Meeting with the Ayatollah

Iran along with Iraq is the stronghold of Shia Knowledge and the institutions of Knowledge known as Hawzas are based in these two countries and more specifically the two main centres of learning are in Najaf in Iraq and Qum in Iran. These religious seminaries are run by the high ranking clerics known as Grand Ayatollahs - a term of define the personnel within the institution of Marjiyyah. The Grand Ayatollahs or Marajae are the religious figures who are a source of emulation for the millions of Shias around the world following the concept known as Taqleed.

During my visit to Iran previously I had been honoured to meet many of the high ranking clerics. However this time around it was different and in many special as well. Ayatollah MakaremShirazi is a grand ayatollah who resides in the Holy city of Qum where he runs a seminary of religious studies. Many thousands around the world follow him in matter pertaining to the Sharia and Jurisprudence. He is also an author of many great books and articles as well as an exegesis of the Holy Quran.

We sat off to visit him on a Friday evening in Mashad, his office was near the Haram of Imam al-Ridha [a] which was quite a norm for the high ranking clerics. We were welcomed by some of his students and aides into a small room which seemed like a place where gatherings are usually held by the Grand Ayatollah.

His speech was quite inspiring and interesting for the youths, he talked about how the portrayal of Islam should be in our countries due to us being representatives of the religion in the respective countries, he touched on that the distortion of the image of Islam is mainly due to the Wahhabi ideology that is prevalent. He also talked about how the youths should be the pioneers in the fields of science and industry in their countries and taking up roles which show progression to the world regarding Muslims. His vision was that the Muslims previously were pioneers of certain subjects of education and that era should be revived and re-established within the Muslim Ummah.

Lastly and the most important point of the day was regarding unity. He stressed the importance of unity during these times especially when different factions in Islam are causing problems between one another. He stated that the youths should be responsible and try to not create discord or divisions as Muslims and try to unite so that the world does not see the Muslims as scattered pieces. His speech ended with a note of thanks and prayers for the youths and hoping that they benefited from the Ziyarah of Imam al-Ridha [a].

While it was a short speech it touched on many of the points that are a cause for concern within the Muslim Ummah. I for one really appreciate his awareness to the extremist Wahhabi ideology and his advice for us youths on how to counter it by being non-confrontational as such. Ethics and moral do play a big role in enlightening others and this is sometimes the best approach. The speech was followed by a session of Q&A with the Grand Ayatollah.

I have included the full transcript of the speech in this entry for the readers.

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful

I am very glad to see you youths, who have come from various European countries as well as other Western countries for this Ziyarah trip. I will begin my speech by addressing the youths from the West.

You that live out there are the messengers and representatives of Islam. Therefore your conduct can spread the religion or prevent this spread of religion. Both your responsibilities and rewards are more. The enemies of Islam have started a dangerous campaign against us in the media.

They portray Islam to be a religion of violence and not love and peace. The reason behind this propaganda is because of the Wahhabi's who are causing problems everyday. We have to show through our conduct that these people are a minority. The best sign we can present is the Holy Book where 113 Surahs start with Bismillah. So we need to undo this propaganda by our conduct.

They say that the Muslim population is very backward. We have to prove through our actions by planning scientific and industrial developments in order to prove that this is wrong thinking. We should remind them that the subjects of Sciences, Maths and Humanities were all developed by the Muslims in the recent ages. Inshallah you all work in these fields as well.

The conflict about the differences within the Muslims is also something which is picked up by the enemies of Islam. They show us very divided people. It is the responsibility of all Muslims that which ever sect they are from they do not cause any division or differences.

When I see you youths, I see Islam spreading through the likes of you.

I pray with wholeheartedly that you leave this city with your sins forgiven, with light of the AhlulBayt [a] in your heart and I sincerely pray for all of you with the intercession of Imam al-Ridha [a].

Supplication: Armament of the Believer

One of the beautiful aspects of any religious trips is those times when one connects with Allah and the AhlulBayt [a]. Be it through Ziyarah, Dua, Supplication or Munajaat; these resources all are abundant in nature and constantly remind us of our Creator as well as the Infallible ones. We are lucky to have such great supplications which have the strength to re-affirm our faith in this beautiful religion and to keep us on the right path.

Thursday nights are special, you see people from all over gather over in the Haram of Imam al-Ridha [a] for Dua Kumayl. It was one of those times where one wishes they could just remain in this vicinity forever; the atmosphere is buzzing with spirituality, the whispers of supplication and the raised hands are a sight to cherish. I had missed this for a very long time, living in the West we are never subjected to such a gathering and the spiritual effects of it so this was a great opportunity.

I would delve into the importance of Supplications but I felt it would be better to include an article which highlights this quite eloquently:

Armament of the Believer

"Call your Lord day and night, for Du'a is the weapon of a believer," said Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny).

Bringer of blessings, reverser of destiny, remover of adversaries, and the shield of a believer – these are some descriptions of the most powerful weapon of a believer: Du'a (supplication). Perhaps one of the reasons why the significance of Du'a is sometimes underestimated is because it is not obligated upon us. If it were made compulsory, we would look towards it with more seriousness. On examining this issue closely, we will find that it is pointless to compare Du'a with the rest of our obligations, simply because of its unique and private nature. When we supplicate, our heart communicates directly with our Lord with no medium in between, and we allow His mercy and blessings to engulf us from all sides. Hence, Du'a not being an obligation provides no excuse for us to stay away from this blessing.

It can also be argued, "If Allah knows my needs, then what good is it for me to ask Him?" No doubt Allah knows our needs more than we ourselves do, but to make such a claim is evidence to the fact that the purpose and meaning of Du'a has not been properly understood. By invoking Allah through Du'a, our attention and hopes are completely directed towards the Almighty. It is also a confession of our insignificance and helplessness without Him. The Du'a is a means of belittling our ego; therefore the Quran proclaims that to neglect Dua is actually a sign of arrogance! (23:60)

Allah says in the Quran, "Call on Me, I will answer you." (40:60) Does this mean our Du'a will always be accepted? Sure, but not as promptly as we might think. Furthermore, some Du'as may not be accepted at all. Does this make us give up our hopes? No, it must not. Rather, it should arouse our curiosity to look into the rationale behind why our Du'as are not being accepted. Some reasons can be lack of sincerity, doubtfulness in the acceptance of Du'a, asking Allah for something which is not permissible, or simply that Allah does not deem what you ask appropriate for you. Also, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) had said: "He who prays but does not exert effort is like the one who shoots without a bow-string." The biggest reason for non-acceptance of Du'as may just be that!

Although Du'a is a means of fulfilling our desires, but its benefits extend farther. As stated earlier, true supplication weakens our egos and uproots all elements of pride. Hence it becomes a great tool for nurturing our spirituality! In addition, it is highly recommended to supplicate in the manner directed by the Infallibles (peace be upon them). These are the supplications that we find in books such as Mafatih al-Jinan, Sahifa Sajjadiya, and the like. They guide us towards the perfect means of approaching Allah, but also illuminate our imagination and increase our awareness (Marifah) of our Creator. Thus, Du'as are perhaps the best sources of Islamic teachings on spirituality.

Let's not forget that we are never unarmed. Our insignificant selves leave us with no means other than Du'a. As Imam Ali says in Du'a Kumayl: "O You who is readily pleased – forgive one who owns nothing but supplication!"

For detailed information about Du'a and related topics, please refer to the book Oddatol Daee (The Asset of a Supplicant), available online.

We pray to Allah to strengthen our belief and to keep us steady on the right path and to give us the ability to be Shia of AhlulBayt [a] in every manner.