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Theme of the month: Gaining from Hajj at home: Bringing about an internal spiritual revolution from the acts of Hajj. Verse of the month: إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِن شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ ۖ فَمَنْ حَجَّ الْبَيْتَ أَوِ اعْتَمَرَ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ أَن يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا ۚ وَمَن تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ شَاكِرٌ عَلِيمٌ Verily Al-Safa and al-Marwah are amongst the signs of Allah. So whoever makes Hajj to the house or performs 'Umrah' - then there is no blame on him to curcuit between them. And whoever does good voluntarily - then indeed Allah is appreciative and knowing. (Baqarah 2:158) During this holy month of Dhulhijjah, all Mosque programme lectures will be centered around the above 'Theme of the month' which is based on the above 'Verse of the month' (2:158) Each lecture will have a summary uploaded onto this website with the opportunity for individuals to post questions/comments/suggestions relating to the topic in the comments section. Furthermore topics for each lecture will be posted on the website before the lecture so that background reading may be undertaken by those interested. Make the most of this amazing opportunity to have your input into the lecture programmes by actively participating. Lecture Topics: Thursday night programme (10/10/13) - Emulation in Hajj Thursday night programme (17/10/13) - Eid ul Hajj for those not on Hajj Thursday night programme (24/10/13) - Social Aspects of Hajj (specifically in relation to the event of Ghadeer) Thursday night programme (31/10/13) - From the sacrifice of Ibrahim to the sacrifice of Husayn.
Lecture Summaries:
Thursday 10th October 2013 - Emulation in Hajj Verily Al-Safa and al-Marwah are amongst the signs of Allah. So whoever makes Hajj to the house or performs 'Umrah' - then there is no blame on him to curcuit between them. And whoever does good voluntarily - then indeed Allah is appreciative and knowing. (Baqarah 2:158) The core theme of Hajj is to bring about an internal spiritual revolution Why are we discussing about Hajj? Because it is the month of Hajj. It is one of the 5 pillars of Islam (Salaah, Sawm, Hajj, Zakaat, Wilaya) In Al Kafi; Salaah covers 40% of one volume, whereas Hajj covers 70% of another volume. In Hajj we follow the actions of the past Prophets. Even other religions have a concept of pilgrimage For Example:
What is Hajj? Why do we need to copy actions of past prophet in Hajj (i.e Prophet Ibrahim?)
Thursday night programme (17/10/13) - Eid ul Hajj for those not on Hajj Material Symbols for connection to Allah
شعائر الله (Signs of Allah)
The significance of the story of Ibrahim and Hajra
Gujarati Translation Page 1, Page 2 Thursday night programme (24/10/13) - Social Aspects of Hajj (specifically in relation to the event of Ghadeer) Islam is not an imposition upon humanity, not a religion which is difficult to bear. Rather Islam is a natural state for human existence. In order to transcend our limited contexts we need to relate to the wider human community and thus requires a more universal binding culture. Islam caters for this in its social aspects, for example Hajj, which is designed to bring communities together under the banner of humanity governed by spirituality. We reach a state in Hajj where commonality unites us and differences don't separate us. People are willing to spend life savings to go and unite with other people at hajj. They feel empowered that they are a part of a greater body. After Hajj we become greater humans...for example Malcolm X reformed after he went for Hajj. We cannot go to Hajj as Shia or Sunni....we go as one – Muslims and when we come out of Hajj we see ourselves as greater than Shia and Sunni. This sectarian disease is tearing the community apart. Hajj brings uniformity where Allah is the centre. Both the Shia's and Sunnis’ prayers are accepted through each other, as they stand next to each other in Hajj We should use Imam Ali (as) as a point of convergence and not divergence We should be bound by a universal culture At Ghadeer the prophet couldn’t impose Ali (as) as the leader, because he cannot force anyone to believe. So he says ‘Don’t I have a greater right over you?’- using the quranic verse Using that he appointed Ali as the leader. Prophet said the weightier of the 2 is the Quran. There is a tradition from Ahlul Sunnah where the Prophet is mentioned as saying that Ali is like the Kaaba, you won't go to them but people will come to you. After the death of the 3rd Caliph people flocked to Ali rather than the caliph going to the people so lead. Ali (a.s) should be a point where diversity converges, a point of reconciliation. Imam Ali (a.s) was a point that liberated people, whereas Muawiya coerced people and therefore constrained the mind. Thus the followers of Ali (a.s) would never be like the followers of Muawiya since they had open minds. Thursday night programme (31/10/13) - From the sacrifice of Ibrahim to the sacrifice of Husayn. Hajj Whilst this is a closing lecture of the theme, Hajj is a vast topic - 70% of one volume of kafi discusses hajj – and hence there is much not covered in the lectures during the month. Dangers of Distractions
Hajj trains us to battle distraction
Other methods of avoiding distraction
Lessons in avoiding distraction from Karbala
Karbala is also, like hajj, is a show of avoidance of distraction. Imam Hussain (as) did not take the suffering on his journey to Karbala as a distraction, but as a motivation. {jcomments on} |
"Creating a spiritual & vibrant community based on the values and practices of the Islamic Shi'a Ithna-Ashari faith by developing the potential of its members, engaging with the wider society and serving the needs of humanity worldwide."
