali (a) says, " it is a celebration for those who have obeyed god through fasting; and any day that a person obeys god, is a day of celebration." zakat ul-fitr to fully understand the needs of the poor, every muslim, whether he or she fasts or not, is obligated to give approximately six pounds of food to a needy person. in this way, muslims share god's blessing with others who are in need. in short, fasting and the rituals of ramadan are the ways of purification. through self denial, charity and self control, a person would be able to come closer to perfection. wa assalam alaykum
q#4 jerusalem and three main religion islam, christianity, and judaism
by sayyid muhammad husayn jalali jerusalem is considered one of the sacred holy land in the history of the mankind and respected by the three main religions. judaism the jewish consider jerusalem an old historical city. since babylonian captivity upto the destruction of the temple, the events of the sinai, spending forty years after their deliberation from the pharaoh are examples of jewish history. christianity jesus was and is the focal point of the christians nation because jesus and his disciples brought the message of god to that part of the world from ramallah, town of khalil, and bethlehem. jesus and his followers lived up to their principles in jerusalem. christianity regards jerusalem as the center of their faith. islam islamic faith and history have strong ties to jerusalem. first, it was the direction of prayers of muslims for a period of time as commonly believed and it was the ascension point when prophet muhammad (p. ) ascended to heaven. this event is known as mi'raj. god says," glory to god who did took his servant muhammad for a journey during night from sacred house mecca to the farthest mosque (jerusalem) whose precincts we did bless, in order that we might show him (muhammad) some of ours signs for he is the one who hears and sees. " the qur'an 17:1. also, the prophet (p.) said, " pilgrimage should not be made except to three mosques : mecca, mesjid of aksa, (jerusalem), and mosque of (madina)." history of government most of the government that ruled jerusalem, build their rules on the distraction of previous cultures without any respect for the other religions. during the islamic rule in jerusalem, however, all three religions in jerusalem were respected. throughout the islamic period, philosophers, doctors of medicine, and poets (non arabs) enjoyed the protection provided for them by islamic rulers. in short, islam considers jerusalem as the cradle of all prophets. wa assalam alaykum.
q#5 muharram.... what is it?
by sayyid muhammad husayn jalali "do you not see that righteousness has been abandoned and evil goes unforbidden. in such condition, the true believeraspires to hasten into the presence of god. " indeed i do not see death in such a condition but happiness, and life under shadow of tyrants but grief " imam husayn (a.) (625-680 c.e.) the memory of muharram is alive in the hearts of every muslim. it is a source of inspiration, and courage to stand against evil. muharram is the first month of the islamic calendar during which shi'ite muslims commemorate the martyrdom of imam husayn (a.), the grandson of prophet muhammad(p.) from his daughter fatima al zahra (a.) imam husayn (a.) imam husayn (a.) was born on 3rd of sha'ban in the 4th year of the islamic calendar, 625 c.e. in the holy city of madina, arabia. his grandfather named him husayn, a diminutive word indicating his physical attraction and suggesting his beautiful character. the holy qur'an refers to him and some other members of prophet's family, saying: " indeed god desires to purify you; oh! the people of the house" the qur'an 33:33 thus, on many occasions, the prophet (p.) indicated that his grandson al husayn is the most qualified imam. once he said of him and his brother al hasan " these two are my sons; they are two imams". imam and caliphate on the other hand, contrary to the teachings of the prophet (p.), for the first time in the islamic history, mu'awiyah, the governor of damascus claimed the caliphate and changed it to a monarchy and hereditary kingship, opposing the previous system of ruling which was in practice. he thereby appointed his son yazid as his successor, who was not fit for this position according to principle of shura. at this point, most muslims scholars of the time refused to accept the legitimacy of the shift to monarchy. among them were abdul rahman, son of the first caliph, and abdullah, son of zubayr, but no one stood against yazid as imam husayn (a.) did. imam husayn(a.) declared the false foundation of such a change. consequently, after the death of mu'awiyah in 60/679 c.e., most of the muslims looked toward imam husayn (a.) as their true religious leader. thus, creating resentment on the part of yazid, who demanded relinquishment of imam husayn's (a.) leadership. imam husayn's mission further, imam husayn (a.) declared that, " we are family of the prophet (p.), and have the true message of god. yazid is a corrupt person, and i cannot support him ". meanwhile, most of residents of the city of kufa, iraq, sent over 10,000 letters of support to imam inviting him to their city which was one of the largest city of that time. therefore, imam sent hid cousin muslim, son of aqeel to review the circumstances concerning the invitation. at first, the people overwhelmingly welcomed him, but the propaganda of omayyads was able to crush the mission. furthermore, imam husayn (a.) said, " i was not born an evil nor a cruel man. i am not a corrupt person. my mission is to lead the muslims nation to the right path and to correct that which is wrong. i must follow god's order to commend kindness and stop evil" the just cause however, imam was fully aware that yazid would never allow him to live because the life of imam husayn (a.) was a threat to yazid's throne, which had foundation of cruelty, injustice and hypocrisy. in contrast to the true muslim leadership which was establish to protect muslim nation. imam carried his mission as the holy qur'an says, " fight for the cause of god, those who fight against you, but do not exceed the limit. " the qur'an 2:190. accordingly, as imam had predicted, the army of yazid attacked imam husayn's (a.) small party totaled 72 persons, fighting against the yazid's army of 10,000 men as it is documented. finally, imam and his companions courageously gave their lives to very just cause and his martyrdom became the symbol of courage and bravery in the islamic history. the catastrophe the martyrdom of imam unveiled the true picture of yazid and awakened the muslim nation. most muslim historians consider it a catastrophe in islamic history. after the martyrdom, there were 33 strokes of lance and 34 blows of swords on the body of imam husayn (a.) moreover, the head of yazid's army, 'umar son of sa'd ordered his horsemen to run over the bodies, and trample them underneath the horses hoofs. afterwards, imam's head and others martyr's heads were carried to yazid to damascus, syria. however, later the places where the head was temporarily placed, became the holy shrine. they are honored by all muslims in order to honor the mission of imam husayn (a.). the holy shrine after three days, the bodies of imam husayn (a.) and his companions were buried by the loyal followers. today, it stands in the center of the holy city of karbala, iraq. the 27 meter high golden dome is centered on the actual grave of imam husayn (a.). in the interior part, one can view the precious box placed on the actual grave and covered by gold and precious stones. this box is with six angels to signify the grave of imam and his son ali al akbar. other places of inside the tomb are covered by thousands of small mirrors, mosaic, precious stones, silver and gold. the spirit of karbala annually, on ashura, the tenth of muharram, the first month of islamic calendar, shi'ite muslims commemorate this martyrdom. beginning with the first until the tenth of muharram, majlis, memorial gatherings are held in almost every residence to recite the events which had taken place during these ten days in the desert of karbala, iraq. furthermore, on this anniversary, shi'ites from all over the world go to karbala to hold or attend these gatherings in the holy city of karbala where the actual events had happened. in short, the catastrophe of karbala cannot be described adequately with words. it changed the islamic history, and whatever course history may take, the spirit of karbala remains as a symbol of absolute loyalty to truth. wa assalam alaykum.
q#7. the islamic will
by sayyid muhammad husayn jalali in the name of god, the compassionate, the merciful " will is prescribed for you when death approaches one of you. . . " the qur'an, 2:180 every soul shall taste death. the qur'an, 3:184 whoever dies without will, he would die as non muslim. the prophet (p. ) declaration of faith: it is recommended to recite the following invocation before any will: o, lord! the creator of heaven and earth, who knows the invisible and the visible, the compassionate, the merciful. o, lord! i declare my faith in this world and bear witness that there is no god but you alone, without any associate. that muhammad ( peace be upon him and his house ) is your servant and your messenger. that the paradise is a verity, the hell is a verity, the resurrection is a verity, the questioning is a verity, the divine decree is a verity, the justice is a verity, the qur'an is the same as you have revealed, and that indeed you are the self evident truth. may almighty reward muhammad ( peace be upon him and his house ) the best reward, and may he keep in peace muhammad and his house. o, lord! the helper at the time of trouble, the sympathizer at the time of difficulty, the supporter at the time of comfort, my lord and the lord of my ancestors, do not leave me to my self, even for a moment. indeed, if you leave me to myself, i will be near to evil and far from virtue. put at ease my loneliness in grave, keep for me a promise when i meet you when i am resurrected at the day of judgment. according to the teachings of the holy qur'an and islam, this will is being prepared by............................................................................... name s.s#.......................................phone ( )..................... passport no. or other i.d........................................... of................................................................................. county address....................................................................... city / state / zip.......................................................... i declare this to be my last will and testament, and i revoke all wills and codicils heretofore made by me. i ordain that my body shall be buried without embalmment and without unjustified delay, and that my body be washed and buried as soon as possible. the executor: i order and direct, here in after named, to enforce this will, to pay all my debts and funeral expenses as soon after my death as practicable. my executor's name and address are as follows: name........................................................................... s.s#...............................phone ( ).......................... address....................................................................... city / state / zip .......................................................... other phone numbers to reach him are : ( )..................................( )...................................... ( )..................................( )...................................... funeral expenses: my funeral must be performed according to islamic regulations, i.e., to perform : 1. washing ( ghusl ) 2. shroud ( kafan ) 3. prayer ( salat al mayyit ) all of these must be performed in a special procedure. for details refer to the booklet, the islamic funeral regulations. it can be obtained form : the islamic community po box 53398 chicago, il 60653 or call 312-324-3449 the cemetery: i must be buried in an islamic graveyard arranged for muslims only in which the deceased must be placed laying on the right side of the body facing the qibla (mecca ). locations for such a graveyard can be obtained from nearest islamic center : in chicago : the ahl al bayt islamic cemetery arlington cemetery lake street .. frontage road elmhurst, illinois or call 312-771-6191 debts: i am in debt of the following person/s, institutions & stores: name amount due .................................................................................... 1. my wife ( the dowry ) 2. zakat 3. khums 4. mazalim 5. kaffara 6. missed prayers 7. missed haj 8. ......................................................... 9. ......................................................... 10. ....................................................... for details of debts consult the dairy and other documents. charity: up to one third of my property should be used for the following purposes: 1. to hire 40 persons to perform ( prayers of wahshat ) 2. to hold a memorial services ( fatiha ) as it is commonly practiced in the community. 3. ................................................................................ 4. ................................................................................ 5. ................................................................................ 6. ................................................................................ 7. ................................................................................ 8. ................................................................................ 9. ................................................................................ 10. .............................................................................. final notes: .................................................................................... .................................................................................... .................................................................................... signature the holy qur'an says, " whoever then alters it after he has heard it, the sin of it then is only of those who would alter it, indeed god is hearing, and knowing." the qur'an, 2:181 in witness whereof, i have hereinto set my hand and sign.
