1. What's New
  2. What's New

What's New

  • Merits of the Month of Rajab (Excerpted from Mafatih al-Jinan)

    Merits of the Month of Rajab (Excerpted from Mafatih al-Jinan) Afzal Sumar There are four sacred months for the Muslim community. One of them is the month of Rajab, This booklet highlights the benefits of fasting, praying and respecting this special month. ******************** It is narrated from the Prophet (saw) who said: ‘the month of Rajab is the greatest month of Allah. No month can come close to matching its sanctity and grace. Fighting the disbelievers in it is prohibited. Rajab is one of the four months of sanctity during which the Arabs would not fight. The other three months are Muḥarram, Safar and Dhū al-Ḥijja. This pre-Islamic custom was accommodated within Islam with some modifications. Indeed, Rajab is the month of Allah, while Shaʿban is my month and (the month of) Ramaḍan is the month of my community. Surely, the one who fasts (even) one day in (the month of) Rajab deserves the greatest pleasure of Allah. The wrath of Allah moves away from him, and a door

  • Islamic Way of Life

    This book presents in a simplified manner what the Islamic way of life should be, how to build a life following the shari'a and the Qur'an, how the spiritual, economic and political life should look like. The views in this book can be considered and applied to constructing an Islamic life even if the opinions are pertaining more to the Sunni Muslims.

  • Religion in a Secular World: The Case of Shariah Law in Canada

    As large numbers of Muslims continue to establish themselves in the West, they inevitably have to deal with the challenge of secularism. The fundamental question which is often asked is: how can a Muslim maintain his faith in a largely secular environment? Attempts to deal with this issue have led to the establishment of religious centres, Islamic schools, and various faith-oriented organizations, all within the framework of a multicultural society. A more recent effort is the attempt to incorporate Shari’ah-based arbitrations within the secular legal structure. In Canada, such an effort was met with unfortunate results. This paper attempts to understand the reasons for the unsuccessful endeavour to establish a Shari’ah-based tribunal system in Canada within the greater context of the conflict between religion and secularism, particularly in the modern world.

  • Imamate and Wilayah Part 4

    This paper is based on lectures 9, 10, 11, and 12 of a series of lectures delivered by Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali in summer 2004 in Qum.

  • Hadith Al-Kisa, The Narration Of The Cloak

    The Tradition of the Cloak, or Hadith al-Kisa’, is a narrative of an incident where the Prophet Muhammad assembled Hasan, Husayn, Ali, and Fatima under his cloak.

  • The Status of Knowledge in Islam

    This article will present a brief look at the importance of knowledge in Islam, as well as the high status educators and scholars enjoy as a result. This knowledge is only is efficient once it is seen through the seeker’s actions. Upon glancing at the verses of the Qur’an and narrations, the outcome of knowledge and learning is gnosis of God (ma’rifah), sincerity in actions (ikhlas), and a sense of responsibility before God and His creation.

  • Shi‘Ite Authorities In The Age Of The Major Occultation Part 2: Sayyid Radhi

    This article presents a brief account of the life of Abu al-Hasan Muhammad ibn al-Husayn, known as Sayyid Radhi, his teachers, and students, as well as his services and achievements that attested to his great influence during his era as well as years to come.

  • Lady Fatima’s Role and Influence on Muslim Society

    This article is a collection of ideas and opinions on Lady Fatima’s influence in society and the reasons behind her impact in history gathered from the words of three scholars: Huj. Dr. Mahmoud Taqizadeh Dawari, Huj. Ali Akbar Reshad, and Huj. Dr. Ahmed Beheshti. She was titled Abundance (Kawthar) as she performed a great service to society through her virtues that quenched the thirst of society throughout history. Lady Fatima is known for her merits, noble traits, and accomplishments.

  • Moral Governance of Prophet Muhammad (s) Part 2

    In this part, Prophet Muhammad’s ethical management of the economy in the Islamic state will be studied. He sought various ways of solving the economic difficulties of the Muslims by maintaining fair distribution of property and wealth through sources of income for Muslims such as zakat (legal charity), spoils of war, khums (the Islamic tax), and tribute.

  • Understanding God’s Mercy Part 6

    In this part, the text explores the different types and levels of divine forgiveness and understand how God may even transform one’s immoral deeds into good ones.

  • Imamate and Wilayah Part 3

    This paper is based on first part of lecture four and all of lecture six of a series of lectures delivered by Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali in summer 2004 in Qum. Lecture five and the remaining part of lecture four relate to the ban by the first three Caliphs on narrating hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad (a) and will be published separately in upcoming articles.

  • Exemplary Women: Lady Umm Salamah

    This paper offers a biography of Umm Salamah along with the attributes that distinguish her from the rest of the Prophet’s wives, namely her role in Fatima al-Zahra’s upbringing, her political activism, her accounts of the Prophet’s narrations, and her unwavering defense of Imam Ali’s personality and leadership.

  • The Stages of Development of Shi'a Jurisprudence

    In this article, the stages of the development of jurisprudence will be clarified, along with revealing its prominent authors, major collections of narrations, and the notions that drove scholars to enhance jurisprudential progress.

  • Shi‘ite Authorities In The Age Of Major Occultation Part 1: Sheikh Mufid

    This paper offers an explanation of Sheikh Mufid’s efforts to revive the principles of fiqh and kalam, a brief history of the political situation during his time, and his status with prominent scholars and the Ahlul Bayt.

  • History of the Shi‘a in the Time of Imam Sajjad (a) Part 2

    In this part, Imam Sajjad’s devotional and political activities are examined in terms of his efforts to enjoin good and forbid evil, divulge the Umayyad’s crimes, and resist against oppressive rulers to bring about social and cultural changes.

  • Moral Governance of Prophet Muhammad (s) Part 1

    The prophets’ aims in spreading the message were to teach monotheism, ethics, and religious law. Since ethics is a means for achieving monotheism, Prophet Muhammad placed significant emphasis on morality and character building. This paper studies the meaning of morality and the various facets of the Prophet’s socio-political life from a moral perspective.

  • Understanding God’s Mercy Part 5

    In this part, we will study the role of God’s mercy in guiding mankind which includes sending books of guidance. God’s mercy also provides humankind with different kinds of support in their spiritual life, such as protection from Satan, misguidance, and from the tempting soul.

  • Imamate and Wilayah Part 2

    This paper is based on the first three lectures of a series of 17 lectures delivered by Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali in summer 2004 in Qum. In this part, more narrations are cited to provide a description of the Ahlul Bayt. Narrations from Sunni texts will also be used to reveal the authenticity of the twelve successors and their role of upholding the religion of Islam after the Prophet’s death. The differences between Sunnis and Shi‘as with regards to whom these twelve successors are will be explained.

  • Exemplary Women: Umm ul-Banin

    Fatima bint Hazam, or Umm ul-Banin, was known for her noble lineage, upright morals, and enduring devotion toward the Ahlul Bayt. After having been wed to Imam Ali (a) and raising his children after the death of his first wife, Lady Fatima (a), she displayed excellence in her responsibilities as a wife and mother of the orphaned children.

  • History of the Shi‘a in the Time of Imam Sajjad (a) Part 1

    Imam Ali ibn al-Husayn was a living embodiment of ‘Ashura as he witnessed his father, brothers, and companions cruelly massacred on the plains of Karbala. While having to live in such sorrow, the Imam lived through a difficult era as he strove to mend the socio-political conditions of his society. Throughout these events, Imam Sajjad tried to prevent corruption, as the rulers inhibited the spread of Islam through crowd manipulation.