Monthly Archives: November 2013

November 22

Die Like Hussain, Walk Like Zainab

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I remember when I first came across the poetry of Yazeed. He was touted as a master of description. Naturally, he is drawn to the opposite sex in his work. So many of the classic Arab poets have taken up that subject matter. Their physical appearance; the description of white flesh, red lips, and the […]

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November 19

Mohammad Ali Naquvi : The Logic and Emotional Aspects of Commemoration

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Some say that it is overly dramatic to say that the Caliph Yazid and his forces committed the greatest injustice in the history of mankind by killing Imam Hussain (AS), grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), in Karbala in the Year 680 A.D. It is important to take this matter seriously because it questions the […]

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November 12

Fahd Ahmed : Hussain The Spirit of Islam

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The significance of Imam Hussain’s (as) struggle is not limited just to the Shia, or even for that matter, to the Muslims. The struggle, the cause, and the principle that Imam Hussain (as) invited to was for all people, of all places, and of all times. It is this same struggle that every Prophet, from […]

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November 10

Abbas Rattani: Muharram, Community, Privilege and Power

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A year ago, I wrote a piece on why non-Shi’as should attend Shi’a events, arguing that history is often dictated/determined by the group in power, and in our current case, “Islam” is dictated primarily by heterosexual Sunni Arab men (with some influence from South Asian men).  Syntax and grammatical issues aside, the article raised some […]

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November 08

(Dis)Honoring Imam Hussain’s Legacy?

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I remember when I used to anticipate the beginning of Muharram.  Not because it’s something to celebrate, but because it brought me close to my community and close to my faith as we commemorated the sacrifice that Imam Hussain made for Islam.  It’s not just that he was beloved to the Prophet of Islam, rather […]

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November 07

Justin Mashouf : Telling the Story of Ashura in America

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The event of Ashura is arguably the most singularly impactful story in Shia identity. This tragic event in which the grandson of the Prophet is slain while thirsty in the battle field, surrounded by the corpses and of his own family members and close friends, has been and continues to be central in a diverse […]

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November 06

Dungeons of Damascus

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Dungeons of Damascus Hear the author reciting Dungeons of Damascus   She wept for her father In the dungeons of Damascus “I had heard of orphans But never felt the pain I cry now, orphaned In the dungeons of Damascus They slap me when I cry They have beaten us from Karbala They still curse us […]

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Muharram November 05

Hussain: What’s in a name?

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The name “Hussain”  is a young child sitting in a crowded mosque and seeing her parents cry for the first time at the tale of a far-off event that seems impossibly remote. It is emotional, black-clad multitudes in grim processions, shaking with sorrow for the household of the Prophet killed nearly fourteen centuries ago. Hussain […]

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Imam Hussain November 03

Preserving Islam : Karbala A Universal Paradigm

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On the day of Ashura, Imam Hussain called out “Is there any helper to help us?” This call extends to us to the present day, since the larger struggle of Good vs. Evil that Imam Husayn fought on the tenth of Muhurram 681 AD is still an on-going struggle to this day.  Imam wasn’t looking […]

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