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SHAFAQNA –What is righteousness? It has been related that a devout worshipper by the name of Humam came to Imam Ali (AS), and asked him to describe righteous souls so vividly that he could almost see them. Imam Ali then responded: “Their speech is truthful; their clothing is moderate; and they walk with utmost humility. They lower their gaze from everything God has forbidden. They allow their ears to listen only to that which is beneficial. Their souls accept exposure to trials and tribulations [in adherence to the truth] as easily as others accept luxurious living. Were it not for their appointed term, their spirits would not have remained in their bodies the span of a twinkling of the eye...

SHAFAQNA –The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai, expressed deep conce about the Bahraini security authorities’ summoning of Head of Religious Freedom unit at the Bahrain Human Rights Observatory, Sheikh Maytham al-Salman. “I am very conceed by reports that talk about the Bahraini authorities summoning Maitham Salman for interrogation on August 14, 2016, and I am observing this matter closely,” he said in a tweet on his official Twitter account. Sheikh Salman said that he had received a call from the security authorities asking him to be present for interrogation Sunday (August 14, 2016) without informing him of the...

SHAFAQNA – The Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi answered a question about buying the house repossessed by non-Islamic banks. Question: Can the house which is repossessed due to debts by non-Islamic banks be bought? The Grand Ayatollah Makarem: Only when it is mortgaged, and the money has not been paid, and the house is taken back against the main loan, can be bought, and the banks must retu the extra money to its previous owner. Source: PERSIAN SHAFAQNA ...

SHAFAQNA- Sheikh Tusi, (d. 460 A.H.) introduced his mentor Sheikh al Mufid, in hisal Fihristthus: “Muhammad b. Muhammad b. al-No’man, al-Mufid, had the kunya Abu Abdillah, and was well known as Ibn-al-Muallim. He was among the Imamiyya theologians, and was its final authority in his time. And he was a jurist (Faqih) of the advanced order, a man of polite demeanor, he was perspicacious and quick at repartee” Sheikh Mufid was bo on 11th Dhul Qa’dah, 336 Hijra (or 338 A.H. according to Sheikh Tusi) in Ukbara near Baghdad. He grew up under the care of his father who taught him the fundamentals of Arabic literature. Thereafter, accompanied by his father, he came to Baghdad and studied under the ...

SHAFAQNA –A ceremony was held here in the Iranian capital on Wednesday to present the 3rd Islamic Human Rights Award. Iran’s Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani and a number of other senior officials attended the ceremony held at the IRIB Conference Hall on the occasion of the Inteational Day of Islamic Human Rights and Human Dignity. Senior Bahraini cleric Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassem and Arzu Merali, a founding member of the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), were aounced as the wiers of this year’s award. The Iranian Judiciary’s Human Rights Committee holds the event aually to recognize the efforts and achievements of Muslims promoting human rights. In previous years, the...

SHAFAQNA – The Grand Ayatollah Sistani answered questions about decorating the Mosque with gold as well the use of gold or silver household items. Question: What is the ruling about using items mixed with gold like carpet, cloth and other items to decorate the Mosque? How about using household items mixed with gold and silver? The Grand Ayatollah Sistani: Decorating the Mosque with gold is not allowed. And the use of it (gold) is not Haram at home although it is not appropriate. It is Haram to use gold and silver dishes which are used for eating and drinking, there is also problem for other usage as well. Source: PERSIAN SHAFAQNA SHARE Facebook Twitter Previous articleUK shou...

SHAFAQNA –It depends on Ankara whether Turks will enjoy visa-free travel to Europe, Germany’s vice chancellor has said, adding that it was the right decision to ban a live broadcast by the Turkish president to a rally in Cologne on the weekend. “It is up to Turkey if there is or there isn’t visa liberalization,” Reuters quoted German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel as saying while on an official visit to northe Germany. “Germany and Europe should under no circumstances be blackmailed,” Gabriel added. The vice chancellor also welcomed the move by Germany’s highest court to block a livestream address by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to a rally of Turkish nationals in Cologne on Sunday....

In this photo taken Nov. 21, 2014, Sheik Isa Qassim, Bahrain's top Shiite Muslim cleric, speaks during midday prayers Friday, in the village of Diraz, Bahrain. Bahrainx92s leading Shiite opposition group says security forces have raided the home of the countryx92s most prominent Shiite cleric. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali) Shafaqna –UK Sui and Shia leaders issued ajoint statement on targeting of Ayatullah Shaykh Isa al-Qasim and denouncedthe revocation of the citizenship of opponents and curtailing of religious freedoms asrepressive and authoritarian, which will exacerbate sectarian tensions. According to Shafaqna the statement reads: starting today, the high criminal court in the Kingdom of Bahra...

A supporter holds photo of Bahrain's leading Shi'ite cleric Isa Qassim during a sit-in outside his home in the village of Diraz west of Manama, Bahrain June 21, 2016. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed SHAFAQNA-The Al Khalifah regime in Bahrain has declared Wednesday as the date for the trial of distinguished cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim. Bahraini sources said on Monday that Manama will bring to trial the 79-year-old Shia cleric on charges of “illegal fund collections, money laundering and helping terrorism” on July 27. Sheikh Qassim has already rejected the charges against him. Responding to the accusations leveled by the Bahraini criminal court, opposition groups in the Persian Gulf kingdom said the pro...

[embedded content] SHAFAQNA –No one here reports to police because they fear for their lives. . . . There are people who have been missing for more than nine months. Some are taken for a few weeks or days for questioning and then retued, so it is a situation that disturbs every Wajir resident. People fear and keep asking themselves who the next victim will be. -Wajir resident, October 22, 2015 On June 29, 2015, three men went to the home of 45-year-old Farah Ibrahim Korio, an ethnic Somali Kenyan and teacher of Islamic education in Wajir, northeaste Kenya. When they did not find him, they threatened to arrest his wife and five children if they did not disclose his whereabouts. The men had n...

SHAFAQNA –While world nations remain mostly oblivious to the crippling danger presented by Saudi Arabia – a nation which wealth has shielded it from criticism, and whose leaders have stood immune from legal pursuits, the Kingdom has a lot to answer to … Actually it is not so much Saudi Arabia as a political construct which should worry you, but rather the faith it has leaned on to draw legitimacy from: Wahhabism. Bo in the desert of Nejd in the 18th century – an unwelcoming stretch of land which for centuries has echoed from the war cries of looters and tribal warlords, Wahhabism came into the world courtesy of one self-professed Islamic erudite: Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab. A follower of Ibn...

SHAFAQNA –Bahraini Shia cleric Sheikh Issa Qassim will reportedly go on trial in August this time for alleged “money laundering” amid simmering anger in the country against a Manama decision to strip him of his citizenship. The public prosecutor in Bahrain said Saturday that a cleric will go on trial early next month on charges of “illegal fund collections and money laundering,” without providing an exact date. The head of public prosecution, Ahmed al-Dosari, did not provide the name of the defendant, but a source familiar with the case said the cleric was Sheikh Qassim, the spiritual leader of majority Shia Muslims in Bahrain, the Reuters reported. Sheikh Qassim has strongly rejected the c...

SHAFAQNA- Name: Sheik Mohammed bin Hassan al Harthi Jeehi Amili BahaiBo : Thursday, 17 Moharram 953 H/1547 A.D. At: Jabal Amil, LebanonDied : 12 Shawwal 1031H Age: 78 Years In: Isfahan- IranInterred: Mashad Muqaddas, IranTitles : Sheik Bahai, Baha ud Deen, Baha al MillatShah Abbas gave title of Sheik al Islam and Sheik al Millat The great personage about whom we are discussing now was commonly known as Sheik Bahai. He has been recognized as one of the Mujaddadad’s, the revivalists of the Faith, of the 10th Century Hijra by the Shias. He was bo in a small hamlet of Jabl Amil in the house of Sheik Hassan. Not only Sheik Bahai was a cleric of very high caliber, but he was an outstanding schol...

SHAFAQNA-Sheikh Abdullah al-Daqqaq, a prominent Bahraini Shi’a scholar, said that the Al Khalifah regime in Bahrain has been under the rule of Saudi Arabia for a long time and added that Saudi Arabia now faces many problems from several fronts and directions in regard to their actions in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. The representative of Ayatollah Isa Qassim in Iran referred to the recent events occurring in the Iraqi city of Fallujah and the victories of the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq as well as the victories of the Syrian army in Aleppo, saying these victories have led to the defeat of Saudi Arabia on these fronts and they have now increased their efforts in Bahrain and Yemen. Sheikh a...

SHAFAQNA – The following was made available to Shafaqna by the Neturei Karta, a Jewish association which has campaigned for the rights of Palestinians, and renounce Zionism as the negation of Judaism. A fascist political construct which basis is rooted in ethnocentrism and sectarianism, Zionism stands in opposition of Judaism, just as Wahhabism negates Islam true teachings. It is important today that we offer support to the Neturei Karta. For all the many times members have answered the calls of their Muslim brothers, it is down to us today to show solidarity and support. If we stand true to the baer of the Prophet Muhammad, if we are indeed of the Shia of Ali, then injustice is our fight, ...

SHAFAQNA – The Grand Ayatollah Sistani answered a question about the use of Zakat al-Fitr by charity organisation to build a pharmacy. Question: Can a charity organisation which helps poor families and the oppressed by receiving Zakat al-Fitr and help from the community, use these help for economical purposes such as, pharmacy, clinic, food stuff and sport facilities and spend the income for those families? The Grand Ayatollah Sistani: According to Wajeb precaution, Zakat al-Fitr can only be given to poor people and there is problem in spending it (Zakat al-Fitr) for public facilities. Source: PERSIAN SHAFAQNA SHARE Facebook Twitter Previous articlePaying Zakat al-Fitr to a c...

SHAFAQNA –Top Iraqi reference, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Sistani expressed solidarity with Sheikh Issa al-Qassim, after Bahraini regime stripped the leading Shia cleric of citizenship. In a phone call, Ayatollah Sistani praised Sheikh Qassim praised efforts by Sheikh Qassim in defending Bahraini people’s rights through peaceful means. “Your place is in our heart,” Ayatollah Sistani told Sheikh Qassem, stressing that revoking his nationality “won’t harm” him. Meanwhile, the Iraqi cleric said he would make his best in a bid to defend Sheikh Qassem’s issue. Bahraini authorities on Monday stripped Sheikh Qassem of his citizenship, raising fears of more escalation against Shia in the Gulf Kingdom. Th...

SHAFAQNA –Seyed Aftab Haider on 20 June 2016 delivered at a special program for the Birth of Imam Hassan ibn Ali (a.s) at the Ahlul Bait (a.s) Islamic Centre, Ottery for the night of 15 Ramadaan 1437. He condemns Bahraini regime’s move to strip Sheikh Isa Qassim of citizenship. Following is part of his lecture: The Bahraini govement did something amazing today by aouncing that they have stripped the citizenship of most senior leader of the Shia community in Bahrain – Ayatullah Sheikh Isa Qassem. Have you heard of something as ludicrous as this in mode times? Maybe this can be done to people who were bo in another country and became naturalized in another place. But this man is bo and bred i...

SHAFAQNA-Members of the Harford County Muslim community in the US State of Maryland will celebrate and reach out to their neighbors of all faiths by hosting a traditional Ramadan iftar, or fast-breaking dier, on Saturday, June 25 at Masjid Al-Falaah. The event, which is open to the public, will get underway at 8 p.m. Masjid Al-Falaah is located at 3014 Philadelphia Road in Abingdon. This year Ramadan started on June 6. “As more than one and a half billion Muslims worldwide celebrate Ramadan by fasting and appreciating the blessings given to us, it is equally important for the American Muslim community to reach out to our neighbors as an example of true Islamic ideals,” said Dr. Rehan Khan, t...

In this photo taken Nov. 21, 2014, Sheik Isa Qassim, Bahrain's top Shiite Muslim cleric, speaks during midday prayers Friday, in the village of Diraz, Bahrain. Bahrainx92s leading Shiite opposition group says security forces have raided the home of the countryx92s most prominent Shiite cleric. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali) SHAFAQNA – Following Manama’ s vicious attack against sheikh Issa Qassim, Bahrain’s most revered Shia cleric, al-Khoei Foundation reached out to both the United Nations, and al-Khalifa monarchy – keen to underscore the gravity of the situation. Following reports that al-Khalifa regime stripped Sheikh Issa Qassim of his nationality, on account the monarchy perceived his calls for...