Category Archives: Ashura

Hussain October 13

Adeeba Talukder : A Poem on Yazid

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Time is a curve of loss, rind pressed against rind, skin against skin, until the solid fruit lies weak, shapeless.   But watch the syrup as it falls into the cup, glistening and whole.   Life, in the end, could not mold him in the way of sap:   He lay, thick, sagging with wine, […]

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October 12

Cyrus McGoldrick: “Ashura”, A poem

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I saw a casket go by, and as it passed,
An image came to mind – long was its path.
I thought of the years, the tears and the laughs…
Signs for the future writ in blood of the past.

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October 12

Zainab: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

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1400 years ago, Lady Zainab, grand daughter of the Holy Prophet, daughter of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Lady Fatima,and sister of Hasan and Hussein, the guardians of the youth of paradise, kept the revolution of Karbala alive. This great lady, a beacon of light not only for women but all of humanity, stood up […]

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October 19

Zehra Naqvi : What Disunity Costs Our Ummah

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We are all in it together. This Muharram, reflecting on our shared past has actually made me look to the future and reflect on the legacy our umaah will leave behind for future generations. History will tell whether our legacy will be one of unity or divisiveness. There are many good people committed to doing this work, and I pray that all of us commit to do right by all of our communities, very much in the spirit of the Quran, Prophet Muhammad, and his family.

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October 17

Qari Zuhair Hussaini : The Quran And Karbala

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I would think about this and I ponder on the status of the Holy Qur’an within their mission compared to that of mine. I would go days or even weeks without picking up the very book which they spent the night engrossed in. How can I claim to call myself his follower if I cannot even spend time to recite the Book of Allah (swt)? Did Imam Hussain not say on the day of Ashura, “If the religion of Muhammad (pbuh) were not to stand unless by my killing, O swords! So take me?” Is the Qur’an not the crux of the religion of Muhammad?

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Hymns of Karbala December 03

Poetry : Hymns of Karbala

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  Listen to the author recite Hymns of Karbala : Hymns of Karbala The 1990s were the years of El Niño, the Golden Age of hip-hop, the Gilded Age of commerce. The Roaring Nineties brought opulence, decadence, and freshly minted robber barons on the information superhighway. The landscape awash with ideas, brimming with innovation, the […]

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November 07

Imam Hussain (as): Language, Perception and Reality

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In other words, while we understand Imām al-Ḥussain (as) through words, slogans, and adjectives, they only serve as a medium through which to understand his essential character and mission. The words themselves are not the reality. As a result, we must understand each word that we use to describe him or Islam in general in context. Otherwise, if we continue to use words like justice, peace, and humanity, without questioning the mental concepts they produce and the current forces that are shaping their meanings and colloquial use, we may internalize our faith through false notions.

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November 01

Justin Mashouf : Muharram in the age of ISIS

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  Muharram commemoration rituals have been seen by many in the Muslim world to be a divisive performance of sectarian identity displayed by the Shia community. From the outside, these traditions of mourning, chest beating and in some cases self flagellation, tend to be viewed as a Shia declaration of separation from the larger Muslim […]

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October 29

Zehra Naqvi : Why I am Shia

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Those that think Shias worship these historical characters misunderstand us and misconstrue the truth: we are simply awed and humbled by the example the Prophet’s family provided of what true faith and honor mean. The lessons we inherited are not about martyrdom or death, but using our lives to serve as worthy representatives of a legacy of social justice, protection of minority rights, and community building. I reflect on these stories often, and I join millions of people around the world in mourning their loss and honoring their lives and legacies during Muharram. A shared sense of community, built around honoring the principles of the Quran and legacy of the Prophet’s family, is also why I’m Shia.

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October 26

Mirzya Syed: Karbala A Spirit of Transcendence

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There is unkindness in this world, and ugliness in character, whether in politicians and lawmakers of governments, in the media and society at large, or even unfortunately amongst ourselves, and within our very beings. So Inshallah, in the spirit of the kindness of the Ahlul Bayt, may we all better ourselves and forgive each other, speak only highly of each other, and always be good to each other and all of the people we come across in life, regardless of who they are, Ameen.

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