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Preparing Our Souls III

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Identifying the 'True Dawn'. Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem We live in an era where we have everything at our disposal, we know the time, we know whether or not it may rain the next day, we even know the traffic situation simply by searching on our cell phones or computers, but the world was not always like this, in more remote times there were no watches, cell phones or research tools as accessible as they are today. Many generations of Muslims in the past did not have the convenience we have: a watch in hand to know when to pray.  However, it is obvious that there has always been a way of estimating the time of each prayer, when it starts, when it ends and the best period within the 'time' of each one. We always have the convenience at hand but at some point we may be without access to it, the possibilities that one day we will end up with no signal, no battery or somewhere further away can never be ruled out, so it is important to learn ways of orientation...

What is 'Irfan'?

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What is Irfan according to the words of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (peace be upon him) ? Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem  What we're going to approach today is the reality of Irfan, who are the enemies of Allah according to Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him) and how all of this correlates to the beliefs of the Imamiyyah. Abu Hamza Thumali reported that Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: "Oh Abu Hamza, he who worships God knows Him. But he who does not know God is as straying as if he were worshipping anothers besides Him." I said: What is the knowledge of God? He (peace be upon him ) said: To affirm God and Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family ), by taking Ali (peace be upon him) and the Imams (peace be upon them) after him as leaders, following them and disassociating themselves from their enemies (Abu Bakr and Umar) before God. This is the exact knowledge of God (Irfan). I said: "May God protect you, through which thing, that I experience, do I ...

The Imam's Advice

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Do not forsake your duties, family and life for something that may lead you down to corruption. Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem The words, advice and order of a God-appointed authority (The Imam) must always be heeded by us, the Shias, we who claim to follow the teachings of Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them), we who claim the love for them, sometimes we let ourselves be carried away by the conformities of our time and this is a mistake that many of us make on a daily basis simply to fit within the social norms of today's world, but what is wrong will always be wrong even if a thousand people do it and what is right, it will always be right even if only one individual does it. With that in mind, I decided to bring some words of advice from our Imams (peace be upon them) regarding a certain group, those called "Sufis". Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: They sufis are our enemies. Whoever is is inclined to them is of them and will be gathered with them on judgemen...

Karbala's Lessons

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“By the dawn and the ten nights.” — [Quran 89:1–2] Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem Have we ever tried to understand the importance of the sacrifice made by Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) and the lessons we can learn from all the pain and tragedy that happened in Karbala? Have we ever tried to make a sincere and honest effort to implement into our lives all that we learn, do and prove to be during the month of Muharram? The first step towards personal improvement always has to be taken by ourselves, not only reflecting on the teachings we receive and hear when attending Majalis but we must also reflect on ourselves and ask ourselves the following questions: Would Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) be proud of me? Am I walking the same path that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) walked? Am I really being true to my words and fulfilling my duties? Am I really following the truth or do I just say it when I’m in the presence of others? Am I striving for ...

Preparing Our Souls II

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That is because you took the verses of Allah in ridicule, and worldly life deluded you." So that Day they will not be removed from it, nor will they be asked to appease [Allah]. — [Qu’ran 45:35] Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem In the first part of this series of articles, we put Qu’ran as the main theme, while talking about subjects that are directly or indirectly linked to spiritual evolution and the merits of Qu’ran recitation. So, now we are going to cover a little more of the same topic, but in a different way, let’s highlight the superiority of Qu’ran and to start, I would like to show the hadith below: Imam Taqi Jawad (peace be upon him) said: A servant of Allah would never find the truth of faith until he preferred the rulings of his religion over his desires, and he would never be succumb until he preferred his desires to the rulings of his religion. [al-Bihar] If a servant will never find the truth of faith until he chooses his religion’s rules over his...

Preparing Our Souls I

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Read! In the name of your Lord who created. [Qu’ran 96:1] Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem. As I reflected on certain matters related to religion, I found myself thinking of ways to advise the youth so that we can prepare for the return of our savior, Imam al-Mahdi (aj). I’m sure many look forward to the moment when Jibrail will announce the name of the Qa’im in the heavens and I’m also sure many want to be ready for that moment, and what is this preparation? It is the preparation of our souls, it is to follow a correct path to become exemplary believers, with firmness in our beliefs, respect, good manners and values. But of course, each person has their own time, a time of learning, of evolution, of change and this is completely normal, our goal is not to point fingers and judge others, and if someone is going to do such a thing, then let them present the solution! With that in mind, I decided to write a series of articles, focusing on different topics of faith to counsel you...

A Second Chance

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And whoever is patient and forgives – indeed, that is of the matters [worthy] of resolve. [Quran 42:43] Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem. Acceptance, respect, understanding and solidarity, characteristics that are part of faith, values ​​and morals, an open and understanding mind is necessary, just as a heart full of love for Allah is also necessary. When we think of those who have wronged us, we are usually taken by the bitter taste of rancor, it is difficult for us human beings, willing to make mistakes, to accept the idea of ​​forgiveness, the bitterness of rancor and the pain of bad memories, corrupt our hearts, gradually; and a corrupt heart, destroyed, becomes a mind in the service of error, makes good character and good morals enemies, since bitterness has taken over our hearts and then, we think that being cold and without empathy, it’s the best solution. Consider the following hadith: Imam Jaffar al Sadiq (peace be upon him): “There are three things that are really ha...