Discover Shi'a Islam

The main mandatory acts of worship accepted by both Sunni and Shi'a Muslims are:

1. The Daily Prayers

Every Muslim from the time he or she attains puberty must perform five daily prayers ({al%u0101}). To be able to begin the prayer one must first perform the ritual ablution (wu*?') in the prescribed form. Then, one stands facing Mecca and makes an intention to perform the specific prayer of the time in order to attain proximity to God. This intention must be kept at all times during the prayer. If someone forgets what he is doing, or prays in order to show off, or for any other selfish motive, his prayer becomes void. The actual prayer starts when the person utters: All%u0101h-u Akbar (God is the Greatest). With this he enters the formal state of prayer in which he remains until the completion of his prayers.

Each prayer consists of two to four units (rak'ah). Each unit consists of:

i. reciting the opening chapter of the Qur'an and another chapter such as Taw1%u012Bd or Qadr;

ii. bowing down (ruk?') and praising and glorifying God in that position

iii. performing two prostrations (sajdah) and then praising and glorifying God.

The prayers are ended by bearing witness that God is One and has no partners and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger with salutations upon him and his household (tashahhud) and offering peace to the Prophet, all the righteous people, and all who are engaged in prayers (tasl3m).

The daily prayer is the most important form of worship and remembrance of the Lord. The Qur'an says.

Surely prayer keeps (one) away from indecency and evil, and certainly the remembrance of God is greater, and God knows what you do. (29:45)

2. Fasting

The second act of worship is fasting ({awm) during the month of Ramadan (rama*%u0101n), the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. In this month, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking and sexual activity with their spouses from dawn to sunset. Like any other acts of worship, fasting must be performed with pure intention, that is, solely for the sake of God and to attain proximity to Him. Along with closeness to God and achieving His pleasure, fasting has many other benefits, such as strengthening one's determination, reminding people of God's blessings which they may take for granted, such as the food that they enjoy everyday, remembering the hunger and thirst of the Day of Judgement, helping the rich to understand what the poor experience in order to awaken their sense of benevolence and sympathy, weakening one's appetites and lower desires, and letting rational understanding and spiritual awareness flourish. The Qur'an says:

O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard (against evil). (2:183)

3. Pilgrimage to Mecca

Every Muslim who has attained puberty, and is financially and physically capable, must once perform pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) in the month of Dhu'l-Hijjah, the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar. The most important Mosque for Muslims all over the world is called Masjid al-2ar%u0101m, which is the sanctuary of the Ka'bah, and is located in Mecca.

All Muslims face towards the Ka'bah in their prayers. The Ka'bah is the cubical construction built by the Prophet Abraham and his son, Prophet Ishmael, on the foundations of what had originally been built by the Prophet Adam. Indeed, to a great extent, pilgrimage to Mecca is a symbolic reconstruction of what the Prophet Abraham, the arch monotheist went through in that very place about four thousand years ago. After a long journey, when Abraham arrived in Mecca he was asked by God to make preparations for pilgrims going to Mecca. The Qur'an says:

Do not associate with Me anything, and purify My house for those who circle around it and stand to pray and bow and prostrate themselves. And proclaim among the people the pilgrimage. They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel from every remote path so that they may witness the benefits for them; and mention the name of God during the appointed days over what He has given them (22:26-28).

Most surely the first house appointed for men is the one at Bekka (Mecca), blessed and a guidance for the nations. In it are clear signs, the standing place of Abraham, and whoever enters it shall be secure. Pilgrimage to the House is incumbent upon people for the sake of God, (upon) everyone who is able to undertake the journey to it; and whoever turns away, then surely God is Self-sufficient, above any need of the worlds (3:96 &97).

Pilgrimage to Mecca is full of unforgettable experiences. Among them, perhaps the most outstanding are selflessness, brotherhood, equality and simplicity. Every year millions of Muslims from different continents leave their home, family, business, and whatever else is dear to them, and set out on their journey towards Mecca, located in a desert. Everyone is asked to be present there in the same places at the same time all wearing the same clothes and performing the same rites. The rich and the poor, the king and the ordinary man, the elite and the layman all stand shoulder to shoulder and wear two pieces of white cloth. This is something that everyone must experience at least once in his lifetime, and should then try to implement lessons learnt from the experience in his day to day life.

4. Almsgiving

Giving charity is highly recommended in the Qur'an and Sunnah and the reward for charitable acts is great. Although everything including one's financial possessions belongs to God in reality, the Qur'an presents giving charity as offering a loan to God:

Who is the one that lends to God a good lending so that God may give him double? (57:11)

In addition to voluntary charities, there are certain types of charity that are obligatory. For example, one type of almsgiving is zak%u0101t, a wealth tax of a small percentage (usually 2.5%). Paying zak%u0101t is not a gift for the poor but rather is their due right that must be observed:

And in their properties is the right of the beggar and the destitute (51:19).

Imam Ali also said:

God the Glorified has fixed the livelihood of the destitute in the wealth of the rich. Consequently, whenever the destitute remains hungry, it is because some rich persons have denied him his share.

Those whose possessions of certain amounts of wheat, barley, dates, raisins, gold, silver, camels, cows and sheep surpass certain quantities must pay zak%u0101t on a yearly basis to the less fortunate amongst their relatives, the orphans, the needy, the wayfarers and etc. Zak%u0101t may be spent for food, shelter, education, health care, orphanages and other public services.

It is noteworthy that in many verses, paying zak%u0101t is enjoined immediately after the command to perform one's prayers ({al%u0101t), and as a sign of faith and belief in God. Paying zak%u0101t is an act of worship, so it must be performed for the sake of God. Therefore, not only does it help the needy and contribute to the establishment of social justice and development, but it also purifies the soul of those who pay it. The Qur'an says:

Take alms from their wealth in order to purify and sanctify them (9:103).

Khums: Shi'a Muslims also believe in another obligatory tax, called khums. In Arabic Khums literally means one fifth. It is a 20% tax on the excess profit that a person annually makes. At the end of one's financial year, one pays 20% of all one's earnings after deducting house-hold and commercial expenses. The obligation to pay khums has been mentioned in the Qur'an:

And know that whatever profit you may attain, one fifth of it is assigned to God and the Messenger, and to the near relatives [of the Messenger] and the orphans, the destitute, and the wayfarer, if you have believed in God and that which We sent down to our servant [Muhammad] (8:41).

Sunni Muslims usually believe that the verse only refers to what Muslims earn when they win a battle (booty) and consider it to be a type of zak%u0101t.

According to Shi'i jurisprudence, half of the khums belongs to the twelfth Imam, the remaining member of the household of the Prophet and his successor, and the other half to the poor descendants of the Prophet, called "sayyids". Khums must be spent under the supervision of a Shi'a religious authority (marji' al-taql%u012Bd), i.e. the grand jurist (Ayatollah) that one follows in practical issues. This is to make sure that it is spent in a way with which Imam Mahdi is pleased. The portion belonging to the Imam is usually spent on Islamic seminaries and other educational projects such as publishing useful books, or building Mosques, Islamic centres, and schools.

5. Struggle for the sake of God

Every Muslim has to struggle hard and strive for the sake of God in different ways to make improvements to human life in general and his individual life in particular. The Qur'an says:

He has created you upon the Earth and has asked you to develop it (11:61).

To be indifferent to human catastrophes or to be lazy in one's personal life is greatly condemned. On the contrary, the one who works hard to earn some money to spend on his family and improve their living conditions is considered as a hero in the struggle for the sake of God, a muj%u0101hid. A very outstanding and vital case of this struggle (jih%u0101

The Holy Quran,

which is the principal source of religious thought in Islam, has given full authority to the external meanings of its words for those who give ear to its message.

Are you new to Islam? Do you wish to have an English translated copy of the Qur'an? Please make your request through: tabligh@aimislam.com

25-duas-from-holy-quran

Quran in MP3 Format download

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The Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) has said: "The one who recites the Qur'an and the one who listens to it have an equal share in the reward."

Mustadrakul Wasa'il, Volume 1, Page 293

The Messenger of Allah (blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) has said: "The best of those amongst you is the one who learns the Qur'an and then teaches it to others."

Al-Amali of Shaykh at-Tusi, Volume 1, Page 5

http://www.al-islam.org/quran/

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Islam is our religion. It is a complete code of life and the most prominent and distinguished system. Peace, Harmony, love , brotherhood and tranquility is its message. The topmost objective of Jafariyanews is to promote, enhance and thrive it by adopting the path of Muhammad-o-Aal-e-Muhammad(A.S).
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Anita L Says:
I listened to your teaching on Moderate Islam this morning, and I wanted to write and tell you I thought it was wonderful. I am not Muslim, although I am investigating Islam right now, but this particular teaching by this Imam touched my heart like nothing has in a very long time. Thank you so much for putting these teachings online.
http://shiaonline.wordpress.com/speciel-islamic-lectures-in-english/

A poem on Imam Husain (a):
Trees I like them -
In your reverence they stand firm;
Likewise the water,
It's the dowry of your mother.
It's your blood brightened the honor,
It's your nobility the horizon does mirror.
The dusk is that niche,
In the morn by martyrdom you did pray.
In my mind thoughts about that valley flood
The soil of which sucked your blood.
No, indeed not, a vale so high I saw never.
It is you, only you, in a downfall dear,
Better from the vale itself hear!
A sword which at your throat did ply
Cut every thing into two under the sky.
Turned Hussaini whatever at your side
While Yazidi the other side.
Now rocks and we!
Waters and we!
Hills, canals, meadows, trees-
Some are Yazidis
Else, they are Hussainis.
Blood your neck irrigated
Everything under the sky into two divided -
Even the color
Resided in every particle
In a dazzling garish carbuncle.
Else, not Hussaini nor does concur.
Your death, lo, what a gage!
Laughed at life and vilified its stage
That to the death desired life to page.
Your blood stood there
and stood the Truth in its care:
One it is but a fare.
Determination stood a security;
Riveted the world into its guarantee.
Although false espouses the world
Truth in canopy of your name brides the world.
Peep into truth if to see you
And the grass when it is to grow,
The water in a drink when it's to flow,
The stone as challenges a throw,
Into a sword when it cuts into two
Or the lion when its roar the winds blow,
Into the horizon which is bloody,
In the smile of dusk which is ruddy.
In a stand,
In a demand.
You to be tound in crevices,
To be smelled in roses
And the burning sun to be demanded,
The early morn to be commanded.
Should be opened heart of the night,
Seeds scattered the delight
And the winds carry your sight;
To be plucked from the bunches' height.
In God alone you to be seen,
Whosoever upon Truth if to lean,
Gory is he and his fingers beam
The glow of your blood and its sheen.
Eternity is the mirror
Hung before you for every viewer.
Alas, the sun, it is no better;
Hence, we wouldn't utter:
'It is your looks' glitter.'
In a cosy corner of history's conscience
Guarding the Truth stands he is vigilance.
In his smile tacts flow in mellifluence.
Strong, straight. star striking-
Such the determinations are demonstrating
The elevations if to be viewed by a human being.
Lo, infancy of reason astonishes in a daze confusing.
It is the lake of your own blood-
A gateway of history where you have stood
Holding a jug of civilization tor human good
To quench the caravan of mankind
In a martyrdom pacing onward pressing the hind.
Your name disturbs the sleep under moon
And deluges in water a Typhon,
Lo, rests the law in your tone.
To battle your determination only fools prone,
Your distinction is blood, only blood, blood alone.
O, you, not a divine but in divinity drown.
Death is vile in your hold
As a fly a plaything among children's fold
And Yazid, a pretext. an excuser if to be told,
As though a handkerchief before you unrolled
and you spited the filth of tyranny in its shroud
and threw into the history's dustbin for other to scold.
A huge blood sucker,
Not an entity but a lier;
Such was Yazid an idler.
Sins personified in him
And he to mankind a megrim.
Robbery of name it is it to name him
'A man' however the sense he claim.
O, you! O, Glorious victim!
Be upon you blessing!
Not because thirsty you met martyrdom
But your enemy is of such a sum.
Your death red
Broke Yazid's name into a shred,
And made the sense in the word tyranny dead.
Troops of words with barracks of description fled.
Indeed, defeated is every human toil;
Battle with you is foul and toil.
Freed are the lions in your coil.
Your blood overflows the expression's soil.
Beyond the words is the flow for history's turmoil.
Out of the track of time proceeds as a procession Royal.
O, "Zabeehullah"! Divinity in your blood flows;
You the "Ismayeel" of God, in you oneness glows.
"Abraham's vision" from a dream reality barrows,
Karbala where your appointment wallows,
Moharram the hour of love when the love loves.
And, lo, you are that sole person
Carried forty days the pilgrim's season.
"And We have complete it in ten"
Ah, burns me the desire of comprehension;
The incomplete pilgrimage pawned in suspension,
Gained in your kiss at the dagger its perfection;
For the "BLACK STONE" virtual the best compensation.
Begins the love's history,
The red gains its entity,
From your death-to life a treaty.
Letter commences from your blood
Religion found way the time you stood
As you fell the truth stood
And took the Right a mould good.
Weakened the tyranny's base in your blood's flood.
Autumn of your death delivered eternal spring,
Grass and trees in a pleasant ring,
And a blossom of red at every branch to swing,
Else, a dry fuelwood it is to the trees cling.
Secret of death you have opened.
No knot remained under your will's nail unopened.
Wailing and weeping is the honor;
You ahead and it entails you for ever.
Beyond the manliness you are far and further.
Prayers: you; intention: you;
Oneness: you; and the one you;
Oh, the verdure, the ever green'
Oh, the red that frills the green
Nobler than every pure and clean
No human a parallel to you ever has been.
O, sweet but staunch and staunch but sweet,
Gapes wide history its mouth for you to spit.
You an iron arm, you the scale of balance-
You sense of the Book and you the Qur'an's essence.
In your looks interpretation glow,
And the paces to the earth dignity bestow.
And become a gravity for galaxies on onward grow
Divine verses lip and your lips utter-
Wherever you be in you heavens glimmer.
Wonder! Oh, wonder! you a wonder'
My astonishment ends not if I to ponder
Foolhardy it is to fathom oceans by a finger.
Weep we-
Gains your blood in our tears constancy
Our tears a polish and sword in tendency
Its seat is in the arena of tyranny.
You are a Qur'an in red
Verses of your bravery wrote the blood
In the desert as far as the sands scud
Those sands turned into a field-
Rich in red bunches as a shield.
Blood is the crop, blood is the yield
Its every branch is a sword, a dagger
Uproots the tyranny in the noon ot its summer.
Hence, red is the field and shall he for ever.
O, Tharallah!
The garden of Eden; lo, what a mania!
You planted in the burning desert of Karbala.
With fruits red,
Rivers bloody from bed to bed
Buds to bloom martyrdom's red
And trees in a row forming a green shade.
Only loveful eyes see with looks in love fed.
Akbar - you and in a quality bred;
And the palm trees of consummate red.
HUR - not a person but an attribute.
At that side of the river to contribute:
He parted the caravan and its plenitude.
Bridges to a man your word, your look;
Towards you he is in a hook
As a food in a caravan for a cook.
The brains in search of refuge
Obtain from you light in a deluge.
Desire for envy is a befitting subterfuge.
HUR's bleeding head and your skirt - a fate profuse!
Good is red after your martyrdom;
Tears are daggers in your kingdom.
Your pain is the pabulum
For a journey - destination not datum
The track of your blood is the way
Terminates at the God's gateway.
You are from the blood's strain
And we in your love mad remain.
Your blood sands were to sustain
To gush from stones in a fountain.
Oh, the fertile view-
Tyranny has no enemy better than you,
To a victim no acquaintance nearer than you.
History gets brief in your class
Hands do not meet at KARBALA's pause,
Galaxy of Existence there heats the brass;
The worship moves round it, solarium draws.
Here the word ends,
End too to end tends,
More Poem-