Issue No 9 2014/09/01

Inside this issue:

Biography of Sayyida Fatuma (as)

2

How Islam regards human rights

2

Concept of Wilayatul Faqih

3

Mosque, Importance

and management

4

Affective Muslim 4

Contents of the Issue

∗ The Quran, Prophet and Ahlul Bait (as)

∗ Worshiping

∗ Youth, and morals

∗ You and the society

∗ Education and Empow-erment.

∗ Islamic teachings

∗ Women and children

∗ Platform of scholars

MASHHAD MASHHAD MASHHAD KHORASAN KHORASAN KHORASAN

Editorial The Guardianship

Kampala Plaza. Suite,

B1 and B12.

P.O Box 73892 Kampala

Phone:+256 0752678472

Mashad is the capital of Khorasan province in the North East of Iran, 892 km away from Tehran. It is located at the altitude of 985 Meter occupying an area of 204 sq. Km. and has a population of about 1.5 million. Mashad grew from a

small village called Sanabad, 24 km away from Tus. After the martyr-dom of Imam Ali ibn Musa Al-Ridha and his burial there in 203 AH, the place came to be known as Mashad Al-Ridha. Astan-Qods-Razavi (the name given to the physical buildings comprising the Haram) is one of the most beautiful and glorious religious places in Iran. The best of Islamic art and architecture can be seen in the unique and significant monuments where Islamic art and faith is embedded. In 203 AH, Imam Al-Ridha, peace be upon him, was poisoned by Ma-moun, the son of Haroon and Imam was buried alongside with Haroon. Since the martyrdom of Imam, his holy shrine became a place of pilgrimage for the world's Shias and Muslims. the city spread so far as Noughan and Sanabad were annexed to it to become Mashad Al-Ridha, shortened over time to Mashad. The holy shrine was ruined by Saboktakin, a Ghaznavid king. But his son, Sultan Mah-moud ordered the shrine to be repaired and expanded in 428 AH. During the invasion of Changis and his son, Tooly, the holy shrine was ruined again. Sultan Mohamed Khoda-Banda, a Shiite king of Moghol dynasty, who reigned from 703 to 716 AH, had the holy shrine rebuilt. Since the time of Safavids, Afshars and Qajars todate

many of the Astane-Qods buildings have been expanded. Minarets: The two golden minarets of Imam Ridha's shrine have been specially built. The minarets are usually made on the two sides of the dome and near the dome. But these two minarets have been built far from each other. One, close to the Dome, upon Naderi balcony in the southern section of Sahne Enqelab and the other far in the north-ern section of Sahne Enqelab on Abbasi balcony. Although lack of symmetry can be clearly felt, it has been done on purpose so that when pilgrims enter Haram from Imam Ridha Avenue they can see the minarets and the Dome in the middle. The minaret which is close to the Dome was built by Shah Tahmasb Safavi and has a height of 40.5 meters and a circumference of 13 meters. The other minaret on Abbasi balcony was built at the time of Nader Shah.Sahne Imam Khomeini: This Sahn is located at the left side of the Holy Shrine of Imam Ridha [a] and faces Imam Ridha Avenue. Its area is more than 8300 sq Meters. Shaykh Bahai's tomb is located between this Sahn and Sahne Azadi. Gowharshad Mosque: This mosque is one of the most reputed in Iran and is situated adjacent to the Holy Shrine of Imam Ridha. It was built in 821 AH. under the orders of Gowharshad Khatun, Shahrokh Mirza's wife. Its area is 9410 Sq Meters and in-cludes a courtyard, four porches and seven large prayer halls. Two beautiful minarets, each 40 meters high, are located on both sides of Maqsureh Porch. There is an inscription on the left on the margin of the porch written by Baisonqor, one of the best calligraphists of the time. The Sahib-al Zaman Pulpit is in Maqsureh porch. It was built in 1243 H with walnut wood and without using any iron or nail. This

mosque has a public libray with 34,650 volumes. Imam Ridha 's TombIt : is located beneath the Golden Dome (The Golden Dome is the most prominent symbol of the city of Mashad with an altitude of 31.20 meters) and surrounded by different porches each bearing a separate name. The skilled artists have done their

best in the creation of this place. It is square in shape and some 135 sq.

meters have been added to its area after extension works. The walls are covered by marble up to twenty centimetres and the next ninety two centimetres are covered by expensive tiles known as Sultan Sanjari tiles. Quranic verses and Ahadiths of the Ahlul Bait [a] have been carved on these tiles. The important inscription written round the walls is eighty centimetres wide and written by Ali Ridha Abbasi, the famous calligraphist of the Safavid period and bears Surah Jumah.the Tomb It is located beneath the Golden Dome (The Golden Dome is the most prominent symbol of the city of Mashad with an altitude of 31.20 meters) and surrounded by different porches each bearing a separate name. The skilled artists have done their best in the creation of this place. It is square in shape and some 135 sq. meters have been added to its area after extension works. The walls are covered by marble up to twenty centimetres and the next ninety two centimetres are cov-ered by expensive tiles known as Sultan Sanjari tiles. Quranic verses and Ahadiths of the Ahlul Bait [a] have been carved on these tiles. The important inscription written round the walls is eighty centimetres wide and written by Ali Ridha Abbasi, the fa-mous calligraphist of the Safavid period and bears Surah Jumah of the orch This porch has an area of 365 sq. meters and is situated in the eastern part of Sahne Jamhuri e Islami. It has been decorated with gilding, plaster works, mirrors and fret work and was inaugu-rated in 1371 AH. The Golden Dome: The Golden Dome on top of Imam Ridha [a]'s tomb is the most prominent symbol of Mashad and has a height of 31.20 meters. A large inscription has been written round the Dome by Ali Ridha Abbasi Museum of The Quran:This museum is located in the vicinity of the Astaane Quds museum. It contains precious manuscripts of the Glorious Quran attributed to the Holy Imams and some gilded manuscripts. It was opened in 1364 H. The oldest manuscript attributed to the Holy Imams is in kufi script on deer skin belonging to the First century AH. Astane Quds Mehmansara: This inn is located in Baste-e Sofla and every overseas pilgrim (zair) of Imam Ridha [a] has a right to

one free meal as guest of Imam. Meals are served everyday. Sheikh Bahaiee: The Tomb of Baha-o-din Mohamed Ameli, known as Sheikh Bahaiee, is located between Sahn-e-Imam and Sahn-e-Azadi in the Haram Astane Quds. Sheikh Bahaiee was born in Baalbak in 953 H. and came to Iran with his father when he was 7 years old. His genealogy dates back to Hareth Hamadani, the fa-mous disciple of Imam Ali [a]. He had a great influence on Shah Abbas King of Iran and Iranian politics and culture and has left behind many scientific works. Sheikh Hurr Ameli: His tomb is in Sahn-e-Enqelab in the Haram-Astaane Quds. He is one of the famous Shiite theologians and author of Wasa'el al-Shia.Sheikh Tabarasi: His tomb is in northern square next to Bagh-e-Rezvan and the avenue next to it has been named after him. Fazl-ibne-Hasan Tabarasi died 548 H. is the writer of the commentary Ma-jma'-al-Bayan.There are two inscriptions written by Ali Ridha Abbasi inside the shrine. The shrine is located at the end of Khwa-jeh Rabiee avenue and one of the great public cemeteries of Mashad lies next to Khwajeh Rabiee tomb. His death is recorded as in 63 H. Abasalt-e-Heravi's tomb: Abasalt, Imam Ridha [a]'s servant died in 236 H and was buried beside the road to Fariman 10 kilometers from Mashad.Gonbad (Dome) Kheshti :This dome, located in Tabarasi avenue, houses the grave of Imamzadeh Mo-hamed whose genealogy can be traced to Imam Sajjad [a]. The monument belongs to the Safavid period in architectural style. May Allah bless us all with the Ziyarat of Imam Ridha [a] more and more often. I trust the above narrative will be of

benefit to the pilgrims (zawwar) of Imam Ridha [as].

could have lived a very

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Fātimah bint Mūsā' al-Kādhim known as: al-Ma‘sūmah ( the Innocent), the daughter of the 7th Imām Mūsā' al-Kādhim and sister of the eighth Imām, ‘Ali ar-Ridhā. Every year, thousands of Shia Muslims travel to Qom to honor visit her shrine, for supplication to Allah and asking for interces-sion Despite having being infallible, Fatima Masu-mah is not considered one of the 14 most holy infallibles. Yet, her brother Imam Ali al-Ridha gave her the title "Masumah", means infallible or sinless. However, she has her own reputation of holiness and wisdom. She is said to have been learned in various Islamic sciences and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (saww), and to have trans-mitted many hadiths from her family members. She is honored in many hadiths, or teachings, from Imams that proclaim the benevolence of visiting her shrine in Qom. Her brother Imam 'Ali al-Rida (as) stated that visiting the shrine of Fatima Masumeh is equal to visiting his own shrine in Mashhad, demonstrating his honor of his sister. More miracles are reported to occur at her shrine in Qom .Before she was born, Imams (AS) foretold about Fatima Masumah's holiness and piety. She was born into Shia legacy, raised under the care of two Imams- her father and her brother. She absorbed their knowledge and holi-ness. Fatima Masumeh was born in Medina in 173 AH and spent the first six years of her life learning alongside her father, Imam Musa al-Kadhim. she had a "special gift" of knowledge and spiritual awareness, since in childhood. When she was 10 ten years, Harun al-Rashid, the 5th caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate sent her father to prison. This separation was very difficult for Fatima, but her brother 'Ali 'Ali and Fatima are among Imam Musa al-Kadhim's 37 children, but they are the only two

Page 2 The Guardianship

he could only win them over if he also pretended to give respect and sympathetic consideration to Imam `Ali Al-Ridha. al- Ma'mun was a very shrewd person. He made a plan to invite Imam Al-Ridha and to offer him the heirship to the throne. The Imam was summoned by a royal decree and was compelled, under the circumstances, to leave Medina - where he was living a quiet life - and present himself at the royal court of al-Ma'mun. On his arrival, al-Ma'mun showed him hospitality and great respect, then he said to him: "I want to get rid of myself of the caliphate and vest the office in you." But Al-Ridha refused his offer. Then al-Ma'mun repeated his offer in a letter saying: "If you refuse what I have offered you, then you must accept being the heir after me." But again Al-Ridha refused his offer vigorously. al-Ma'mun summoned him. He was alone with al-Fadl ibn Sahl, the man with two offices (i.e., military and civil). There was no one else in their gather-ing. al-Ma'mun said to Al-Ridha, "I thought it appropriate to invest authority over the Muslims in you and to relieve myself of the responsibility by giving it to you." When again Al-Ridha refused to accept his offer, alMa'mun spoke to him as if threat-ening him for his refusal. In his speech he said, " 'Umar ibn al-Khattab made a committee of consultation (shird) (to appoint a successor). Among them was your forefather, the Com-mander of the faithful, `Ali ibn Abi Talib. (`Umar) stipulated that any of them who opposed the decision should be exe-cuted. So there is no escape for you from accepting what I want from you. I will ignore your rejection of it." In reply, Al-Ridha said: "I will agree to what you want of me as far as succession is concern on condition that I do not command, nor order, nor give legal decisions, nor judge, nor appoint, nor dismiss, nor change anything from how it is at present." al-Ma'mun accepted all of that. On the day when al-Ma'mun ordered to make the pledge of allegiance to Al-Ridha, one of the close associates of Al-Ridha, who was present, narrates, "On that day I was in front of him. He looked at me while I was feeling happy about what had happened. He signalled me to come closer. I went closer to him and he said so that no one else could hear, `Do not occupy your heart with this matter and do not be happy about it. It is something which will not be achieved.' " Quoting al-`Allamah ash- Shibli from his book al-Ma'mun, we get a very clear picture of how al-Ma'mun decided to offer his leadership to Imam Al-Ridha."Imam Al-Ridha was the Eighth Imam and al-Ma'mfrn could not help holding him in great esteem because of the Imam's piety, wisdom, knowledge, modesty, decorum and personality. Therefore, he decided to nominate him as the rightful heir to the throne. Earlier in 200 AH he had summoned the Abbasids. Thirty-three thousand `Abbasids responded to the invitation and were entertained as royal guests. During their stay at the capital he very closely observed and noted their capabilities and eventually arrived at the conclusion that not one of them deserved to succeed him. He therefore spoke to them all in an assembly in 201 AH telling them in categorical terms that none of the `Abbasids deserved to succeed him. He demanded allegiance to Imam Al-Ridha from the people in this very meet-ing and declared that royal robes would be green in future, the colour which had the unique distinction of being that of the Imam's dress. A Royal decree was published saying that Imam Al-Ridha will succeed al-Ma'mun. Even after the declaration of succession when there was every opportunity for the Imam to live a splendid worldly royal life, he did not pay any heed to material comforts and devoted himself completely to imparting the true Islamic conception of the Prophet's teachings and the Holy Qur'an. He spent most of his time praying to God and serving the people. Taking full advantage of the concessions given to him by virtue of his elevated position in the royal court, he organized the majalis (meetings) commemorating the martyrdom of the martyrs of Karbala'. These majalis were first held during the days of Imam Muhammad al- Baqir and Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq, but Imam Al-Ridha gave the majalis a new impe-tus by encouraging those poets who wrote effective poems depicting the moral aspects of the tragedy and the suffering of Imam Husayn and his companions. al-Ma'mun had been very scared of the growing popularity of the Imam and he had

Ali Ibn Musa Al-Ridha (Peace be on him) Name: `Ali. Title: Al-Ridha. Agnomen: Abu 'l-Hasan. Father's name: Musa al-Kazim.Mother's name: Ummu'l-Banin Najmah. Birth: In Me-dina, on Thursday, 11th Dhu'l-qi'dah 148A H. Death: Died at the age of 55, in Mashhad

(Khurasan), on Tuesday, 17th Safar 203 AH; poisoned by al-Ma'mun, the Abbasid caliph; buried in Mashhad, Iran. Imam Ali Al-Ridha was brought up under the holy guidance of his father for thirty-five years. His own insight and brilliance in religious matters combined with the excellent training and education given by his father made him unique in his spiritual leadership. Imam Al-Ridha was a living example of the piety of the great Prophet and the chiv-alry and generosity of Imam `Ali ibn Abi Talib. Succession: Imam Musa al-Kazim was well aware of the aggressive designs of the government in power against the Imamate and therefore, during his lifetime he declared Imam Al-Ridha as his successor in the presence of hundred and seventy-one prominent religious divines and called upon his sons and his family to submit to him and refer to him in all matters after him. He also left behind a written document declaring the succession of Imam Al-Ridha duly signed and endorsed by not less than sixteen prominent persons. All these necessary steps were taken by the great Imam to avoid any confusion that may have arisen after his death. Imamate: Imam Musa al-Kazim was poisoned while he was still in prison and expired on 25th Rajab 183 AH, and on the same day Imam Al-Ridha was declared as the Eighth Imam of the Muslim world. Imam Al-Ridha had the great task before him of coming out with the correct interpretation of the Holy Qur'an; specially under the most unfavourable circumstances prevailing under the govern-ment of Harun ar-Rashid. Many belonging to the faith were impris-oned and those who were free and could not be jailed faced untold atrocities and sufferings. Imam Al-Ridha, of course, stamped his impression upon his age by carrying on the mission of the Great Prophet in a peaceful manner even during the most chaotic peri-ods, and it was mostly due to his efforts that the teachings of the Holy Prophet and his descendants became widespread.Imam Al-Ridha had inherited great qualities of head and heart from his an-cestors. He was a versatile person and had full command over many languages. Ibnu'1-Athir al-Jazari penned very rightly that Imam Al-Ridha was undoubtedly the greatest sage, saint and scholar of the second century (AH). Once, on his way to Khurasan, when he (the Imam) was brought by force by the guards ofal-Ma'mun from Medina, he arrived on horseback at Naysabur. Myriads of people gathered round him and all roads were overcrowded as they had come to meet and see their great Imam. Abu Dhar'ah ar-Razi and Muhammad ibn Aslam at-Tusi, the two great scholars of the day, stepped out of the crowd and begged the Imam to halt there for a moment so that the faithful may be able to hear his voice. They also requested the Imam to address the gathering. The Imam granted the request and in his brief address told the mammoth gathering the real interpretation of la ilaha illa Allah. Quoting Allah, he continued to say that the kalimah is the fortress of Allah and whoever entered the fortress saved himself from His wrath. He paused for a moment and continued that there were also a few conditions to entitle the entrance to the fortress and the greatest of all conditions was sincere and complete submission to the Imam of the day; and very boldly and frankly explained to the people that any disloyalty to the Prophet and his descendants would withdraw the right of the entrance to the fortress. The only way to earn Almighty Allah's pleasure was to obey the Prophet and his progeny and that was the only path to salvation and immortality. The above-mentioned incident speaks clearly of the great popularity of Imam Al-Ridha, and the love, loyalty and respect the Muslims gave their beloved Imam. al-Ma'mun, the king, was conscious of the fact that he would not survive for long if he also did not express his loyalty to the great leader and his intelligence department had made it clear to him that the Iranian people were truly and sincerely loyal to the Imam and

as his heir to the throne only for the fulfil-ment of his own most ambitious and sinis-ter designs and getting the Imam's en-dorsement to his tricky plans. But the Imam naturally refused to give his endorse-ment to any such plans which were against the teaching of Islam. al-Ma'mun therefore became very disappointed with him and decided once and for all to check his grow-ing popularity and ensuring his own sur-vival by acting according to the old tradi-tions of killing the Imam. Wanting to do it in a more subtle manner, he invited the Imam to dinner, and fed him poisoned grapes. The Imam died on 17th Safar 203 AH, he was buried in Tus (Mashhad) and his Grand Shrine speaks well for the great personality the Imam possessed. Myriads of Muslims visit his Shrine every year to pay their homage to this Imam. al-Imam Al-Ridha, peace be on him, said: Doing seven things without doing the seven other things is self-mockery: asking for forgive-ness from Allah verbally without repenting with the heart; asking for Allah's help with-out undertaking any effort; making a firm resolution to do something without taking due precautions; asking Allah for Paradise without enduring the related hardships; beseeching deliverance from the Hell-fire without refraining from lusts; remembering Allah without anticipating to encounter Him. The Eleventh Infallible The Ninth Imam Muhammad Ibn Ali Al-Jawad (At-Taqi) (Peace be on him)

Sayyidah Fatima Masoumah (A.S.)

The name of this divine lady was Fatima and her nickname was Masoumah. Her father

was Imam Musa al-Kazim (A.S.), the seventh Imam of the Shi'ites and her mother was named Najma Khatun who was also the mother of Imam Reza (A.S.), the eighth

Shi'ite Imam.She was born on first day of the month of Zee al-Qa'adah in the year 173 A.H./789 A.D., in the holy city of Madinah

Munawwarah. Her holy father was martyred in the Baghdad prison at the hands of the

Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid after under-going long term of imprisonment and tor-

tures. After the martyrdom of her holy father she came under the care of Imam Reza (A.S.),

her elder brother.In the year 200 A.H./815 A.D, Imam Reza (A.S.) was forced to leave Madinah Munawwarah by the orders of

Mamun,the Abbasid caliph. Imam Reza (A.S.) came alone to Marv (Khurasan) and did not

accompany any of his family members. In the year 201 A.H./816 A.D., Hadrat Fati-mah Masoumah (A.S.) accompanied by her brothers and other elders from the Ahlul Bayt (A.S.) left Madinah Munawwarah for Marv (Khurasan) to meet Imam Reza (A.S.). On

their way they were welcomed and greeted by the people of the different cities and

villages.

Page 2 The Guardianship

Advent of Imam Musa Ridha (as)

The Guardianship ا ���و � ���

The ‘minimal’ or ‘maximal’ nature of religion As we have indicated earlier in discussing the relation-ship between religion and politics, some suggest that we have to examine this issue from an outward reli-gious viewpoint, and adding that before referring to religion and its content, we have to see what in princi-ple we expect from religion.The answer they give is that we should expect the least from religion—that is what we must do so as to be worthy of paradise, in order not to be sent to the hellfire and in order not be subjected to the chastisement of the hereafter. In a nutshell, our expectation from religion must be eluci-dation of the issues relevant to the hereafter. Religion is neither responsible for explaining worldly affairs nor has it explained them. For explaining issues of this sort, mankind has to rely on its knowledge and intellect. In connection with this theory, we should say that as a matter of fact although our life is manifested in two spheres: worldly and otherworldly, i.e. when we are born, our mundane life in this world begins, and it ends with death, and then we enter another world in purga-tory [barzakh] until the general Resurrection takes place,21 we have to keep in mind that this does not mean that our life affairs and actions in this world have two parts: one is related to the life in this world while the other is related to the hereafter. In essence, one’s deeds and one’s behaviour that can ensure his good life in the hereafter are but part of the worldly affairs: “Today is a time for work and not for reckoning, and tomorrow is a time for reckoning and not for work.” Therefore, the chief purpose of religion is to set instructions concerning the proper way of behaving in this very world, not to promulgate orders after our departure from this world! The question that arises here is: Does the period of a person’s life in this world (say, 60years) have two parts one is related to this world and the other is related to the hereafter? For example, are the first 30 years related to this world and the other 30 years to the hereafter?! Or, does each day which consists of 24 hours have two parts: the day and the night and one of them is related to this world and the other to the hereafter?! Or, does the 24-hour day alternately belong to this world and the hereafter?! Or, do in essence, we have nothing in this world which does not belong to the hereafter and do all our actions and moments in this world have an otherworldly nature; i.e. are they such that they can be useful or harmful for the hereafter and have, in one way or another, an effect on our life in the hereafter? According to the Islamic viewpoint, our otherworldly life is determined by our deeds and conduct in this world: “This world is the sowing ground for the hereafter.” We have to sow here and harvest there, and it is not correct to separate mundane life from the hereafter. All that we do in this world such as breath-

ing, winkling of the eyes, walking, sitting, sleeping, rising up, looking, building social relations, talking, listening, eating, marital and family relations, the relations be-tween the members of society, relations between government and people, and others can either have useful and beneficial effects or negative and arbitrary effects on our life in the hereafter. Thus, our life in this world does not have two distinct parts or separate realms—that is, one is related to this world and an-other to the hereafter. For example, it is true that eating food is something related to this world but it can be the cause of one’s chastisement in the fire of hell or otherwise:“Indeed those who consume the property of orphans wrongfully, only ingest fire into their bellies, and soon they will enter the Blaze.” When such people seemingly eat food and feel satiated with it, they actually consume something that will turn into fire in the hereafter and burn them. In other words, the very foods will torture them in the hellfire. But, if a person takes in food so as to become strong and have the capability of worshiping and obey-ing God, the act of eating will be considered a kind of worship [‘ibadah], for which he will be rewarded and be worthy of dwelling in the paradise. The meaning of ‘legitimacy’ [mashru‘iyyah] As we have already stated, what we mean by mashru‘iyyah here is rightfulness [haqqaniyyah]; that is, whether or not the person who is in charge of govern-ment and holds an administrative post has the right to assume the position. Or, regardless of his being meri-torious, righteous and just, does he have required legal right and credibility to rule, or not? And regardless of whether or not the laws he is enacting and implement-ing are good and just laws and gearing toward the general interests of society, does this person have the right in principle to be the executor of these laws? Given the above explanation, it has become clear that in terms of lexicography, the word mashru‘iyyah is derived from shar‘, but since this word is equivalent to the English word “legitimacy” which stands for “legality” and “rightfulness”, it is not exclusive to divine or religious law, religion and religiosity or that the above questions apply only to them. Rather, they apply to any ruler and government. Also, all schools of politi-cal philosophy and political philosophers face such questions. It has also become clear that the view that the word “legitimacy” means “the goodness ofaw and its compatibility with expediency” proposed by Plato, Aristotle and others is, in our opinion, not correct. This is the purpose of the discussion on legitimacy, which is not whether or not the law is good, complete and capable of ensuring the society’s welfare but the focus is on the executor of the law—i.e. what the basis of granting him the right to execute is. Also, the discus-sion on legitimacy is not on the manner of the imple-

mentation of law—that is, assuming that the law is good and without defect—is it implemented well and properly, or the executors lacked the competence required to execute the law, or not? Rather, assuming that both the law and its implementation are totally good and without defect, the question is on the principle by which they hold their posts. Here the opposite of legitimacy [mashru‘iyyah] is “usurpation” [ghasb] and illegitimate [ghayri mashru‘] gov-ernment means a “usurper” [ghasib] government. Thus, on the basis of our definition of “legitimacy” a government’s policy may be good and just but the government is a usurper and illegitimate one. Acceptability [maqbuliyyah] Acceptability [maqbuliyyah] means “people’s acceptance”. If the people show inclination toward a certain person or group and want him or it to take the sovereignty, and as a result, a government is established on the basis of the people’s demand, this government is said to enjoy accept-ability [maqbuliyyah], otherwise, it cannot be said that it enjoys acceptability. In other words, rulers and govern-ments can be divided into two basic kinds: (1) rulers and governments that exercise sovereignty on the basis of people’s consent and approval; and (2) rulers and govern-ments that impose their sovereignty on the people by force. Acceptability is applicable to the first category. The relationship between legitimacy and acceptability

The determination of the relationship between legitimacy and acceptability depends on something which we believe is the prerequisite of legitimacy. Obviously, when we suppose that the criterion of legitimacy of a government is people’s inclination and public consent and approval, then legitimacy and acceptability will be inseparable. Accordingly, any gov-ernment which is legitimate enjoys acceptability, and any government which is accepted by the public is regarded as legitimate. Along this line, we cannot assume that a govern-ment can be legitimate without the acceptance of the peo-ple, or that in spite of the people’s acceptance of the gov-ernment it cannot be legitimate. Nevertheless, if we take something other than the acceptance of the people as the criterion of legitimacy, then the distinction between legiti-macy and acceptability will be possible. It is possible to find rulers and governments that notwithstanding their legiti-macy are not accepted by the people. Or, it is possible to find rulers and governments that, in spite of the people’s inclination toward them and their being liked by the peo-ple, have no legitimacy and are categorized as usurping rulers and governments. Therefore, our main question is this: “What is the criterion of legitimacy in Islam?” If a clear answer is given to this question, the status of acceptability and role of the people in the Islamic government and wilayat al-faqih can be explained more lucidly. We shall deal

with rrrdxyt56 this issue in the discussion on “the role of the people in the Islamic government”.

See net issue

Women In Islam Women In Islam Women In Islam

one so desires or does not drink it or if another person commits an error in relation to this person, this second person can forgive or not forgive the error or that everyone distinguishes a hand which shakes because of illness or old age from a hand which one purpose-fully causes to shake. In spite of the fact that the issue of free will is a general human sense, why do some people follow the school of the fatalists? Of course, there are several important reasons which we shall recall here and they are that a human being sees that an environment has an effect upon another person, education is another, propaganda and social culture also, without doubt, affect the thoughts and spirit of a person. Sometimes, even, one’s economic position can provide a motive for movement in a human being and one cannot deny a factor. The totality of these cause one to assume that a person does not have free will, but rather that the external and internal factors join hands and force us to make a decision and that if these factors did not exist, we would not be faced with these problems. These are things which can be called ‘the environmental determinants’, ‘economic determinants’, ‘educational deter-minants’ and predestination are among the factors considered to be important by the school of fatalists. 2. The Main Error of the Fatalists: But those who think this way have forgotten an important point and it is that the discussion is not about motives and defective causes; the discussion is about complete causes. In other words, no one can deny the role played by the environment, culture and economics in the thoughts and acts of a human being. The discussion is that with all of these motives, the final decision still remains with us. Because we clearly sense that even in an erroneous system, one which rebels against God’s Com-mands like the monarchial system of the past, which had laid the groundwork for deviation, we were not obliged to deviate and to go to the canters of corruption. Thus, one must distinguish between and separate out bases and complete causes. Because of this, a great many people who live in comfort or have been nurtured in a deviated culture or they inherited unsuitability, at any rate, have sepa-

rated their way from that of others, and have either arisen or revolted against that environment, if every human being was supposed to be the child of his or her environment, culture and propagation of the times, To be continued

Islamic Belief The Issue of Predestination and Free Will One of the issues which is directly related to the issue of the justice of the Creator, is the question of predestination or free will. According to the fatalists (those who believe in predestina-tion), a human being has no choice whatever in his or her acts, behaviour or words and the movements of his organs are just like the predestined movements of tile parts of a machine. Thus, this question arises, how does this opinion relate to Divine Justice? And perhaps because of this, the group of the Asharites — the group we previously mentioned, who deny intellectual good and evil — have accepted predestination and deny justice. Why? Because when one accepts predestination, justice makes no sense. In order to further clarify this point, we are obliged to study several subjects with care: 1. The Roots of the Belief in Predestination: All people within their being sense that they are free to make decisions. For example, whether or not to give a loan to such and such a friend or that one drinks a glass of water placed before one, if

Page 3

THE CONCEPT OF WILAYATULFAQIH THE CONCEPT OF WILAYATULFAQIH (GUARDIANSHIP(GUARDIANSHIP OFOF A JURISTA JURIST))

Phone: +256752678472 +256700415595 +256702308696

Mosque , Importance and Management Mosque , Importance and Management Mosque , Importance and Management

Page 4 The Guardianship To Serve and Save

From previous issue ACTION POINTS: Mosque management1. Adopt a brief, written policy statement on safeguarding the welfare of children who are being educated in the madrasah. This policy should state clearly the duty of everyone in the organisation to prevent harm com-ing to children.2. Give a copy of the statement to parents, and all paid staff and volunteers. Tell staff and volunteers about any guidelines or training which will help them to put the policy statement into practice.3. Make sure all key people are familiar with local child protection procedures. Make sure you have a copy of them for teachers, administrators and parents to look at. 4. Get advice and then follow good practice in identifying and delivering appropri-ate education to children with special educational needs. 5. Develop a madrasah code of behaviour for children and a madrasah discipline procedure. Staff management 1 Choose a senior member of staff to take the lead on all child protection and student discipline issues. Give them support with their train-ing and development in these areas. 2 Give all staff and volunteers guidance on their roles, particularly about disciplining children. The guidance should say clearly which members of staff are responsible for the behaviour and performance aspects of children’s education.3 Make sure all staff are adequately super-vised. This reinforces good teaching methods and helps detect any potential problems.4 Put child pro-tection issues on the agenda of staff and management meetings regularly.5 Have written grievance policies and procedures to deal with concerns about the conduct of teachers and volunteers. 6 Carry out Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks on all new staff when they are recruited. It is good practice to carry out CRB checks on existing staff too, unless they have already been cleared.1 Ask all job appli-cants to give details of their previous experience – voluntary or paid – of working with children. They should also be asked to give their permission for you to contact at least one person for a reference. 2 Before appointing any member of staff, you should get an appropriate reference from at least one per-

4 All new members of staff should be inter-viewed by at least two members of the mosque or madrasah management to de-cide on their suitability. 5 Mosque or ma-drasah management should consider making a person’s appointment depend on their successfully completing a probationary period of between three to six months. This would allow some level of monitoring of all new staff Community development Islam is not just about rituals and religious worship but rather an all-embracing Deen (way of life). It believes in the development of strong communities and families for a healthy and prosperous society. Therefore Muslims can never be isolationist or segre-gate themselves. They should be part and parcel of the society they live in, and have a duty to make things better. Mosques have a major role in contributing to the develop-ment of their members, worshippers and the general community – Muslim and non-Muslim. Many mosques do provide activities other than worship, and provide front-line services. However, much more is needed and can be done, particularly with the chal-lenges and issues the Muslim community faces. It is becoming more common for the non-Muslims living around the mosques in inner city areas to face these same chal-lenges and issues. This chapter is therefore devoted to helping you know more about community development and how to work with mainstream service providers and the wider community. What is community development? Community development is a broad term applied to how civic leaders, activists, in-volved citizens and professionals work to improve various aspects of local communi-ties. See next issue

Affective Muslim. This time’s post is about commuting Productive Muslim style! ;) How you can make the most of those long hours on the road so that they truly add value to your life (and afterlife) instead of subtracting from it. Now this all depends on which commuting vehicle you're using (and trust me, I’ve used them all). Below is a breakdown of what you can do in each type of commut-ing vehicle. But before we get into that, a few prerequi-sites:1.!When you leave your house, remember the dua for leaving the house.Bismillahi tawakkaltu allah lah la hawla wala kuwata ila billa (In the name of Allaah, I place my trust in Allaah, and there is no might nor power except with Allaah.’)Allahumma innee a'uoo-zubika an adhilla auw adhalla auw azilla auw uzalla auw auw uzhlama auw ajhala auw yujhala 'alaiyya ‘O Allaah, I take refuge with You lest I should stray or be led astray, or slip or be tripped, or oppress or be oppressed, or behave foolishly or be treated foolishly.’ 2.!Remember the dua for riding a vehicle: Bismillah. Alhamdulilah. SubhanAll-ladhi, sakhkhara ana, haatha, wa-ma kunna lahu mukrineen. Wa inna ila Rubbina lamunqalibuun.! ‘In the name of Allaah and all praise if for Allaah. How perfect He is, the One Who has placed this (Transport) at our service and we ourselves would not have been capable of that, and to our Lord if our final destiny. 3.! Invest in a good MP3 player, either an MP3 player with A-B functionality or an iPod Touch/iPhone with a Quran Application installed ! (here’s a guide on how to“Islamize your iPod Touch/iPhone")With the above sorted, here are some Productive Muslim to-do’s whilst commuting in each vehicle: Bike: Things you can do while riding your bike: Memorize the Quran:!Using your MP3 player with A-B Functionality you can specify where your MP3 player should start on a track, and where it should end, then loop it. can choose a Quran track and specify from which verse the recitation should begin and which verse it should stop at, then repeat these verses as many times as you want. The result: memorizing a whole set of new verses! Next day move on to the next set of verses and repeat the process as you cycle along. (For this to truly work, I suggest you memorize the verses at home first before you leave your house, ideally after Fajr Salah, and then listen to them on your way to work and back).!The iPod Touch/iPhone can be used in a similar way using the excellent iQuran Pro software. Here’s a detailed step by step guide to using the iQuran :....To be contin-ued.

Imam Ali (as) said :

Two types of people

will fall into ruin over

me: the one who loves

exaggerates and the

other who lays false and

baseless blames.

Contentment Of Imam Ridha’ (a.s)

Sulaiman Ibn Ja'far says: When I came to Imam Ridha’ (a.s) one day I saw that he was seated on an old mat. I said, “Though the Imam is the heir-apparent of the kingdom nothing royal is seen in his house.” He said, “What all accord-ing to you should be there for a person over whom death is hover-ing?” I said, “At least there should be some-thing.” He said, “O Sulaiman! You want to see that which people like and I see that which Allah likes. Everything is available for my needs. See this drinking bowl, this mat, this sheet, this container for vinegar. Tell me what else is needed? Do these things not fulfill my needs?” I said, “What the Imam says is right.” The Imam said, “Then this much is sufficient for us, we do not need anything else. O Sulaiman! I have not come here to rule. I have accepted the heir-apparency to protect the rights of people.”

The Guardianship

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