SHAFAQNA – A third of the mosques in the Netherlands have experienced at least one incident of vandalism, threatening letters, attempted arson, the placement of a pig’s head, or other aggressive actions in the past 10 years, according to research by Ineke van der Valk, an author and researcher at the University of Amsterdam.

On February 27, in the Dutch city of Enschede, a 33-year-old man threw a petrol bomb at a mosque as adults and children worshipped inside.

The perpetrator was caught by non-Muslims living near the mosque and has since been charged with arson with terrorist intent.

Two days before this attack, Azzedine Karrat, the imam at the Essalaam mosque in Rotterdam, received a letter addressed to the mosque.

“Pigs,” said the text, followed by more insults. The letter waed the recipients to expect “important visitors” and included Nazi symbols.

“I was quite shocked. Personally, I see this as a message from the far right,” Karrat told Al Jazeera. About 20 mosques countrywide received similar letters.

“I’m worried, but it is not about me or the mosque, but about Muslims in general. I am worried about the situation in the country. It says something about the dislocation in the Netherlands. It is not a message that brings people together,” the imam said.

Like many Muslims, he thinks that the threats and attacks on mosques are a result of fear and frustration among the non-Muslim population following the attacks in Paris.

It is unclear, however, whether aggression towards Muslims is increasing as the police only started to record the specifically anti-Muslim nature of such attacks and discrimination in 2015. Initial findings are due to be published this summer.

The initiative to register the motives behind attacks and discrimination towards Muslims in the Netherlands came from Ahmed Marcouch, a member of the House of Representatives for the Dutch Labour Party.

“We are likely to see an increase in the number of incidents because people have been made more aware of the problem, partly thanks to social media, and are encouraged to report such incidents,” he told Al Jazeera. “In the past, imams would have maybe thrown away such a letter without reporting it.”

Apart from the threat posed by extremists, Marcouch thinks that the refugee crisis is also polarizing Dutch society and boosting the popularity of right wing politicians, such as Geert Wilders, who leads the anti-Islamic Freedom Party.

“This polarization is worrisome,” Marcouch said. “It is a sentiment that has been building up for years, starting from the attacks of 9/11, the murder of Theo van Gogh, the hundreds of Dutch extremists that have joined ISIL and now the refugee crisis. At first the influx of refugees was opposed, but even that has increasingly shifted to an opposition against other ethnic groups, particularly Muslims.”

The Netherlands took in about 59,000 refugees last year, almost double the number that arrived in 2014. Several demonstrations opposing the arrival of refugees have tued violent, dead pigs have been placed near asylum centres and local politicians have been threatened.

Jeyantha Kathiravelu is a member of the local municipal council in Sliedrecht. The 20-year-old received threats after a council meeting about the possibility of opening an asylum seekers’ centre.
The threats were sent mainly by email and via social media and ranged from statements such as, “Dirty Muslim, go back to Morocco”, and “I hope you will be the refugees’ first victim”.

She said she was “very shocked” by the threats and believes that they must have come from somebody she knows socially.

“What worries me most is that it must have been one of my Facebook friends,” she said.

Kathiravelu, who is not Muslim and whose parents were refugees who fled Sri Lanka before she was bo, said she is sometimes harassed on public transport, with people telling her to go back to her own country, and on social media by people Idea on the colour of her skin.

She feels afraid, she said. “I rather not walk on the street in the evening. It makes me feel vulnerable. The situation has deteriorated in the last nine months. It seems there is no more reasonable middle ground.”

But she remains optimistic. “Eventually we housed 35 refugees in an empty school for a few months. When they had to leave people protested that the refugees should stay.” The neighbourhood wanted to help “their” refugees to stay in Sliedrecht during the whole asylum procedure.

Imams Karrat and Slimani spoke of similar experiences. Both have witnessed initial protests against their mosques tu into good neighborly relations after reaching out to the local community.

“When we opened our mosque in 2014 we held an open weekend and invited the local community. Nearly 4,000 people visited the opening of our mosque, nearly all of them non-Muslims. Even many people who initially opposed the mosque came, and eventually changed their opinion,” Slimani said.

“We are an active part of Dutch society. We should stay together and not allow extremists from both sides to divide us.”

SHAFAQNA – Arab evangelicals respond to a mode update of Muhammad’s Medina Charter.

With the lilt characteristic of a Southe megachurch pastor, Bob Roberts Jr. introduced the most significant Muslim statement on religious freedom in 1,400 years.

“I am a Texan, an evangelical, and a Baptist,” the NorthWood Church leader told the crowd of more than 250 leading Muslim clerics from around the world. “You have made my job to build bridges so much easier. You have gathered to call people to change.” He drew hearty applause.

The Marrakesh Declaration, launched in Morocco this January, is a clear English-Arabic condemnation of terrorism and a pledge to better promote religious liberty.

“It is a very promising initiative. You could even say it is groundbreaking,” said Medhat Sabry, the Anglican Communion’s dean for Morocco and one of several non-Muslim observers (alongside Roberts) to the declaration’s signing. “But it is way too early to tell.”

This is because—from Cairo to Amman to Nazareth to Baghdad—the news caused barely a ripple in Christian communities in the Middle East and North Africa, whom the document is meant to comfort. Some Arab Christians saw a headline in the local news. Others didn’t hear of it at all.

One who did was Andrea Zaki, president of the Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches. He joined Sabry in praising the declaration.

“At a moment of radicalization, this is a moderate voice,” he said, noting the legal reference to UN declarations in both language versions.

“But to be honest, the situation is beyond a document. They should develop a mechanism to make sure it is widely spread.”

Until it is, Roberts—with degrees from Southweste Baptist and Fuller seminaries—and his Virginia-based Muslim partner, Magid Mohamed, are raising funds to travel the world and spread its message.

Shortly after attending the Marrakesh conference, Roberts left his 2,100-member congregation in Keller, Texas, to travel to Pakistan and address more than 1,000 leaders at mosques and churches. Together, they strategized how to further reach the grassroots.

“Imams and pastors are the gateway to the community,” he said. “If this stays only at the geopolitical level, it will change nothing.”

The Muslim scholars who gathered in Morocco recognized this, tailoring the Arabic declaration to include many references to Islamic sources. It grounds the call in the Charter of Medina, the Prophet Muhammad’s A.D. 622 agreement with Jews and Christians to live together and respect religious rites.

The declaration calls on politicians and clerics to reinforce the concept of citizenship, and on educators to review curricula to address material that instigates extremism. (For example, a 10th grade textbook in Amman, Jordan, teaches that God commanded Muhammad to fight all mankind, and that only by joining Islam would their lives be spared.)

“The Marrakesh Declaration is most encouraging and shows that only moderate Islam can confront extremist Islam,” said Imad Shehadeh, president of Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary, noting similar efforts such as 2007’s A Common Word and 2014’s Letter to Baghdadi.

Those documents tried to place the call for jihad in its historical context to show that it doesn’t apply today, he said. Unfortunately, the statements bypassed essential source material in the Qur‘an, the Hadith, and the Life of Muhammad.

“A new and convincing hermeneutic is what Islam desperately needs,” said Shehadeh. “But it seems that a call to moderate Islam is a call for Islam without Islam.”

Azar Ajaj of Nazareth Evangelical Theological Seminary was encouraged by the declaration. But it also left him with questions: Can it limit current chaos? Can it change Islamic teachings that say an apostate must be killed?

Ajaj appreciates the emphasis on building bridges, but wonders about the history. By A.D. 627, five years after Muhammad’s charter, the prophet expelled the Jews from Medina. On his deathbed, he is said to have forbidden non-Muslims from Arabia. And his second successor, Umar, drove them out.

“I hope [the declaration] will have a lasting impact,” said Ajaj. “But if the [ancient] charter was a good one, why did it not work out better? If this is true of Medina, what about Marrakesh?”

Islam does have a history of tolerance, said historian Wageeh Mikhail, head of the Center for Middle Easte Christianity at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo. His best example is Baghdad, in the Abbasid caliphate of the ninth century.

Jews, Christians, Yazidis, Sui, and Shia all had a share in this golden age, translating the Greek heritage into Arabic to produce a stuing civilization. If doctrinal differences are put aside, he said, an ethos of shared flourishing could be resurrected.

“Islam prospers when it is diverse, and the key is plurality and respect,” Mikhail said. “But this needs humility from everyone, especially the one who has the power.”

Today, Baghdad appears the exact opposite of humble. Two weeks after the Marrakesh Declaration, Iraq’s govement hosted a conference called the Protection of Peaceful Coexistence. But Iraqi Christian leaders boycotted over conces about a religious ID law and continued seizing of Christian properties.

“The problem is to put it into practice, beyond political words,” said an Iraqi clergyman who requested anonymity. But he appreciated the declaration, which he said could be a “tuing point.” Like Mikhail, he said much depends on who sits on the throne.

“It gives a beautiful face to Islam,” he said. “But this face varies between countries and eras. Will all these nations keep to what they have promised? I have a big question mark.”

Most Arab Christians share his appreciation—and skepticism. But for Roberts, too much is at stake not to champion Marrakesh.

“I love Jesus and want Christians to help the world know him by loving their neighbor and spreading peace,” he said. “Shame on me if I ignore this opportunity and do not push the ball.”

SHAFAQNA – Human Rights First today urged President Obama to take steps to increase the transparency of the targeted killing program. The call came in a letter from Human Rights First President and CEO Elisa Massimino one week after the administration aounced they would publicly release casualty assessments and a redacted version of the Presidential Policy Guidance (PPG) for strikes outside areas of active hostilities.

“In order to ensure that this aouncement signals a new chapter of transparency about the use of lethal force in counterterrorism operations, it will be vital that the information released is sufficiently detailed to enable Americans to understand the nature of the targeted killing program, how targeting decisions are made, and the legal justifications for those decisions,” wroteMassimino.

Last week the Obama Administration aounced that it will provide casualty assessments for strikes going back to 2009 and then going forward on an aual basis. Human Rights First notes that this information, including the data on past drone strikes, is essential for fully evaluating the legality of the program. Human Rights First urges the administration to release data on casualty assessments that is sufficiently detailed to enable Americans to understand the nature of the targeted killing program, how targeting decisions are made, and the legal justifications for those decisions. In particular, the organization urges that the casualty assessments:

• Identify the procedures used to conduct post-strike investigations;
• Specify the criteria used to classify a person as a combatant or civilian;
• Name the organized armed group to which a deceased individual allegedly belonged;
• Provide the domestic and inteational legal justification for the strike;
• Disaggregate the data by strike location and date; and,
• Describe the policies and procedures for providing compensation when civilians are killed.

Human Rights First notes that confidence in the U.S. targeted killing program also depends on full clarity about its goveing laws and the measures taken to ensure that civilian casualties are minimized. To this end, the organization also called on the president to ensure that redactions to the PPG be as minimal as possible, and that any legal analysis or memoranda related to the use of lethal force be made public. Authority for conducting targeted killing strikes should be transferred from the CIA to the Department of Defense, and the administration should undergo a a comprehensive strategic review of the effect of lethal strikes outside of zones of active hostilities to assess their broader impact.

“Drone strikes are not per se illegal, and their use can be legitimate in situations of armed conflict. But the global proliferation of armed drones without a concomitant dedication to transparency, accountability, and the rule of law poses profound threats to national security and human rights,”wrote Massimino.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry testifies at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee while on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 8, 2014. Kerry squarely blamed Russian agents on Tuesday for separatist unrest in easte Ukraine, saying Moscow could be trying to lay the groundwork for military action like in Crimea. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS)

SHAFAQNA – Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday that ISIS has been committing genocide against religious minorities in the Middle East — just the second time the executive branch has used the term in relation to an ongoing conflict.

The formal designation comes days after the House passed a non-binding resolution by a 393-0 vote condemning ISIS atrocities as genocide.

“Daesh is genocidal by self proclamation, by ideology and by actions,” Kerry said in a televised address, using another name for the Sui militant group. “We must recognize what Daesh is doing to its victims.”

“Naming these crimes is important but what is essential is to stop them,” he added.

He enumerated a list of atrocities against Shiite Muslims, Christians and Yazidis at the hands of the Sui extremists that led to the designation.

“Daesh is also responsible for crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing directed at these same groups and in some cases also against Sui Muslims, Kurds, and other minorities,” Kerry said, noting that it was impossible to know the full scale of the extremists’ atrocities.

Kerry took care to highlight the plight of the Yazidis, a Kurdish minority ISIS branded as devil worshipers and who have been killed and starved by the thousands.

Many were saved with the help of the U.S. but “not before Daesh captured and enslaved thousands of Yazidi women and girls, selling them at auction, raping them at will, and destroying the communities in which they had lived for countless generations,” the secretary of state said.

Kerry also gave examples of Shiites and Christians being slaughtered, forced to flee their homes and compelled to convert to ISIS’ extreme version of Sui Islam.

Christian groups had heaped pressure on lawmakers to ensure ISIS actions against members of the religion were included in any consideration of genocide.

The Obama administration had come under pressure for its reluctance to use the term genocide, which is strictly defined under inteational law.

Kerry’s aouncement came after Congress demanded the State Department determine if ISIS atrocities constituted a genocide.

Fireworks erupted at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing last month when lawmakers grilled Kerry over why the State Department had not yet branded ISIS massacres of Christians a genocide.

“The whole world knows Christians are being slaughtered in the Middle East,” Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a Califoia Republican and frequent critic of the Obama Administration, said at the hearing.

Congress had set a March 17 deadline for the State Department to issue its findings. The State Department had said Wednesday it would not meet the deadline, though Kerry on Thursday said he had judged that a genocide was in fact taking place.

“One element of genocide is the intent to destroy an ethnic or religious group, in whole or in part,” Kerry said. “The fact is that Daesh kills Christians because they are Christians; Yezidis because they are Yezidis; Shia because they are Shia… Its entire worldview is based on eliminating those who do not subscribe to its perverse ideology. ”

While the move was welcomed by religious groups, the decision applying to the group’s treatment of ethnic and religious minorities in areas it controls in Syria and Iraq is laden with ethical and legal questions.

A key issue facing the administration is whether it will be obligated to take action to stop the genocide.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner previously had said a genocide determination in ISIS’ case “would not necessarily result in any particular legal obligation for the United States.”

Although the U.S. is already involved in military strikes against ISIS and has helped halt episodes of ethnic cleansing, some experts argue that the determination would require more actions by the U.S.

At least, a determination would probably be accompanied by a referral to the Security Council for possible prosecution by either the Inteational Criminal Court or some other tribunal that might be set up specifically for Syria and Iraq.

Kerry stressed Thursday he was “neither judge, nor prosecutor, nor jury” — but that the distinction needed to be made to reassure ISIS victims that the U.S. “recognizes and confirms the despicable nature of the crimes that have been committed against them.”

The first genocide designation during a time of war was in 2004, when Secretary of State Colin Powell determined that atrocities being committed in Sudan’s Darfur region constituted genocide.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton rejected requests to categorize the mass murder, rape and displacement of Rwandan Tutsis at the hands of Hutus in a genocide. Hundreds of thousands were killed in Rwanda as the world looked on.

It wasn’t until Dec. 23, 2003 that the violence was designated a genocide such by the United Nations.

SHAFAQNA – Five years into a revolution which ambitioned to transform and reform Bahrain kingdom island into a buoyant democracy, hundreds of thousands of Bahrainis live in fear – repressed in their faith, oppressed in their yeaing for social justice and equality.

Lost in the middle of oil rich monarchies, pro-democracy activists’ voices have been lost in a sea of authoritarianism, bogged down by harsh crackdowns and so-called security measures against their claim to political self-goveance. Still, rights defenders have refused to give up. Animated by a desire to see manifest popular will, a defiant few continue to defy a system which legitimacy is rooted in its political alliance with powerful House of Saud.

A geopolitical jewel sitting at the heart of the Persian Gulf, Bahrain represents too much of a prize for Saudi Arabia to ever consider losing its influence over; especially when its nemesis, Iran, appears to hold sway over the island’s political opposition. A reactionary theocracy, Saudi Arabia has long held Iran its religious and political arch enemy – the dragon to be smite for the kingdom to stand everlasting.

While many experts, and even state officials have perpetuated the view that it is faith, which sits at the core of Saudi Arabia and Iran upset, it is in fact clashing geopolitical ambitions which have fed the fire of enmity in between those two regional giants.

Failing to frame Bahrain unrest within a hegemonic perspective very much equates to missing the point altogether.

“Bahrain today stands very much a pawn stuck in a dangerous game of thrones,” said Samuel Pascali, an independent researcher with Veritas-Consulting. He added: “The real danger which Bahrain faces today is actually revolutionary misrepresentation … most media have toed the editorial line Riyadh presented, thus allowing for Bahrainis’ voices to be dismissed, and their message perceived as violent and sectarian. Bahrain’s entire revolution has been misconstrued. Bahrain uprising was not about the takeover of Bahrain Shia majority against the ruling Sui majority, BUT democratic empowerment for all.”

Those voices which are being silenced

While Manama has often argued matters of national security when cracking down on those activists, the inteational community has had to face to the often deplorable human rights violations: acts of torture, unlawful imprisonment and stripping of nationality.

In its World Report 2015 Human Rights Watch wrote: “Bahrain’s courts convicted and imprisoned peaceful dissenters and failed to hold officials accountable for torture and other serious rights violations. The high rate of successful prosecutions on vague terrorism charges, imposition of long prison sentences, and failure to address the security forces’ use of lethal and apparently disproportionate force all reflected the weakness of the justice system and its lack of independence.

Human rights activists and members of the political opposition continued to face arrest and prosecution, and the govement invested itself with further powers to arbitrarily strip critics of their citizenship and the rights that attach to it.”

This March, another such violation was committed against prominent rights defender, Zainab al-Khawaja, daughter to prominent opposition member, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who is currently serving a life sentence for “insulting the king.”

A report by the Guardian read; “Police in Bahrain have detained prominent political activist, Zainab al-Khawaja and her one-year-old son on the fifth aiversary of a violent crackdown against protesters in which Saudi and Emirati soldiers were used. The detention of Zainab al-Khawaja, the daughter of a prominent activist serving a life sentence over the 2011 demonstrations.”

The report further read: “The developments show the conces of Bahrain’s Sui rulers over the continuing low-level unrest still gripping the Shia-majority country. Last week, the Arab League declared Hezbollah a terrorist organisation amid a widening dispute between Saudi Arabia and Iran.”

While such a statement exemplifies those political realities corporate media have been keen to project they do not offer a reflection of the truth – but rather expose the very narrative Gulf monarchies have worked to weave to better justify, and rationalize their campaign against pro-democracy protesters and rights activists.

A symbol of resistance in Bahrain the al-Khawaja family has suffered more than most, the scapegoats of a system which is determined to crush all, and any calls for reforms in the name of geopolitical hegemony. “Sectarianism in Bahrain, like in many other countries in the Persian Gulf has been used as a weapon of mass-destabilization and self-segregation,” waed analyst Pascali in exclusive Idea.

He added, “The infamous Sui-Shia divide Persian Gulf monarchies have claimed continue to plague the region, has been used to de-legitimize people’s calls for reforms, and yeaing for democratic institutions.”

Unilateral sectarianism

If sectarianism has been rife in Bahrain, its language has emanated from the palace of al-Khalifa, and not the streets of Bahrain. Bahrainis are not calling for the rise of a Shia state, but that of a democratic one, where all people are offered the same rights and obligations under the law.

Al-Khalifa regime has worked tirelessly to silence Shia Muslims in Bahrain as they happen to be on the very end of the regime’s sectarian wrath. Victimized and ostracized on account of their faith, Bahrain’s Shia majority has lived in repression and oppression for decades.

As Shia Muslims and vocal critic of the regime al-Khawaja family has been persecuted for its stance for several decades.

Officers carrying video cameras raided the home of Khawaja’s in-laws before coming to her apartment in the capital, Manama, taking her and her son Abdulhadi to a local police station, according to her sister and fellow activist, Maryam, who lives in exile in Denmark. Their mother, Khadija al-Musawi, corroborated her account, as did Khawaja’s husband.

Bahraini officials did not immediately comment on the detention. But it comes as Khawaja faces three years in prison on a number of charges, including several involving her tearing up pictures of Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa. Her sister later said officers had a warrant and that Khawaja would likely be taken to prison to begin serving her sentence.

By Catherine Shakdam for Shafaqna

SHAFAQNA – One of the most esteemed women in our history, her life was an example to humanity her conduct was angelic, her modesty exemplary. Join us as we find out about the secret of Allah – Fatima (a.s.)

This documentary is an Ahlulbayt TV production

SHAFAQNA – The German embassy in Ankara and consulate general in Istanbul have been shut down due to a terror waing, the Foreign Ministry said.

The German school in Istanbul has also been closed, the ministry said.

The closures of the consulate and school have been made following a waing that was “not conclusively verifiable,” according to an email sent by the German consulate to its citizens, DPA reported. The email added that the facilities would be closed as a precaution on Thursday.

The German consulate is near Taksim Square, a major tourist and leisure district in Istanbul.

Earlier on Thursday, a Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) splinter group called the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) claimed responsibility for the deadly attack in the capital Ankara that killed 37 people and injured dozens.

The blast on Sunday was caused by an “explosive-laden vehicle,” according to the goveor’s office in Ankara.

The attack is revenge against the Turkish authorities for its military operation in the country’ southeast, according to the group. Ankara’s campaign was launched in summer 2015, and has resulted in civilians’ deaths.

In their previous statement, the militant group claimed responsibility for the blast in Ankara that killed at least 29 people in February.

The TAK said that it has severed ties with the PKK. The latter, in tu, has reportedly denied having any control over the TAK.

In recent months Turkey has been stepping up a military crackdown in its southeaste regions, populated predominantly by Kurds. Erdogan has vowed to continue the military campaign until the area is cleansed of PKK militants.

In January, a suicide bomber carried out an attack in central Istanbul, killing 12 German tourists. The explosion happened on Sultanahmet Square, close to the Sultanahmet tram stop and the Dikilitas Obelisk of Theodosius in the heart of Istanbul’s historic tourist district.

SHAFAQNA – Syrian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Suleiman al-Abbas aounced on Wednesday that well No. 7 in Saddad gas field, 60 km southeast of the city of Homs, will be put into service during the next 24 hours with a total production capacity of 500 thousand cubic meters of gas per day.

SHAFAQNA- The head of a council of Canadian imams has condemned an attack on soldiers at a recruitment centre in Toronto.

Dr. Mohammad Iqbal Al-Nadvi called the violence, which saw two soldiers injured and a third threatened, “disturbing.”

Ayanle Hassan Ali, a 27-year-old Toronto man, allegedly told people at the scene “Allah told me to do this.”

“It was shocking for us,” Al-Nadvi, of the Canadian Council of Imams, said. “He put the responsibility on religious reasons. It’s a disturbing notion.”

Al-Nadvi said the council found the attack particularly upsetting because it has coections to, and supports, the Canadian Forces. Three Muslim chaplains are part of an interfaith community network that works with the Forces.

“When we go there, we see how we can make the Forces a good and friendly environment for Muslims,” he said.

Al-Nadvi said Muslims share the conces of their fellow Canadians about the security of their country.

“We are not living in isolation,” he said. “We are part of the national fabric. It’s also important we make our point very clearly.

“It’s important to make our national security a shared responsibility. In the Muslim community, we are part of it and we will do whatever we can do to denounce (wrongdoing) going on inside the Muslim community and what is going on outside.”

Al-Nadvi conceded that this attack may give rise to Islamophobia, but thus far, he said he’s felt that both media and politicians talking about the events at the recruitment centre have not played upon fear.

“The response was very balanced and very focused,” he said. “I hope this kind of thing will continue. There is still a factor of Islamophobia that may be triggered by these incidents.”

SHAFAQNA- We believe that Almighty Allah will resurrect people after their death on the day that He has promised so as to reward the obedient and punish the disobedient.
All Divine religions and philosophers have unanimously agreed upon this matter; therefore, a Muslim has no alteative but to profess this belief on the strength of its being a Qur’anic belief conveyed to us by the Holy Prophet (PBUH). In view of that, he who believes in Almighty Allah decisively and believes in Muhammad (PBUH) as His Messenger whom He has sent with true guidance and the Religion of Truth, must believe in what has been conveyed by the Holy Qur’an, such as the Resurrection, Reward and Punishment, Paradise and Bliss, Fire and Hell. The Holy Qur’an has, both openly and suggestively, declared this in about one thousand verses.
If one merely doubts this belief, he surely doubts the Bearer of the Mission or doubts the existence and power of the Creator of all beings. Moreover, to doubt the Resurrection comes from suspecting the origin of all religions and the authenticity of all Divine codes of law.
Somatic Resurrection
The belief in somatic resurrection (after death) is one of the fundamentals of Islam to which the Holy Qur’an has referred openly: What! Does man reckon We shall not gather his bones? Yes, indeed, We are able to shape again his fingertips. (75/3-4)
Were We then fatigued with the first creation? Yet are they in doubt with regard to a new creation. (50/15)
To state it succinctly, somatic resurrection is no more than that man’s terrestrial body will be revived, on the Day of Resurrection, after having been destroyed, and it will retu to its first form after it has tued to dust in the earth.
It is not necessary to believe in the details of the somatic resurrection; rather, it is required to believe in it in its simple form as is revealed by the Holy Qur’an and to believe in its accompanying matters, such as the Judgment, the Discriminating Bridge (sirat), the Balance (mizan), Paradise, Hell, Reward, and Punishment in an amount not exceeding the Qur’anic details: It is not obligatory to acquaint oneself with the inspected knowledge of these subjects, which caot be attained except by well-versed specialists, such as familiarity with the answers of the following questions: Will bodies be restored to life in their very essences; or will structures resembling these bodies be created? Will souls be exposed to perdition, just like bodies; or will they continue to live until they reunite with the bodies on the Day of Resurrection? Is Resurrection restricted to human kind; or is it applicable to all species? When Almighty Allah will command the restoration of bodies to life, will they be restored suddenly or gradually?
Although it is obligatory to believe in Paradise and Hell, it is not obligatory to know whether they are already existent or they will be created afterward; whether they are in the skies or on earth or whether one of them is on earth while the other is in the skies. Similarly, it is obligatory to believe in the Balance (prepared for weighing the good and evil deeds of people and then comparing them), but it is not obligatory to believe whether this balance will be an actual weighing apparatus with two scale pans or it is only metaphoric. It is also not obligatory to know whether the Discriminating Bridge is a material object or it only stands for moral integrity.
To sum it up, it is not conditional, in professing Islam, to know whether these things are material bodies or not… (1)
Islam simply demands faith in the Resurrection and Final Assemblage. If anyone tries to exceed this to acquaint oneself with details surpassing what has been mentioned in the Holy Qur’an so as to be convinced and refute the spurious arguments of some skeptical researchers, who demand a rational explanation of the Resurrection, one will definitely involve oneself in uecessary complications and fall into endless troubles and disputation.
Moreover, nothing in the religion of Islam instigates searching for such details with which the books of theologians and fake philosophers are replete. There is also no religious, social, or political need for such disputatious essays with which books are full in a meaningless way and which have exhausted the efforts of their writers, grasped their times, and strained their thinking uselessly.

An undeniable fact; human sciences, experiments, and researches can never approach matters beyond man’s experience and examination except after man dies and leaves this terrestrial world of tangibility, experimentalism, and research. How is it then expected from man, who forms his opinions about things through the scope of his thinking and experience, to judge the authenticity or inaccuracy of such matters or to deal with their details and peculiarities? This is impossible unless man depends upon personal predictions and intuitions, or regards such things as improbable and strange. This is the nature of man; he finds strange anything that he has not known, experienced, or perceived before, just like one who, pushed by ignorance, finds the Resurrection and thus asks: Who shall quicken the bones when they have decayed? (36/78)
The only reason for such amazement is that man has never seen any decayed or rotten corpse brought back to life. Yet, he forgets to think about how he was initially created after he had been nothing and how the components of his body were composed from the dust of the earth and the other matters carried by it and from the space and its contents until he became a perfect, intelligent, and speaking human being. Referring to this fact, the Holy Qur’an puts forth the following question: Has not man regarded how We created him of a sperm-drop? Then lo! He becomes a manifest adversary. He strikes for us a similitude and forgets his own creation. (36/77-78)

In plain words, the answer to such people is: you profess belief in the Creator of all beings and His omnipotence and in His Messenger and what he has brought. You fail to understand the secrets beyond your creation. You know not how you were formed from discordant atoms. You do not comprehend how you developed from a senseless sperm-drop that lacked feelings, volition, and reason into a perfect human being with intelligence, feelings, and the capability of managing your affairs! Consequently, how can you now understand this strange restoration of your life after you become rotten? This is certainly an audacious attempt to discover the unknown. There is no alteative for you except to humbly admit this fact conveyed to you by the Manager of all beings, namely the All-knowing and All-powerful Lord Who created you from nothingness and rotten materials.
As a general rule, any attempt to discover unobserved matters that are beyond the capacity of the knowledge of man is a waste of time and a sort of deviation, just like opening one’s eyes wide in deep-black gloom.
Undoubtedly, man has reached advanced stages in scientific discoveries that led him to discover electricity and radar and use atomic energy—discoveries that would certainly be considered impossibilities and subjects to joke about if told to the people of the ancient ages. Yet man has not been able to discover the reality of electricity or the secret of atoms, or even the peculiarities or characteristics of a single atom. How then can man aspire to discover the secret of creation and composition of human beings and then realize the secrets of the Final Assemblage and the Somatic Resurrection?
After having faith in Islam, man is only required to avoid ruing after personal lusts and, instead, engage himself in matters that bring about prosperity in his life in this world as well as the next and matters that elevate his rank in the eyes of Almighty Allah. He is also required to think deeply about whatever helps him manage his worldly affairs properly and to mull carefully over what he will definitely encounter after his death, such as the agony of the grave and the judgment when he will stand before the Lord, the Master and Knower of all things:

Note:

1. () This paragraph is quoted from Kashf al-Ghita’ `An Mubhamat al-Shari`ah al-Gharra’ by Ja`far Kashif al-Ghita’ (AH 1228), pp. 5.

Propagation means conveying a message using suitable and effective tools. Throughout history all schools of thought and people trying to deliver their message to others have used different methods and tools. In today’s world extensive propagation is carried out by various schools to attract people to different thoughts and beliefs and the leaders of those schools are trying to familiarize people with their opinions and beliefs and to recruit new followers using suitable propagation tools and techniques.

Since the mission of Islam as the last and the most perfect religion is an eteal and a global mission, propagation and acquainting people with divine law and knowledge as well as giving good tidings and waing people are of high importance. That is because Islam is the religion of guidance and it has considered guidance to be of paramount importance. It is, therefore, impossible to guide people unless they are familiar with the goals, knowledge and teachings of Islam.

Propagation methods in Islam can be classed under three categories namely verbal propagation, written propagation and practical propagation:

1-Verbal propagation: This method is very diverse and includes speeches, sermons, call to prayer, supplications, reciting the luminous verses of the holy Quran, holding celebration programs on various auspicious occasions and mouing on grievous occasions, debates, commanding the good and forbidding the bad etc.

2-Written propagation through:

a) Verses of the Holy Quran:

The luminous verses of the holy Quran as a written work, which has always been available to all humans, have an outstanding value in guiding humans in a way such that their guiding role even in the present time leaves no room for any doubt. As it says: “There has come to you light and a clear Book from Allah; With it Allah guides him who will follow His pleasure into the ways of safety and brings them out of utter darkness into light by His will and guides them to the right path.”[1]

b) Valuable traditions narrated from the holy Prophet (S) and his household (A.S).

c) Sending letters:

Sending letters had been considered by the holy prophet (S) since the early days of his invitation. His letter to Najashi, the king of Ethiopia, is an instance of this propagation method. Following the Hudaibiya peace treaty and when he was assured that pagans would not invade again, the holy prophet (S) implemented his idea of propagation beyond Hijaz and calling everyone to monotheism and the religion of Islam by sending envoys and letters far and wide. This invitation lasted up until his demise. Great kings, Christian religious authorities and chiefs of famous tribes were the primary addressees of these letters.[2]

3-Practical propagation: Islam has greatly emphasized this method. The holy Quran states: “What! Do you enjoin men to be good and neglect your own souls.”[3] Elsewhere it says: “O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do?”[4]

Imam Sadiq (A) said: “Call people to righteousness through means other than your tongues”[5]. The holy Prophet (S) and Imams (A.S) have largely benefitted from this method to propagate and promulgate Islam because the words of a propagator have an influence on others only when he himself puts them to practice. . Also the holy Prophet (S) and Imams’ (A.S) capability of miraculous and extraordinary acts which other people are unable to perform is another type of practical propagation which has been tremendously effective in people’s tendency toward Islam.

In addition, Islam has considered subtle points and various conditions for propagation following which will have a remarkable impact on permeation and fruition of propagation efforts and eventually promotion of Islam. Some of these factors are:

1-The importance of the place of propagation:

Preaching religious issues and delivering God’s commands to people will be more effective if carried out in suitable places. The holy Prophet of Islam (S) delivered God’s message and called people to Islam during Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

Prior to his trip to Karbala, Imam Hussein (A.S) stayed in Mecca for a few months waiting for pilgrims to come in order to explain his mission and to inform pilgrims of Yazid’s crimes so that each pilgrim would convey the Imam’s (A.S) message to people in his own region. Later, Imam Hussein (A.S) left Mecca for Kufa and Karbala.

Imam Sadiq (A.S) would stand among numerous pilgrims in Arafat dessert tuing his face to four directions reciting three times at each direction “O people! Your leader was the holy Prophet (S) and after him he was Ali bin Abi Taleb (A.S) then Hassan (A.S) and Hussein (A.S) then Ali bin Hussein (A.S) then Muhammad bin Ali (A.S) and now it is me.”[6]

Places such as Mecca and mosques are ideal for propagation. Throughout history mosques andminbars have been together with each other. The holy Prophet (S) said: “Any group who gathers in any of God’s mosques to recite the Book of Godand to study it among themselves, serenity will descend on them and they will be encompassed with God’s compassion.”[7]

2-Time of propagation:

Proper timing of propagation is one of the factors influencing the propagator’s success. If we take a glimpse at the verses of the holy Quran and the infallibles’ supplications, we will come to understand the important role of timing in actions especially in propagational encounters. God Almighty has revealed the holy Quran on Qadr (grand) night. “Surely we revealed it on the grand night.”[8] Choosing this time to reveal the holy Quran adds to its importance because the “Qadr” night falls in the best time i.e. the holy month of Ramadan. Three years following the prophetic mission of Prophet Muhammad (S), this verse was revealed: “Therefore declare openly what you are bidden and tu aside from the polytheists.”[9]

The revelation of this verse after three years indicates that before this time, suitable ground and conditions for open invitation to the religion of God and detachment from pagans and polytheists were missing.

While the pagans of Quraysh prevented the holy Prophet (S) from propagating Islam , he would make use of the forbidden months going to bazaars such as “Akaz“,”Mejna ” and “Zil Majaz “, standing on a higher place and calling people to the religion of Islam[10] because according to pagans’ beliefs fighting and war were forbidden in these months, so he would be safe.

3-Starting in the Name of God: Since the one who is effective in every matter is God and success in every action depends on His will therefore every speech should be started in His name so that the speech receives divine support and leaves a positive impact on people.

The first command the holy Prophet (S) received from God was to start his message and speech in God’s name: “Read in the name of your Lord Who created.”[11]

4-Coection to divine revelation: Human’s speech is never free from errors unless it is coected to divine revelation. A propagator should resort to what God Almighty has revealed to His holy Messenger (S) which is the right path otherwise there is a danger of going astray “Therefore hold fast to that which has been revealed to you; surely you are on the right path.”[12]

The holy Prophet’s (S) words and propagation that are coected to the source of revelation are free from whims and desires: “Nor does he speak out of desire it is naught but revelation that is revealed.”[13] This is one of the secrets why his words and propagation were effective.

4-Making use of well-established and logical arguments and avoiding baseless, flimsy and undocumented points that are opposed to moral and human standards:

The holy Quran has put forth issues with arguments and reasoning and has commanded its followers to use the best form of polemics[14] and states that:”And do not abuse those whom they call upon besides Allah.”[15] It even asks its opponents to provide reasons for their claims and states that:”[O Prophet] Say: Bring your proof if you are truthful.”[16]

It also says: “Say: Bring your proof [for your wrong claims]; then they shall know that the truth is Allah’s”.[17]

5-Good tidings and encouragement:

The Holy Quran has given numerous good tidings to call people to almsgiving: “The parable of those who spend their property in the way of Allah is as the parable of a grain growing seven ears (with) a hundred grains in every ear; and Allah multiplies for whom He pleases.”[18]

Elsewhere to encourage people to perform good deeds and prayers it says:”Surely they who believe and do good deeds and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate they shall have their reward from their Lord, and they shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve.”[19]

6-Waing:

The holy Quran persuades people to perform good deeds and was against evil deeds.

One of the the holy Prophet’s most important acts of guidance was to forbid people from worshipping their whims or following their caal desires. In many verses pagans and siers have been waed with promises of severe chastisement. It says:”Surely they who disbelieve in the communications of Allah shall have a severe chastisement; and Allah is Mighty, the Lord of retribution”.[20]

7-Avoiding fear in propagation of religious teachings:

The holy Quran has encouraged sincere propagators who do not fear anyone but God in their propagation and says:”Those who deliver the messages of Allah and fear Him, and do not fear any one but Allah; and Allah is sufficient to take account.”[21]

These subtle points and their application by infallible leaders (A.S) and their true followers have led to rapid growth and expansion of Islam.

SHAFAQNA- Islam places great emphasis on each individual taking account of one’s actions. Setting aside some time during the end of the day to evaluate ourselves and work on our weaknesses is highly commendable and is one of the best methods towards improving oneself. On the flip side of that, there are people who take it upon themselves to evaluate the faults in others instead of themselves. Maybe they caot find any faults in their own actions, so they try to do accounting of the self for others as well. In any case, conceing ourselves with the faults of others is highly looked down upon in Islam. There are verses in the Qur’an which speak to this specifically and a large number of traditions from the books of Hadith that confirm this.

Now, there are sincere people who will let people know in private that they are going on the wrong path and try to guide them the best way possible. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) says conceing such sincere individuals, “Let the best person in your estimation be that person who points out to you your faults and shortcomings and presents them to you as a gift.” Fault-finding as a sin does not apply to them as they are practicing Amr Bil Ma’ruf and Nahi Anil Munkar in the correct way.

Occupying oneself with finding fault in others can lead to many evils. Islam teaches us to overlook the sins and mistakes of others, just as God overlooks our sins and mistakes and doesn’t make them public. On the first level, just seeing or knowing someone committed a sin is not enough to accuse them. You can see a brother walk into a bar and assume he went in to have an alcoholic drink, when in reality he could have just needed to get some water to take some medicine with. We are not all-knowing, and should not pretend to be. Imam Ali has said, “Accept the apology of your Muslim brother, and if he has not any, invent one for him yourself.” If there could be a reasonable explanation why someone apparently did a sin or made a mistake, we should accept it and move on. This is one reason why finding fault in others is a dangerous action.

In verse 11 of Sura Hujarat, God says, “O you who believe, let not (one) people laugh at (another) people perchance they may be better than they, nor let women (laugh) at (other) women, perchance they may be better than they; and do not find fault with your own peoplenor call one another by nicknames; evil is a bad name after faith, and whoever does not tu, these it is that are the unjust.” This verse brings to light one of the other reasons why finding fault in others is a terrible act, which is that it can lead to animosity and humiliation for people in the community. Those who do such an action are called unjust by God, and rightfully so. This action can tear apart a community in a very short period of time. Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (peace be upon him) has said, “It is compulsory for every Muslim to conceal even seventy great faults of his fellow Muslims (in order to save his prestige).” He has also said, “The worst form of betrayal is the disclosure of confidential information.” Hurting the reputation of a fellow Muslim is a grievous act, because sometimes it can be the only thing a person has. Allah could have made it easy for others to know our true reality, but he has hidden our sins and flaws from others. Maintaining the good reputation of our fellow Muslims is essential for the community, as it helps maintain mutual respect and allows the community move forward.

Finally, a big reason for not prying into others faults is that it takes away from one’s own self-improvement and can in fact take one’s soul even lower. There are many narrations that attest to this. Imam al-Baqir has said, “Sufficient is a person’s own defect (in himself) that he tries to pick and look for faults in other people, when he himself has those same faults in himself (and does not recognize them)!” Imam Ali has also said, “One who contemplates his own flaws is too busy to consider other people’s faults, and the one who is satisfied with whatever sustenance Allah has provided him does not grieve over that which he has lost. The one who observes the shortcomings of others, disapproves of them, and then adopts them for himself is truly a fool.” These words of the Infallibles are enough of a waing against finding fault with others.

Those insincere people who find fault with others without looking at their own are truly a poisonous element in society. Not only do they corrupt their own soul, but they sow the seeds of animosity within the community and cause public humiliation and embarrassment. We should of course make sure that we do not have such a shortcoming in us, but we should also try to stay away and not give credence to these types of people in our communities.

SHAFAQNA- “And He is with you, wherever you may be; and God sees all that you do.” (Qur’an 57:4)

The idea that Allah is All-Watching is something most of us have grown up with. Even other faiths that believe in a god share the belief of an Omniscient and Omnipresent Being. Yet when we try to understand ‘where’ He is, it becomes confusing.

There are a number of traditions which try to clarify the ‘where-ness’ of God. Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) asks God, “Are You far away that I should call You, or are You near me that I should whisper to You?” And God replies, “I am (very) close to the one who remembers Me.” Imam Ali (peace be upon him) says in the first sermon of Nahjul Balagha, “He is with everything but not in physical neaess. He is different from everything but not in physical separation.”

As God Himself says, that He is with us wherever we are, we may find it a bit clearer if we begin by looking at where we are ourselves first. Where we are can be divided into three distinct categories.

The first is the physical location we occupy. This may be the most obvious, but this is often selectively neglected. Take, for example, an ‘average’ Muslim youth. One who offers his prayers, but sometimes is late in offering them. Or who sometimes listens to the words of God, yet at times doesn’t mind the background tracks while watching a movie. Or who is at times in the mosque in the company of the righteous, and at other times in those places that he doesn’t mention in front of his parents.

If we do not have these characteristics, we can certainly see it around us. Why such a variety of actions from one person? If we examine only a little, we can find a relation between where a person is and the type of actions that he commits. A person’s actions in the mosque would be different to their behavior on a football pitch and would be poles apart to his behavior at a party. The same person, the same beliefs…yet a change in location brings out different personalities.

This is where God reminds us that wherever we are, He is. When at the mosque, God was present to see the youth reflect over himself and his actions. When on the pitch, God was close enough to feel his passion and share his emotion. And at the party, flashing lights and loud sounds did not disturb His Vision and Hearing, and He witnessed the ‘new’ person that was coming out in secret.

There is perhaps no Muslim today who would act the same way at a mosque as he would in a less reputable place. And yet, from one point of view, the greatest difference between the two may be the intention of the person. When one comes to the mosque, the intention is – or should be – closeness to God. And when one goes to other places, the intention is different. Yet the same God is equally present in both places. Does anyone doubt that He is everywhere, even in the least Islamic gatherings? That He does not see what happens behind closed doors? It is said that when Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) was trapped in the room, Zuleikha noticed his unease, so she covered the idol that was in the room with a cloth and said there was nobody left to see him. He replied beautifully, telling her that her god may not be able to see anymore, but that his God is All-Seeing. (Qur’an 12:24) This is further explained in the words of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), who says: “Fear more the sin when you are out of sight, it is where your witness is also your judge.” Thus, one who truly comes to the mosque to gain closeness to God should feel the same presence of God wherever he may be.

The second way to interpret this is our position in terms of which phase of existence we are in. We know from the Qur’an that there are three transitions that we make, and each one is a difficult and frightening one. Sura Maryam mentions them as the day a person in bo, the day he dies, and the day he will be brought back to life. The period between the first two will set the tone for the rest of existence, so “whoever does an atom’s worth of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s worth of evil will see it.” (99:7-8) However, it is not just our actions that we carry all the way through; it is also our faith that comes with us. Therefore, a person who has lived his life conscious of the presence of God will not feel the solitude of the grave, nor will he feel alone in the rush on the Day of Judgment.

The third way that we can understand this is with respect to our spiritual position. There are those times that we may feel very spiritual and have the desire to engage in prayer and supplication. At other times, we feel less eager to spend time in worship and must push ourselves to get to prayers on time. Some people have built a ‘bond’ with God, so that they feel coected to Him at all times, while others have – by their own actions – created veils between Him and themselves. God reminds us in the Qur’an that no matter which of the states of which kind of people we are, He is never far away; rather, He is “closer than your jugular vein”. In His words: “And when My servants ask you conceing Me – indeed, I am close.”

Similarly, we go through emotional states in which we feel closer or further away from God. When we get something we have been hoping for, or achieve something significant, we thank Him. However, when we lose something important or experience loss or difficulty, we don’t feel the presence of God – or indeed, one may experience the complete opposite, which is remembering God only in difficult times, and patting himself on the back when things work out as plaed. The Qur’an reminds us that, no matter how close or otherwise we feel to Him, He is always near us. There can be perhaps no example of closeness to God in times of difficulty than that of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him). At the time that the Chief of Martyrs was surrounded by tribulation, he was still reciting:

I have abandoned the creation in Your Love,

I have orphaned my children so that I may see You,

If the swords were to cut me into pieces in Your Love,

Even then my heart would not long for other than You.

SHAFAQNA- This paper is the first part of a series of three papers on the subject, initially conceived as part of a series of lectures delivered by the author in London, at the Islamic Centre of England in Muharram 1433/November and December 2011, entitled, “Spiritual Struggle of Karbala.”
Abstract
Although there are similarities between all members of Ahl-ul- Bayt and they are from the same light, there is a special link between Imam Hussein (A.S) and Imam Mahdi (A.S). In this paper, verses from the Qur’an and hadiths of the Ahl-ul-Bayt will be used to demonstrate this coection.
Indeed, Imam Mahdi (A.S) is from the progeny of Imam Hussein (A.S) who will rise on the Day of Ashura and will speak of his grandfather’s oppression. Imam Hussein (A.S) also spoke of Imam Mahdi avenging for him, and helping Imam Hussein (A.S) is similar to helping Imam Mahdi. Moreover, one of the best deeds on the birth of Imam Mahdi (A.S) is to recite Ziyarah of Imam Hussein (A.S), as renewing one’s allegiance with Imam Hussein (A.S) is renewing it with Imam Mahdi.

* * *
Although there are similarities between all members of Ahl-ul- Bayt and they are from the same light, there is a special link between Imam Hussein (A.S) and Imam Mahdi (A.S). Below we will study some of the links and then we will try to explain the reason behind this exceptional coection.
1) In Chapter Israa, we read: Do not kill the soul that Allah has made inviolable, except with due cause, and whoever is killed wrongfully, We have certainly given his heir an authority. But let him not commit any excess in killing, The one who is the guardian of one who is killed would be helped by Allah and would be victorious. (Qur’an 17:33)
The most obvious case for this verse is Imam Hussein (A.S) as approved by several hadiths that introduce Imam Hussein (A.S) as the first oppressed person. There are also hadiths from Imam Reza and other Imams that say that this verse is related to Imam Hussein (A.S) and Imam Mahdi (A.S). For example, Imam Baqir (A.S) said: The one who is killed is Hussein (A.S) and his guardian is Imam Mahdi (A.S). And Israaf is to kill someone other than his killers. ‘Truly he is helped.” This world will not expire unless a man from the family of the Prophet would come. He will fill the earth with equity and justice as it has been filled with injustice and inequity. The demand of that guardian of that iocent life is establishment of justice all over the world.1

2) More than three hundred hadiths stress on the fact that Imam Mahdi (A.S) is the progeny of Imam Hussein (A.S). 180 of these are from the Prophet. Imam Hussein (A.S) himself said: There will be twelve people who are guided. The first Imam who is guided by Allah and does not need to be guided by people is Imam Ali (A.S), and the last one is the ninth generation of my progeny. He is the Imam that is will rise truthfully, and the one who gives life to earth after being dead. And Allah is going to make the right religion prevail [over] all other religions even if the pagans may not like it.2
Therefore, the hadith emphasizes that Imam Mahdi is the progeny of Imam Hussein (A.S).
3) According to hadiths, the day of the uprising of Imam Mahdi (A.S) is the day of Ashura. There is a call in Month of Ramadhan and then the uprising is on the day of Ashura. Imam Sadiq (A.S) said: There would be a call for him in the night of 23 but he will be raised on the day of Ashura in which Imam Hussein (A.S) was killed.3
4) Imam Mahdi (A.S) will stand between Rukn and Maqam next to the Ka’ba clearly making reference to Karbala in the begiing of his movement: O people of the world, I am the uprising Imam. O people of the world, I am the avenger. O people of the world, my grandfather Hussein (A.S) was killed while he was thirsty. O people of the world, my grandfather was left without dress. O people of the world, they damaged the body of my grandfather.

When Hirawi asked Imam Reza (A.S) to check a hadith from Imam Sadiq (A.S) regarding Imam Mahdi (A.S) killing some of the progeny of the killers of Imam Hussein (A.S), Imam Reza (A.S) approved it. He then asked, ‘How this can be explained with regards to the verse that says, ‘No one carries the burden of another person (Qur’an 6:164)5.”6 The Imam replied: 7 Allah says the truth in all his sayings but these are those who are proud and satisfied with what their fathers did. When one is pleased with something, it is like the one who is doing it. If someone is killed in the east and another person in the west is happy with this killing, it is as if he is also involved.8
Regarding the above hadith, maybe the punishment is different but there is punishment and involvement. Thus, this is with the people who are happy with what has been done in Karbala. We will explain how the end of times (akhir ul-zaman) would be built around Hussein (A.S). One of the conflicting points of truth and falsehood would revolve around him.
5) There are hadiths that state the helper of Imam Hussein (A.S) to be similar to helping Imam Mahdi (A.S). As mentioned by Imam Hussein (A.S) during the night of Ashura My grandfather said that, ‘My son Hussein (A.S) will be killed in Karbala while he is alone and thirsty and abandoned [In that lonely time] whoever helps Hussein (A.S) has helped me and has helped his son, al-Hujjah.’

6) Imam Sadiq (A.S) said that 4000 angels wanted to help Imam Hussein (A.S) on the Day of Ashura, although the Imam did not accept. The angels went to get permission from Allah to take part without the Imam’s permission, yet when they descended to the earth, the Imam was killed: When they descended to the earth, the Imam was already killed. They have remained in Karbala. They are covered with dust and will cry for him until the resurrection. They are waiting for the coming of Imam Mahdi (A.S).

Imam Sadiq (A.S) also said: The supporters of Imam Mahdi (A.S) wish to be killed in the way of Allah and their motto is ‘Ya lithaarat al-Hussein!” Whenever they move fear goes in front of them one month in advance.”10
7) On the night of the 15th Sha’ban, the night of the birth of Imam Mahdi (A.S), one of the best deeds is to recite Ziyarah of Imam Hussein (A.S). Sheikh Abbas al-Qummi in his Mafatih ul-Jinan, says that there are many authentic hadiths regarding the rewards for those who visit Imam Hussein (A.S) in the middle of Sha’ban; it is as if the visitor shook hands with the 124,000 prophets.
Renewing one’s allegiance to Imam Hussein (A.S) is renewing one’s allegiance to Imam Mahdi (A.S). Without having love for Imam Hussein (A.S), you are not counted as a lover of Imam Mahdi (A.S).
8) The Night of Qadr is the night of Imam Mahdi (A.S). Every year on this night ‘the spirit and the angels descend” (97:4) to the heart of Allah’s proof – Imam Mahdi (A.S): He sends the spirit to the one whom he is pleased with. (16 2)
This verse argues for Imamat: the Imams are the only people to whom the Allah would send the angels. In this night, Allah decides everything for the twelve months of the year and the spirit and the angels bring down the decisions to the heart of the Imam.
Moreover, on this night, one of the best deeds is to visit Imam Hussein (A.S). There is one of special recitation of ziyarat exclusively for the night of Qadr. This shows the strong the link between Imam Hussein (A.S) and Imam Mahdi (A.S). And it is with this recitation that all the prophets shake hands with you as you are supporting a goal in which all the prophets strove for. Allah says, ‘We sent aforetime our messengers with Clear Signs and sent down with them the Book and the Balance (of right and wrong), that men may stand forth in justice” (57 25).
Hundred twenty four thousand prophets worked to establish justice, and the people of the end of time, with the Imam’s leadership, will achieve it. Hence, when one visits Imam Hussein (A.S) and affirms his commitment to this cause, all the prophets will shake hands with him. Of course, justice begins by establishing justice within oneself.
9) In Dua al-Nudba, there is also a link starting with all the prophets, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), the Ahl-ul-Bayt, and then we say: Where is Hassan (A.S)? Where is Hussein (A.S)? Where are the sons of Hussein (A.S)? Where is he who shall avenge the blood of the one killed in Karbala? Where is he who shall be aided against all who transgress against him or lie about him?
The one helped by Allah here refers to Imam Mahdi (A.S) because Allah will help him as mentioned from the Qur’an. Again, here you can see special emphasis put on Imam Hussein (A.S) in a duaa about Imam Mahdi (A.S).

11) On the Day of Ashura, we are recommended to offer condolences to each other by saying: May Allah make our reward and your reward great, for our grief for Hussein, peace be on him and may He place us and you from those who help his cause with His guardian, the guided Imam from the family of Muhammad, peace be on them.11

Conclusion
There is very clearly a special coection between Imam Hussein (A.S) and Imam Mahdi (A.S). The event of Karbala and the advent of Imam Hussein (A.S) are closely coected. Mouing for Imam Hussein (A.S) and preparing for Imam Mahdi (A.S) are coected.
In this part, eleven reasons that clearly illustrate this coection were discussed.
In the next part, we will try to offer an analysis of this coection and see how the event of Karbala can serve the universal mission of Imam Mahdi (A.S) by being be both a symbol for missing justice as well as a source of inspiration for establishing it.
Written by Dr. Mohammad Ali Shomali

Source: al-islam.org

Notes:

1. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 44, p. 218, chapter 28, no. 7
2. The last sentence in Imam’s speech is from the Qur’an ‘It is He who has sent His Apostle with the guidance and the religion of truth that He may make it prevail over all religions, though the polytheists should be averse.” (9 33; 61 9)
3. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 52, p. 290, Chapter 26, no. 29
4. Ibid., vol. 45, p. 299, Chapter 45, no. 10
5. Also Qur’an 17:15, 35:18, 39:7
6. What he was trying to say was that if a person has commited murder then his progeny have nothing to do with that and why should they carry his burden. What he did not understand was the correct meaning of dhurriyyah” used in the hadith. It does not mean progeny, rather ideological approvers of someone. When we say Aale Ziyad we mean the party of Ziyad because of the Qur’anic view.
One’s progeny are those who fully follow him even if they are not his sons. And if one’s son does not follow him then they are not his Dhurriyyah. This is what we understand from the story of Noah where Allah says, regarding his son, that ‘Indeed He is not of your family”. On the other hand, Salman was counted as the Ahl-ul-Bayt while he was ethnically different from them let alone the blood line. In the story of Talut when his army reached the river, he told them whoever drinks from this river more than a little is not from me.
7. One of the beauties of the school of Ahl-ul-Bayt is that they discussed with people over matters. They wanted to equip their followers with knowledge and arguments to help them discuss with others.
8. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 45, p. 295, Chapter 45, no. 1.
9. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 44, p. 285, Chapter 34, no. 23.
10. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 52, p. 307, Chapter 26, no. 81.
11. Al-Balad al-Amin, p. 268.