Are You Ready For Hajj?

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“Yallah Hajji!”One of the many popular phrases that our dear hajjis bring back as memories of their holy pilgrimage.

But there is much more than new Arabic words and some classic halal fast-food to keep as memories from this spiritual journey; although both of those are pluses!

Although I personally have not gone to Hajj before; I have family and friends who have. I have been also been blessed to have done Umrah and there are so many wonderful things about the experience.

In Islam it is encouraged to go as soon as possible, and also obligatory, if you have the means, and are of age. Many times we hear our young Muslim brothers and sisters saying they will go when they are married, or when they are older, and that they are not “ready” yet. It seems almost as if we have made a Hajj a task, like taking a standardized test. We have heard how hard it is, to plow through the crowds of people, how the heat (when the month is during the summer) is unbearable, and even how complicated and full of do’s and don’ts the pilgrimage is.

We need to take a minute and think back to why Allah (swt) has made this act obligatory on us. Why does He want us to, once in our life, go and take this trip, and make circles around the Holy Kaaba? And if I am 23 or so, why would I have to go on my own if I’m able, shouldn’t I go when I get married? Or when will I have a better job? Let’s think about all the beautiful acts of Hajj and ask why they are so important to experience as soon as possible, yes, even as a youth.

During Hajj, we wear the Ehraam, and are dressed in simple white cloth in order to resemble our death clothes. Ehraam allows us to be equal with the millionaire next to us, or the poor family in front of us. It represents true Islamic values of equality and simplicity. Many youth today are busy running around making money so they can buy brand names, drive expensive cars, and just be better than the next person. This experience is to take your mind to levels where it belongs. To think in terms of simplicity and equality, that each person is not judged, and will not be judged on the Day of Judgment, by their brand names, but by the level of their faith. Were they at the level that they took upon the commands of going on Hajj as soon as possible? Or were they too busy saving for materialistic things and waiting to do it on the tomorrow that is not guaranteed to even come?

Another act that one is required to complete on this spiritual journey is throwing the stones at the (Devil) “shaytaan.” Instead of us throwing stones at our parents, and our life trials; we need to see the real shayateen (Devils) that are holding us back from being the justice-loving, and forgiving people that our Creator has made us. We need to begin throwing stones at our desires, our jobs that take away time from our families and communities, our hate for our brothers and sisters, and the list goes on and on.

Many times we see youth who do embark on this spiritual journey, and come back with a fresh new mindset and goal as to how to live their life, dedicated to Islam and to becoming more pious. Many times we see youth who go and become so engrossed in the literal aspects of Hajj, that they tend to forget about the symbolism. The fact that it is the one time, where all Muslims are gathered, together, at their Creator’s home, meeting new people, discussing issues that pertain to them, and helping each other through personal struggles, is a great thing. Many youth are too involved in finding a way to touch Hajar-e-aswad, which is fine, and it might mean a big deal, but what about touching your fellow brother or sister’s heart. What about helping an old lady or man to do their Tawaafs? Which, in your mind, is more important under the banner of hajj? This is only food for thought, not a fact.

Youth, who love socializing, should take the opportunity, if able, to go on hajj as soon as possible. Aside from studying the process, and the Fiqh rules, there is no way to prepare for this pilgrimage. Do we think that those who died in the stampedes that took place a few years ago were prepared? Do you think they were not worried about their jobs, or money? Of course, but Hajj is a spiritual journey, for when one is feeling lost and confused, as they study and realize each action they perform in those few days, and if they truly and sincerely ponder on it, they will only be filled with awe.

Many youth have been blessed to go at a young age, and return feeling inspired, and required, to become better Muslims. Everyone is obligated to know more about their religion, so they may better their lives, and in return teach others about Islam. Many young girls who do not practice wearing the Hijaab, have returned and naturally felt the desire to wear the Hijaab. Many young people have gone, and poured their hearts out to Allah (swt) and returned to nothing but the answer to their prayers. Who would want to pass up the opportunity of having a clean slate?

For those youth who are unsure of why Allah (swt) has commanded us to this ritualistic act, go for yourself, experience it, and find out why. We cannot question and think and take no action to find our answers. For when you see the Holy Kaaba for the first time, it is an unbelievable and heavy feeling in your heart. And as you circle around this holy structure, this unexplainable feeling of confidence and love for your religion will flow into your heart.

May Allah (swt) bless each Muslim with the chance to perform the Hajj pilgrimage, this year, and every year!

Gratefulness: The Essence of Islam

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One of the best gifts Allah swt has granted mankind is the ability to feel and express gratitude. Being grateful at the most basic level is very simple and very beneficial. It is simple because it requires no special knowledge, skill, equipment, or preparation – anyone can access the gift of thankfulness. Yet most of us fall short of the mark in expressing due thanks for what others do, and probably all of us owe far more thanks to Allah (swt) than we even understand. However, improvement is also simple: just make it a practice to notice blessings and kindnesses, to think about them, and to honor them.

One reason gratitude is beneficial is because it improves relationships, – whether interpersonal or with our Creator. When we can feel and express appreciation for God’s blessings or other’s kindnesses, affection grows. But the personal benefits are also great; a thankful heart is a content and awed heart. Even in times and circumstances of hardship, we always have much to appreciate. When we acknowledge this, our burdens are easier to bear.

Imam Sadiq (as) wrote in Lantern of the Path, “With every breath you take, a thanksgiving is incumbent upon you, indeed, a thousand thanks or more. The lowest level of gratitude is to see that the blessing comes from Allah irrespective of the cause for it, and without the heart being attached to that cause. It consists of being satisfied with what is given; it means not disobeying Him with regard to His blessing, or opposing Him in any of His commands and prohibitions because of His blessing.”

Our breathing comes without thought, and yet each breath is a blessing. The struggle for breath is an agony that we are usually spared thousands upon thousands of times without thanking for it. If the gift of breath is taken from us, we will die; breath is life. It is but one of countless examples of blessings from God we owe thanks for. At the very least, we should appreciate that it is a gift from God, be satisfied with the gift, and never use the gift of breath for anything opposing Allah swt. One could possibly say that if we truly wish to express gratitude for the gift of breath, we must never allow ourselves to purposely breathe in any haram substances and we must never use our breath to utter any lies, backbiting, or other haram speech. For even if we claim to feel gratitude, the proof of real thankfulness comes in our actions. If we are thankful for a gift, we will not be careless with it. If someone gave you a birthday present you really loved, you would use it with caution in order to protect it. Similarly, if we are truly grateful for the blessing of breath, we will use it with caution, too.

Imam Sadiq (as) continues:
“Be a grateful bondsman to Allah in every way, and you will find that Allah is a generous Lord in every way. If there were a way of worshipping Allah for His sincerest bondsman to follow more excellent than giving thanks at every instance, He would have ascribed to them the name of this worship above the rest of creation. Since there is no form of worship better than that, He has singled out this kind of worship from other kinds of worship, and has singled out those who practice this kind of worship, saying,

وَقَلِيلٌ مِّنْ عِبَادِيَ الشَّكُورُ

Very few of my servants are grateful. (34:13)”

Expressing thanks to God is a great form of worship, and at the minimum is part of our daily prayers. Allah swt has taught us that when we give thanks, blessings increase. Not only is this true about the blessings directly from God, but it applies for gratitude to the blessings of Allah swt that come from people as well. For example, a child who demonstrates true appreciation for Eid gifts or quality time spent with daddy inspires the giver to happily continue to give to that child, while a child who seems to take a gift for granted or does not seem to like or appreciate it may find the giver less generous in the future. God is not in need of our thanks and is not hurt in the least by our ingratitude, but gratitude enriches us immeasurably. “Allah is not in need of the obedience of His bondsmen, for He has the power to increase blessings forever. Therefore be a grateful bondsman to Allah, and in this manner you will see wonders.” (Ibid.)

Even feeling and expressing gratitude is itself a merciful blessing from God.
“Complete thankfulness is to sincerely repent your inability to convey the least amount of gratitude, and expressing this by means of your sincere glorification of Allah. This is because fitting thanks is itself a blessing bestowed upon the bondsman for which he must also give thanks; it is of greater merit and of a higher state than the original blessing which caused him to respond with thanks in the first place. Therefore, every time one gives thanks one is obliged to give yet greater thanks, and so on ad infinitum, and this while absorbed in His blessings and unable to achieve the ultimate state of gratitude. For how can the bondsman match with gratitude the blessings of Allah, and when will he match his own action with Allah’s while all along the bondsman is weak and has no power whatsoever, except from Allah?” (Ibid.)

The world would be a better place if we were more grateful to Allah swt and to others. Therefore, I would like to publicly thank God for His continued mercy toward me, and to thank my parents for their love. Those few words are not adequate at all, but should not be left unsaid

World Shia leader; How can US speak of human right when DO NOT give heed to human rights

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Leader: * I believe that US leaders should be ashamed; Iran spearheads defence of human rights * The US position before elections was to question elections so as to undermine participation * June 12 polls showed trust of nation to the Islamic Revolution * I have been following up the US behavior in recent weeks * Those who have been working covertly will soon be exposed to the Iranian public * Some sides are managing the movements on the streets from behind curtains * Yielding to illegal demands is beginning of dictatorship *It is wrong to believe that the movement on the street will pressure the government

World Shia Leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei in a landmark Friday prayers policy speech laid down clear markers on the current presidential elections developments in the Islamic Republic.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the exceptional and epic turnout in the June 12 elections was a great show of trust and hope on the part of nation, a political earthquake for enemies and a historical celebration for friends of Iran and the Revolution.

Ayatollah Khamenei said all the 40 million people who turned out for ballot have actually voted for Imam, the Revolution and its martyrs, adding that the four competing presidential candidates belong to the Islamic establishment and therefore they are going to have to pursue their electoral issues within the existing transparent laws and regulations.

Ayatollah Khamenei highly appreciated the magnificent turnout of people at the ballot boxes and called it a large show of responsibility and participation, adding that the epic solidarity of the people with the Islamic establishment and the exceptional 85 percent turnout in the elections was a blessing from God and a sign of attention from the Last Shii Imam, Hazrat Mahdi.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the enthusiastic presence of the youths in the tenth presidential elections proved that political responsibility was still alive in the young generation. He then offered his heartfelt gratitude to the nation for the large turnout.

The Leader then pointed to the existence of different opinions and tastes within society, adding however that behind all those different tastes, there was a collective responsibility for preservation of the country and the system.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the 40m vote was a national declaration of loyalty to Imam, the Revolution and the Martyrs, adding that by the large turnout, the Islamic System took a fresh breath and the ill wishers of the system was slapped with the true concept of religious democracy.

Ayatollah Khamenei warned that the enemies of Islam seek to instill doubt into elections and shake the national trust. “They seek to question the legitimacy of the system through erosion of participation. If they manage to gain the goal, the incurred loss is larger than any other losses,” Ayatollah Khamenei cautioned.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the intense electoral campaigns between the four candidates, including the TV debates, were something within the system though the Zionist-ruled media with shear lies tried to present them as fight between opponents and proponents of the system.

Ayatollah Khamenei then noted that difference of opinion was natural, adding however that he considered a certain platform more appropriate for the country though he never made his vote public because the elections belonged to all people and its results would be determined by people.

Ayatollah Khamenei described the presidential TV debates as a significant initiative, saying that the serious and transparent debates foiled the plot of the aliens who claimed the polls were a show.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the debates were positive in that the debating sides had to defend their own platforms in the face of a flood of criticism, adding that the people through the debates and other special TV programs could judge their vote and felt that the Islamic establishment considers them as insiders.

Ayatollah Khamenei then said that one of the factors behind a ten million rise in the regular size of turnouts in the elections was the debates which helped people engage in the election campaigns.

The World Shia Leader then called for the continuation of the TV debates at levels of country’s managers, adding however that there were also some negative issues in the debates which must be removed in future similar programs.

Regarding the negative issues, Ayatollah Khamenei said that the debates contributed to more political schism and rumors and was lagging in logical issues. “Unfortunately the debates were defamatory at some points so that they relegated to blackening of the services of the current administration or previous administrations and stirred the situation among the supporters of the candidates,” the World Shia Leader regretted.

Ayatollah Khamenei then pointed to some defamatory statements in the debates about Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mr. Nateq Nouri, adding that while no one points an accusatory finger at the two personalities, any other claims about the relatives of the two must not be made public before due legal proceedings are covered.

Ayatollah Khamenei then pointed to his fifty-year-old relationship with Mr. Hashemi and elaborated on his services to the Revolution and the System, adding that Mr. Hashemi has never collected any money out of the Revolution.

Ayatollah Khamenei however noted that he has some natural difference of opinion with Mr. Rafsanjani, adding that the differences also existed between Mr. Rafsanjani and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad since 2005, noting however that Mr. Ahmadinejad’s platform was closer to his.

Ayatollah Khamenei then considered Mr. Nateq Nouri as a personality who has always been in service of the Revolution.

Ayatollah Khamenei then reaffirmed the serious stance of the system against financial corruption, adding however that the Islamic System despite the claims of some Zionist bodies is among the healthiest establishments in the world.

Ayatollah Khamenei then turned to the June 12 elections and said the enemies try to cast doubt on the elections and turn an absolute victory into a national loss however the highest rate of turnout has already been registered for the Iranian nation and the reality would never change.

Ayatollah Khamenei then ruled out any vote rigging in the elections, saying that it is not in the nature of the Islamic System to betray the vote of people and that the electoral procedures of the Islamic System never allow any major fraud.

Ayatollah Khamenei added however that the Constitutional Guardian Council had been instructed to consider any evidence of fraud provided by the complaining candidates and recount those boxes which are deemed necessary in the presence of their delegates.

Ayatollah Khamenei said legal routes are sole way for the consideration of electoral complaints, adding that he would never accept any illegal precedence because if today the legal framework is breached, no other elections would be trustworthy in future.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the legal procedures for consideration of electoral complaints are fine and complete, adding that all electoral issues should be tackled through legal routes.

Ayatollah Khamenei then addressed politicians and party leaders, saying that the country was experiencing a sensitive juncture and that considering the situation of the world, everyone has a duty to keep vigilance and avoid any mistake.

Ayatollah Khamenei warned that any extremism would stir further extremism, adding if political elites violate the law, they are to blame for any ensuing violence or unrest.

“I recommend all my old friends and brothers to overcome their sentiments and view the hidden hands of enemies and hungry wolves which gradually shed their mask of diplomacy,” Imam Khamenei urged.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the ballot box is the point where all differences must be settled and that the street is not a point to determine the vote of people.

Ayatollah Khamenei also warned that street protests are an appropriate cover for terrorists, enquiring who may take responsibility if terrorists carry out acts of terror within such meetings.

Ayatollah Khamenei noted that political weighing in the streets actually challenges the very democracy and elections. He then urged all parties involved to end the wrong political method, adding that if they fail to end the street protests, the responsibility of consequences falls on the organizers and parties involved.

Ayatollah Khamenei also noted that street protest never work as a pressure tool on the System and would fail to to make it to give in to their demands as expediency “because caving in to illegal demands under pressure would usher in dictatorship.”

“These calculations and perceptions are wrong and the behind-the-scene commanders are to blame for any consequences. The people will know those commanders when due,” Imam Khamenei cautioned.

Ayatollah Khamenei then urged the parties involved to take the path of fraternity and understanding and appreciate the 40m vote celebration by not allowing the enemy to ruin the large celebration. He however warned that if some people want to go a way otherwise he will come back and speak to people, this time in a more straightforward manner.

Ayatollah Khamenei then raised a series of stances taken by the authorities of some European countries as well as the United States, saying that in the run-up to the elections, the western authorities and media tried to trigger a voter apathy nevertheless they were shocked by a 40m turnout which made them to realize that a new chapter has opened in the issues related to the Islamic Republic of Iran which must be inevitably accepted by them.

“They then tried to ride the wave of protests following the elections and gradually pushed aside covers from their true face. Some of them showed their enmity with the Islamic System and the British Government proved more wicked than others in this regard,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

Ayatollah Khamenei then pointed to a statement by some US authorities that they were waiting for such days when people took to streets. “These remarks came out after they sent a message in which they expressed willingness for relations and respect for the Islamic Republic; which one could we believe?”

“Simultaneously foreign elements triggered a line of destruction, arson, pillage of public wealth and unrest; they have no link to people or supporters of candidates rather they are related to ill wishers of the Iranian nation and mercenaries of western and Zionist spy services,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the situation made the enemies to feel greedy so that they thought they could spark a velvet revolution in Iran as they did in some small countries with a few million dollars paid by a Zionist capitalist. “The main problem is that the ignorant enemies have yet to know the Iranian nation,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

“The ugliest issue was the expression of sympathy by American authorities for human rights and their claim of tightening of situation against Iranian people. How those who committed such and such crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq and support the bully Zionist regime allow themselves to profess to cherish human rights?” Ayatollah Khamenei asked.

Ayatollah Khamenei in the same regard reminded the conduct of the Democrat administration of Clinton in the massacre of more than 80 people of the Davidian sect. “You burned more than 80 women, men and children alive. So how could you understand human rights?” he asked.

Ayatollah Khamenei then noted that the Islamic Republic has hoisted the flag of human rights and defense of the oppressed and that it has no need to take advice from the West in this regard. “Western authorities must take shame and abandon their current policies” towards Iran, he added.

Ayatollah Khamenei concluded the speech by making an address to the Last Shii Imam, Hazrat Mahdi, saying “we have done what needed and said what needed and will do. We would stay the course powerfully. You are the true owner of the Revolution and Country. Please, pray for us.”