The Photographic Adventures

“We are just people,” Ahmed said. “No matter what race or religion, we need to help each other out.

Qaiser Sin Ahmed

Qaiser is from Mosul, Iraq. He watched his brother and father get murdered in front of him by ISIS. He had to flee to Erbil for his safety. He now works at a local restaurant and makes only $12/month, which is not nearly enough to feed all 17 members of his family. Despite this, he came to the Islamic Relief USA food distribution with a bright smile. He went through the lines, and right before receiving his package of food, he raised his hands and said, “Alhamdulillah.” (praise be to God.)

photos from the DC vigil for the children of Peshawar in Dupont Circle

They went to school and never came back…

Often we think of school as a safe place for our children, and our hearts are at ease that they’ll be ok there. But that was proven wrong again on Tuesday, December 16, 2014 with the horrific acts against the innocent children of Peshawar, Pakistan. 132 children were killed mercilessly by the Taliban during their school day. Many more children and teachers were injured and are still in critical condition. What was their crime? Children are the most innocent human beings. They are just learning the world and dreaming as they go on. So why were they killed? Their parents dropped them off at school and waved them good-bye. These children entered school just like any other day in their clean uniforms and cheery smiles. Little did they know that they would face the most horrific atrocities of the time that day.

Photo: reciting a suplication after the dhuhur prayer

Unbreakable Faith

Today marked the death anniversary of Imam Husain and his companions on the plains of Karbala. In the year 680 CE, Imam Husain faced the armies of Yazid. One by one, his companions gave their lives. Imam Husain’s army was 72 strong while the opposition had 30,000 (according to some scholars it could be as less as 20,000 or up to 100,000). They were largely out numbered in physical strength. However, if you were to measure the firmness of faith of these 72 men, there was no match for them. They were unhindered in their faith and belief of the right path. These companions and family members of Imam Husain had no doubts in their minds that Imam Husain was doing the right thing, and therefore, they willingly gave their lives away for the grandson of the Holy Prophet Mohammed.

This rigidness of faith is something that I need to apply in my own life. When talking about faith here, I don’t just mean faith in God, but also faith in the people around you and yourself. We fill our minds with doubts about ourselves and our relationships. From Imam Husain’s companions and himself we learn that we first need to have faith in ourselves. If Imam Husain didn’t have faith in himself for being on the right path then he would never have stood up to fight against Yazid. But he knew he was right and because of that he recognized the position he had to take. After we are able to believe in ourselves we will recognize our capabilities and role in the community. The Imam’s companions had faith in themselves and therefore recognized that they had to protect the Imam. That was their purpose.

Another facet of this faith, and something that I struggle greatly with, is having faith in our relationships. We need to do our best to not doubt the intentions of others and instead try to make excuses for why they acted a way. For example if a comment is said to you and it doesn’t seem nice, just think in your head that maybe that person is having a bad day so they took it out on you.

Faith in one another gives value to a relationship and always pulls you back to the relationship if you are having a tough time.

Photo: Replica of the shrine of Abbas ibne Ali at Idara-e-Jaferia in Burtonsville, MD. The original shrine is in Karbala, Iraq. 

Loyalty, the essence of it Abbas Ibne Ali

Similar to friendship is the concept of loyalty. In life we should always try to be loyal to our friends, our families and ourselves. However, first we should define what exactly it means to be loyal. In Merriam-Webster’s dictionary the term loyal is defined as “having or showing complete and constant support for someone or something.” The phrase that resonates in my mind with this definition is ‘constant support’. This means that we always support no matter what. It means we don’t change our minds for selfish purposes.

When I think of loyalty my mind goes straight to the King of Loyalty, also known as Abbas Ibne Ali (Abbas the son of Ali). There is no better role model for loyalty than Abbas. He was the brother of Imam Husain who also sacrificed his life on the day of 10th Moharram. However, his story is like no one else’s.

Imam Ali, the father of Imam Husain, had prayed for a son that could protect Imam Husain from any adversary. He wanted a brave warrior. God answered his prayers with a son named Abbas. Ever since he was a child his purpose was to be the defender of Imam Husain. He loved and respected him so much that he never even called Imam Husain brother. Abbas Ibne Ali would always call him by saying ‘master’ or ‘leader’. His bravery became so famous among the Arabs that people feared him. They knew that if they were to face him in battle they would not stand a chance. This brave warrior was put to the ultimate test in the battle of Karbala. Imam Husain told him to guard the ladies and children. Every time Abbas asked him permission to go fight on the day of Ashura Imam Husain would refuse his request. He would tell Abbas that if you went to fight then there would be no one to safeguard the women and children.

Now imagine if your purpose in life was to fight for Imam Husain. That was what was instilled in you since the day you were born. Then on the day that you were able to fulfill that purpose to show that loyalty and love, you were not allowed to fight. How would that make you feel?

Finally, Abbas asked if he could go fetch some water from the river for the children, as they had been thirsty for 3 days. Imam Husain reluctantly agreed. He knew that if Abbas left he would not return. However, he told Abbas that he could only go and get water and then he must return to the camp. Abbas went to the river and got the water. Abbas was also thirsty and had not drunk water in 3 days as well. But he didn’t dare take one sip of the water. He knew his master was still thirsty. Upon returning back to the camps the enemies attacked him from behind. He fought them off bravely. They knew that if they keep going, then he would finish them all. The enemy decided to hide in the trees and attacked shot at him. He was outnumbered and they took him down. The enemy killed him, and Imam Husain knew his army had fallen after Abbas had died.

For me, what is so pivotal about this story is that he was so thirsty, but even being near the water he didn’t dare to drink it. He had water on his hands but he didn’t put a single drop in his mouth. That is the ultimate test of loyalty.

Photo: using prayer beads after salaat

Remaining Patient

In the world we live in we have everything at our fingertips. Technology has allowed us to get what we need immediately. In a way we’ve become used to having this kind of immediacy in our lives. And when something isn’t that way we complain. If our web browser takes more than 5 seconds too load it’s too long for us too wait. If our package doesn’t arrive within 24 hours of buying it we get frustrated. We lose our patience. We’re too busy to wait for things. In reality, we need to exercise more patience in our lives and there’s no better role model for patience than Imam Husain and his companions.

Imam Husain is the embodiment of patience and an exemplar for how to remain patient in our lives today. He was faced with so many trials and tribulations but he never complained. Not once did he lose his temper although we would think that he had every right to do so.

Imam Husain was forced to leave his home, Medina, within a day’s notice. He remained patient. He had to leave his Haj because Yazid’s men had plotted to kill him during Haj. He remained patient. He found out his messenger/cousin who he sent to the city of Kufa was killed. He remained patient. Him and his family had to set camp in the lands of Karbala. He remained patient. He watched his friends sacrifice his life for him. He remained patient. He witnessed his sons, nephews, and brothers fight and be massacred by Yazid’s army. He remained patient.

Now after all this, we ask ourselves how can one man endure all of this and not lose his cool. How does he still have the strength to fight on? The answer is that he had firm belief in God and knew that if he would be killed then Islam would be saved.

Photo: Three friends just enjoying themselves at a park

Fulfilling Friendships 

What would you do for your friends? Would you do anything in your power to keep them happy? Would you be there for them if they were sad? Would you help them in every situation if needed? Do we do whatever we can for our friends or are they just there for namesake?

We can learn from the story of Habib ibne Mazahir the true essence of friendship and how it should be fulfilled. 

Habib ibne Mazahir was a childhood friend of Imam Husain. They were very close to each other, but later in life they had to separate due to circumstances. However, they never lost their friendship. When Imam Husain was forced to leave his hometown he wrote to Habib ibne Mazahir explaining to him his situation and what Yazid was doing. Imam Husain asked Habib if he would fight with him in his stand against Yazid, the tyrant of the time. When the letter came to Habib he opened it and read it. He told his wife what his maula (master, referring to Imam Husain) had asked of him. Habib’s wife asked him what his decision was. Habib told her that he was thinking. She immediately said, “the grandson of the Holy Prophet has asked you to fight and you are thinking? Where is your sword? I will go fight with him!” (this isn’t the exact quote of what she said, but this is a gist of it) Habib knew he had to go before his wife even said that. He was concerned for her well-being. But he was more concerned for his old friend, Imam Husain. He therefore left his wife, and with his servant he went to the lands of Karbala. There he met his old friend, Imam Husain. Habib fought for Imam Husain and sacrificed his life for the religion of Islam. He showed the ultimate test of friendship. He showed us how to fulfill a true friendship.

Photo: A Light in the Dark

It is Never Too Late to be Better

Often in life we find that doing wrong is a lot easier than doing the right thing. We continue to do wrong and this evilness grows inside. But somewhere inside there’s always this light. Our conscience is always saying, ‘hey, you should probably not do that.’ But we do it anyway. It sometimes becomes a constant struggle inside yourself battling your conscience and your desires.

A man like this became one of the heroes of Karbala by listening to his conscience. His name was Hurr. He was the commander of Yazid’s army and was the person that stopped Imam Husain’s caravan in the lands of Karbala. He was the reason Imam Husain and his caravan were in Karbala. In simplicity, he brought him to the place where he was going to be killed. But whenever he met Imam Husain he treated him with respect. Inside he battled with himself to either fight with Yazid and gain worldly fame or die for Imam Husain and gain the beauties of heaven. On the ninth day of Moharram, the night before the battle of Karbala took place, he heard the cries of the children in Imam Husain’s camp. He could not take the guilt inside anymore because he knew he was the reason Imam Husain’s children were thirsty as he had closed off the water to Imam Husain’s camps. Hurr knew he had caused the holy family of the Prophet that pain. In those last few moments of the night before the dawn of battle he made up his decision to join Imam Husain. He didn’t know how he should even approach Imam Husain and ask forgiveness, but he came to him and got on his knees to beg him for forgiveness. Without even thinking twice Imam Husain embraced Hurr accepted his forgiveness and thanked him for joining his side. That day, Hurr also sacrificed his life for the cause of Imam Husain. He struggled with himself to figure out what is right

Just like that, we need to struggle to find out what is the truth and how to act upon it. On the other end, we learn from Imam Husain’s forgiveness that it is never too late to repent. It is never too late to be good again.

Photo: Quds Day Protest in St. Louis, Mo. 

Stand Up for the Oppressed

One lesson that I know I learned from Imam Husain and the tragedy of Karbala is how to stay true to your heart and what is right. Imam Husain stood up against the tyrant of his time and was killed because he took that stance. Imagine losing everything you have because you simply spoke out for the oppressed. You didn’t want others to suffer and therefore you expressed your opinion. In today’s terms, you’re only exercising your freedom of speech, but in the time of Imam Husain his stance was punished by death and imprisonment of his family.

Imam Husain stood for the right path, and belief of the message of the Prophet of God. He did what he thought would preserve the religion. He showed us to not accept people who wrong you or deceive you and others. Speak out against them, and do something about it. Don’t watch people being oppressed. Sometimes this means we may have to ruin our reputations, or lose some of our friends. But it also means that we should never be scared to face a tyrant. Imam Husain wasn’t afraid of death, nor was his army. They were firm in their belief and thanked God that they were dying for a beautiful cause.

Now for our day-to-day lives we should remember to always try to speak out when we see injustice occurring. It may be peer that is being bullied, or a boss that is taking advantage of their employees. Don’t just watch it happen, but instead stop it so that you can prevent it form happening in the future. We don’t need to conform to society because everyone else is doing it. Imam Husain teaches us to stand up even if you are very few in number but determined in faith.

Photo: Ya Hussain (O Hussain)

The Importance of the Sacrifice of Imam Hussain Intro

Around the world, Shias are in a state of mourning.

It is an annual occasion of mourning. We mourn to remember the tragedy of the events of Karbala. Every year we gather, and every year we hear the same stories. We’ve heard them so much that every time the speaker begins telling the story the tears already come in our eyes before he/she finishes. And yet we keep these stories only to ourselves. Most of the people reading this and aren’t shia won’t know what I’m talking about. That is because we don’t share the story of Karbala as much as we should. 

In Islamic history, there came a time after the Holy Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) died that religion wasn’t being followed in the same way that the he left it. The ruler at the time, Yazid, had given a different look to Islam that went against all of the teaching of the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). Yazid was a person that gambled, committed adultery, watched music and dance, drank alcohol, and much more. He was the so-called Muslim ruler at the time, and was leading a life that was strictly against the principles of the Prophet. The grandson of the Prophet, Imam Husain, stood up against him. He could not let Yazid ruin his grandfather’s religion. Because he took a firm stance against him, Yazid ordered him to be killed. This led to the events of Karbala. The family of the Prophet and true followers of Islam were on one side of the battle, and Yazid and his huge army were on the other side. Even though the Imam Husain and his beloved army of 72 were killed, their legacy remains. He sacrificed his life for the religion of Islam. Till this day he is remembered by millions around the world. We mourn for his loss and the suffering his family had to endure.

Now one might ask, why we remember this event every year with so much passion and emotion. The reality is, that this sacrifice is the reason our religion exists the way it is today. We cannot forget it, and we want to give our respects to the family of the Prophet by remembering this event. Furthermore, not only does it remind us of our purpose, but it teaches us basic life lessons. The events of Karbala and the stories within it can help us with our day-to-day living. We cannot just remember it only in the first 10 days of Moharram and then forget about it the rest of the year. We need to remember him every day. Therefore every year we spend time to rekindle our faith and remember our purpose as human beings. And that is why we should spread the message of the tragedy of Karbala not just within the Shia, but outside as well. The heroes of Karbala aren’t our own to keep for ourselves. They are role models for humanity. That is why there stories need to be told.

Too long have people misunderstood what we do in Moharram, and it is time we spread the message to everyone.

The Floating Mosque in Penang, Malaysia. 

Singapore Botanical Gardens. 

Ferguson, MO

Quds Day Rally in St. Louis, Missouri

Rally for Humanity Photos

Photos from the Quds Day Rally

Rally for Humanity in St. Louis, Missouri

Over 150 people gathered yesterday outside of Senator Claire McCaskill's office for a peaceful demonstration against the injustices around the world. Their motto was to end oppression, and to end it now. 

Quds Day is known as a day for those who are oppressed. People are oppressed all around the world, and on the day of Quds, or the last Friday in Ramadan, Muslims are supposed to stand up for these people. 

"We need to be a voice to the voiceless," said one of the speakers. 

The demonstrators came with signs, flags, and loud voices to protest on the middle of a grassy patch on Delmar Road. It was a mixed group of Muslims from different mosques in St. Louis, as well as many friends from the community including several Jewish activists who also spoke at the demonstration. 

Constant honking of horns and shouts came from the passing by traffic in support for the demonstrators. As there isn't many pedestrians in that area, the main audience of the demonstrators was the passing traffic. Their goal was to voice their opinion to be heard by the government officials and the people in the community.

The children and youth at our Islamic center stayed after the lecture to make posters for Al-Quds day tomorrow. Al Quds day is a day for us to remember the oppressed around the world, and voice our opinion. It is a day that Muslims protest against the injustices around the world. It was created by Ayatollah Khomeini as a way to protest against the Zionist regime and the rights of those oppressed in Palestine.

This year our protest in St. Louis, Missouri is against the injustice done to humanity. We aren’t trying to support one group over another, but just trying to prevent the killing of innocent children. As most people know, the media hasn’t been doing a very good job in the West in depicting the atrocities that are happening in Gaza right now. The rate at which children in Gaza are dying is alarmingly high, and there is very little media coverage about the horrific events that are taking place there. People’s homes have been bombed, office spaces, and even hospitals. And in the midst of this political unrest, innocent children are becoming victims of the blasts.

Our demonstration will have no slogans or calls in support of one group or another. It will simply be a call for intervention to protect and preserve the children who are dying needlessly. Their stand is not motivated by faith, race, or culture, but just a stance to save the lives of the innocent who are being killed from war.

So even if you’re not Muslim, or Palestinian, or from any other country that is being oppressed I urge you to attend one of the Quds Day protests in your region.

Stand for those oppressed.

Stand for the children who don’t deserve to die.

Give your voice to the voiceless.