Mohebban Fatemeh

Question 1:

(و لعن الله بنی امیه قاطبه) (And my Allah curse the people of the Omayah) Why do we ask Allah to curse each and every one of the people of the Omayah? What about the people who were of the Omayah but have not sinned done that we ask them to be cursed?

Ans. 1 The cursing of any Muslim or believer no matter how much they sin is unreasonable, only the disbelievers and the people against the truth and the leaders of Islam should be cursed. These are the lessons and morals from the Quran and the Imams have not asked Allah to curse anyone besides the enemies of the truth.

2. This topic has been mentioned many times in the Quran like when Prophet Nooh Asked Allah to save his family from the flood. When his son drowned, Prophet Nooh said “(انّ ابنی مِن اهلی) Surely he is from me” but Allah replied “(انّه لیس مِن اهلک) Surely he is not from your family.”

Another Ayah from the Quran “(و مَن یتولّهم فانّه مِنهم) Anyone who loves the people of the book and recognizes them as the real leaders, for sure he is from them.

According to these Ayahs, Someone is not from their people by birth and physical relations, but instead is related through their beliefs and faith. The people of the Omayah are the followers of Mu’aviyeh and Yazid but whoever follows the Ahlul Bayt then they are from the Bani Hashim even if they are the sons of Mu’aviyeh or Yazid.

Thanks to Haj Mahdi Shahkolahi for sending us this piece from Qom.

Throughout history, especially in today’s science and technology based society, experience has come to prove that power hungry individuals, who live to gain absolute power at any costs, used and abused a very important asset of society to advance their own agendas; Women. These individuals work to create an image of the ideal women in society, an individual filled with superficial and shallow characteristics. Movie stars, Singers, and other celebrities are marketed as role models for the young generation, creating a fabricated ideology in the minds of these innocent children, while these individual usually posses nothing more than a set of artificial physical traits. It’s sad to see that merely the physical beauty of an individual can make them so famous and beloved in today’s society.

What’s even more concerning is the influence this type of ideology is having on today’s young Muslim generation. Today’s youth, without proper Islamic guidance and preparation, will fall victim to this way of thinking just like everyone else, whether they like it or not. When the value of an individual is defined in their physical beauty, obviously to gain personal and social satisfaction, one will spend their time and energy, not to mention the money, to shape themselves in such a manner. Certain Islamic principles lose value in their eyes, as they are seen as a barrier towards the progression and, ultimately, the happiness of that young individual in life. Hence we see the decrease of properly “Hijabed” sisters and the growing percentage of unislamic behavior between opposing genders.

Islam, which is a religion that builds individuals from a moral standpoint, has given much attention to this deeply sensitive issue. We see examples, throughout the Holy Quran and other sources, of both good role models and bad role models. Allah (swt) in Surah Tahrim (Chapter 66) states:

“ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا اِمْرَأَةَ نُوحٍ وَامْرَأَةَ لُوطٍ كَانَتَا تَحْتَ عَبْدَيْنِ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا صَالِحَيْنِ فَخَانَتَاهُمَا”

“Allah (SWT), for those who have become of the disbelievers, has expressed them with the example of the wife of Noah(AS) and the wife of Lot(AS). Those two (the wives) were under the guardianship of two of our noble servants, but they (the wives) did harm to the two of them (with their actions and disbelief).” (Verse 9)

Allah (swt) then states:

“وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا لِلَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا اِمْرَأَةَ فِرْعَوْن – وَمَرْيَمَ ابْنَتَ عِمْرَانَ”

“And Allah (swt), for the believers, has expressed them with the example of the wife of Pharaoh… and likewise Mary the daughter of Imran, which kept their womanhood (for the lack of a better term) pure” (Verse 10-11)

Individuals who posses characteristics such as modesty, piety, strong willpower, and social independence should be the people are younger generation looks up to. Individuals such as Aasiyah (AS) the wife of the Pharaoh, who despite being surrounded by a glamorous lifestyle, broke all the barriers and norms for what she believed in. She saw injustice being done and she took action. She was an individual who created her own personality with her own defined standards, not one who blindly followed the norm in society.

Another bright example is that of Lady Khadija (AS), Ummul-Mumineen. She is the example of a complete human being; a loving, caring and coordinated wife; an open-minded and free thinking individual; a triumphant and patience fighter; a pure-intentioned giving individual; a respected and honorable figure; the mother of Lady Fatima (AS). The amount of sacrifice this individual made in her honorable life, while rendering one speechless, humbles an individual. She marries the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in a time in his life when he literally had nothing; no prophet hood, no wealth, and no key role in society. Despite having the most powerful and wealthiest suitors, Lady Khadija (AS) married the Prophet (PBUH). She saw qualities in him which were far more important than materialistic assets; qualities such as trust, purity, and spirituality. She was the first female to accept Islam.

We have a handful of sayings from the Holy Prophet which speak of the respected level of this individual. For example, The Holy Prophet (PBUH) stated: “The best women of the heavens and earth are Mary, Aasiyah, Khadija, and Fatima (AS)”.

Lady Khadija sacrificed everything she had for Islam. Surely we have all heard stories about the wealth she possessed. She wasn’t just well off, she was extremely wealthy. Like Bill Gates rich! Some historians say she was the wealthiest person in the Arabian Peninsula. And just like that she sacrificed it all for the good of Islam. Within the first three years of the Holy Prophets message, all of her wealth had disappeared to the extent which only two pieces of animal skin remained; one of which she would lay under her and the other over when she slept. It comes as no surprise that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) stated: “The rise of Islam is due to the sword of Ali (AS) and the wealth of Khadija (AS)”.

Individuals such as Lady Khadija (AS) will never be forgotten; their legacy carries on from generation to generation. We should honor individuals such as this, and strive towards living our lives as they lived. The events of their lives teach us patience, sacrifice, commitment, and love while reminding us of our responsibilities in life.

We have been blessed with so much. What have we done for the good of Islam? What are we doing for the good of Islam?!

Father: Imam Musa Kazim (a.s)

Mother: Najma

Brother: Imam Reza (a.s)

Place of burrial: Qum, Iran

This week we discussed  about the “vafat” of Hazrat Masoumeh (s.a). We started the discussion by comparing the qualites of Hazrat Zahra (s.a) with Hazrat Masoumeh (s.a). Hazrat Masoumeh is the only lady whose “magham” is close to Hazrat Zahra. 

Both of these holy ladies  have a ”laghab” of ”Fatemeh”. Hazrat Zahra passed away at the age range of 23-28 yrs and Hazrat Masoumeh passed away at the age of 23 yrs.  When you visit Hazrat Zahra ’s grave, heaven becomes “wajib” upon you. The same if you visit the holy shrine of Hazrat Masoumeh. Both of these holy ladies are know to give “shafat” as well.

Hazrat Masoumeh was about 10 yrs old when her father Imam Musa Kazim (a.s) passed away. After her fathers death, Hazrat Masoumeh had a strong connection with her brother Imam Reza (a.s). When the “Kholafeyeh Abbassee” forced Imam Reza to go to Mashad, Hazrat Masoumeh became seperated from her brother.

After a year being distant from Imam Reza, she decided to go and visit him. Along the way, Hazrat Masoumeh became sick and asks to be taken to Qum; a place  were shia’s truly respect Ahlul Bayt.

When Hazrat Masoumeh entered Qum, everyone greeted her with so much respect. A man named Khazar invited Hazrat Masoumeh to her house. After praying for 17 nights, she passed away. People beagan to argue over who should burry Hazrat Masoumeh (s.a). During the whole commotion, two men with face covers put Hazrat Masoumeh’s body in her grave. Until today, no one knows who those two men were. Some ravayats say there is a possibility that one of those men could have been Imam Reza (a.s).

There is a saying by Imam Jaffir Sadiq: ”Qum is our haram, whoever visits Hazrat Masoumeh’s shrine, heaven become wajib upon him/her.”

Also there is a saying by Imam Reza: ”Whoever visits Hazrat Masoumeh’s shrine its as if he/she has visited me.”