THE SIGNS OF RETURN

Jan 4, '13 6:50 AM for everyone

Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said, "I swear by Allah that your Imam will go into an occultation for a number of years … [during that period] the eyes of the true believers shall be filled with tears [due to being separated from him]." (Bihar al-Anwar) Every believer yearns for the reappearance of the Twelfth Imam and thus we seek out signs of his imminent return. Although both the signs of the Day of Judgment and the signs of the Reappearance are generally fused together in Islamic writings, some books have listed signs specific to the Reappearance alone. Of the many signs, some may or may not occur, while other signs must occur before the Imam returns. Amongst the general signs are pessimism, cruelty, oppression, and anarchy among the people, while some of the more specific ones are listed below: Signs in the Skies - Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (peace be upon him) said, "Two signs will come before the one who will arise - there will be an eclipse of the sun in the middle of the month of Ramadan and an eclipse of the moon at the end of it. These are signs which have not occurred since Adam came down." (Kitab al-Irshad) - The sun will rise from the West and the vast skies will become red. (Al-Yawaqeet wal-Jawahir) - A distinctly sparkling star will rise from the East. In Eqdud-Durar it is said two stars will rise, while traditions in Fusul al-Muhimma state it will be a single star that will break into two. Signs on Earth - A fire will break out in the East that will last between three to seven days. - A flood will occur in the roads of Kura after the River Euphrates will split. - Not only will a "black wind" blow throughout Baghdad, but an earthquake will also take place there. The earthquake will affect only a specific section of Baghdad, causing it to collapse. - The Awaited Savior's noble grandfather, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said, "Before the one who will arise, there will be red death and white death; there will be locusts, at their usual time and at their unusual time, like the colors of blood. As for red death, that is (from) the sword, while white death is (from) plague." - Agriculture will be at a low and there will be heavy rains (some sources say it will rain approximately 20 consecutive times). In reference to both occurrences, Imam as-Sadiq said, "Before (the coming of) the one who will rise, there will be a year of abundant rain in which the fruits and the dates on the palms will be destroyed. But do not complain of that." (Kitab al-Irshad) Signs of the Ummah - Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) said, "The hour (of the end of the world) will not arise until the Mahdi from my descendants comes forth. The Mahdi will not come forth until sixty liars come forward, each of them declaring to be a prophet." - Imam as-Sadiq said, "The one who will arise will not come forth until twelve of the Bani Hashim come forth before him, all of them summoning men to themselves [claiming the Imamat for themselves]." - The Turks and Romans will argue amongst themselves. - The Arabs will gain more power. - Armies will make their way towards places such as Syria, Egypt, Khorasan, and Hira. (Kitab al-Irshad) The Rising of Sufyani The rising of Sufyani is mentioned in numerous traditions. Known as Uthman bin Anbasa, the Syrian descendant of Yazid will fight against the supporters of Allah's Proof. (Islam: Faith, Practice & History) He will have an army of thousands which will spread cruelty wherever it travels. (Eqdud-Durar) At one point, some of Sufyani's army will sink into the ground. This place will be known as Baidah and will be located either between Makkah and Madina, or in Madina itself. (Sharh Nahjul Balagha) The Rising of Khurasani In Khurasan, Iran, a descendant of Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) will come to power and establish an Islamic government. He and a group of courageous Muslims will initially defeat Sufyani's army in Iraq. However, the tide will turn and Sufyani will gain the upper hand, forcing the Khurasani Hasani to retreat towards Makkah where he will remain until he can join the Twelfth Imam after his reappearance. (Al-Mahdi) The Killing of Nafs-e-Zakiyya Nafs-e-Zakiyya means "Pure Soul". Imam al-Baqir said, "There will be no longer than fifteen nights between the killing of the pure soul and the appearance of the one who will rise." (Kitab al-Irshad) The same book details that a pure soul will be killed on the outskirts of Kufa with 70 righteous men. Upon the death of Nafs-e-Zakiyya, a voice will resonate from the skies declaring, "Be aware that your ruler is the Mahdi who shall fill the earth with truth and justice." (Eqdud-Durar) The Crucial Call Abu Hamza ath-Thumali once asked Imam al-Baqir, "Is the revolt of the Sufyani one of the things which must happen?" The Imam replied, "Yes. The call is one of the things which must happen, as is the rising of the sun from the west one of the things which must happen. The dispute of the Abbasids over the state is also one of them, and the killing of the pure soul. The appearance of the one who will arise from the family of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and his family, is another of the things which must happen." Upon being asked about the call, the Imam elaborated, "There will be a call from the sky at the beginning of the day: 'Indeed the truth is with Ali and his Shia.' Then at the end of the day Shaytan will call from the Earth, 'Indeed the truth is with Uthman and his supporters.' At that the false one will feel doubt." (Kitab al-Irshad) The call from the sky will be heard by everyone, but not all will reply. We need to reach such a strong point in our faith that when the time comes, we will be able to answer our Imam's call with utmost sincerity and conviction. While we have some knowledge about the signs of our Imam's reappearance, not all of these are guaranteed to occur. We should not wait solely for the occurrence of these signs; rather we should be waiting for the Reappearance, which means using our brief life in this world to prepare of his arrival.  The Commander of the Faithful once said, "Await the relief and do not despair from the mercy of Allah, because indeed the most beloved of actions with Allah, the Noble and Grand, is awaiting the relief." (Bihar al-Anwar) Before the signs take place, we must ask ourselves: Are we using our time wisely  as we wait for our Imam? Are we making efforts to improve ourselves to the extent that we may be worthy of helping the Master of our Age, whenever it will be that he graces us with his presence? Are we ready for his arrival?

DUA FOR PROTECTION OF SELF AND WEALTH

Jan 4, '13 6:51 AM for everyone

Dua’a: Dua’a For protection of self and wealth Sheikh Kulaini (a.r) in his Book ‘Kafi’ mentions that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) said whoever recites the first four Verses of Suratul Baqara, The Holy Quran (Surah 2, The Cow, verses1, 2, 3, 4), Ayatul Kursi and two Verses after it (Surah 2, The Cow, verses 255,256, 257) and the last three Verses of Suratul Baqara (Surah 2, The Cow, verses 284,285,286), will not experience anything abominable in his body and property. The Devil will not come near him and he will not forget the Qur’an.  Transliteration: BISMILLA IR RAHMA NIR RAHIM ALIF LAM MIM ZALEKAL KITABO LA-RAIBA FEEHE-HOODAL-LIL MOOTTAQINAL-LAZINA YOOMINOONA BIL-GHAIBE WA YOOQIMOO-NAS SALATA WA MIMMA RAZAQNA-HOOM YOONFEQOONA, VAL-LAZINA YOOMENOONA BEMAA-OONZILA ELAIKA VA-MAA-OONZILA MIN QABLIK WA BIL AAKHERATE HOOM YOOQENOON Alif Lam Mim This is the Book, there is no doubt in it, (being the word of God) (it is) a guidance for the pious, (ones). Who believe in the unseen, and establish the prayers and of what We have provided them with, they give (in the way of their Lord). And who believe in that which hath been sent down unto thee (O’ Our Prophet Mohammed) and that which hath been sent down (unto the other Prophets) before thee, and of the hereafter they are sure. (2: 1 to 4) Source: duas.org

Become Soft-Hearted

Jan 5, '13 10:20 AM for everyone

Bismillah Arrahman Arraheem

As-salamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatoh,

A man was complaining about his ruthlessness to the Prophet (a.s).

Holy Prophet Muhammad al Mustafā (S.A.W.W.) said:

 “Whenever you want to become soft-hearted, feed a poor person and caress an orphan.”

[Reference: MISHKAT UL-ANWAR, Chapter 16, H 894]

-----

A humble request
Please do pray for earliest restoration of Jannat al-Baqi; protection of Mausoleum of Sayyidah Zaynab bint ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib (a.s.) and Sayyidah Ruqayyah/Sakina bint Hussain (a.s.)  & early re-appearance of Imam-E-Zamana (atfs)

Iltemase Dua

A JOURNEY CALLED LIFE

Jan 5, '13 11:39 AM for everyone

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall
to see the farmer and his wife open a package.

"What food might this contain?", the mouse wondered.
He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. 

Retreating to the farmyard, 
the mouse proclaimed this warning : 
"There is a mousetrap in the house! 
There is a mousetrap in the house!" 

The chicken clucked and scratched, 
raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse, 
I can tell this is a grave concern to you, 
but it is of no consequence to me. 
I cannot be bothered by it." 

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, 
"There is a mousetrap in the house! 
There is a mousetrap in the house!" 

The pig sympathized, but said, 
"I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, 
but there is nothing I can do about it 
but pray.. 

Be assured you are in my prayers." 

The mouse turned to the cow and said, 
"There is a mousetrap in the house! 
There is a mousetrap in the house!" 

he cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, 
but it's no skin off my nose." 

So, the mouse returned to the house, 
head down and dejected, 
to face the farmer's mousetrap 
. . . Alone.. .. . 

That very night 
a sound was heard throughout the house 
-- the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. 


The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. 
In the darkness, she did not see it. 
It was a venomous snake 
whose tail was caught in the trap. 


The snake bit the farmer's wife. 

he farmer rushed her to the hospital. 

When she returned home she still had a fever. 
Everyone knows you treat a fever 
with fresh chicken soup. 
So the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard 
for the soup's main ingredient: 

But his wife's sickness continued. 
Friends and neighbors 
came to sit with her 
around the clock. 
To feed them, 
the farmer butchered the pig. 

But, alas, 
the farmer's wife did not get well... 
She died. 

So many people came for her funeral 
that the farmer had the cow slaughtered 
to provide enough meat for all of them 
for the funeral luncheon. 


And the mouse looked upon it all 
from his crack in the wall 
with great sadness. 

So, the next time you hear 
someone is facing a problem 
and you think it doesn't concern you, 
remember --- 

When one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. 
We are all involved in this journey called life. 
We must keep an eye out for one another 
and make an extra effort 
to encourage one another. 

YOU MAY WANT TO SEND THIS 
TO EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER 
HELPED YOU OUT... 

AND LET THEM KNOW 
HOW IMPORTANT THEY ARE. 




- REMEMBER - 




EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD 
IN ANOTHER PERSON'S TAPESTRY. 




OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER 
FOR A REASON. 

One of the best things to hold onto 
In this world is a FRIEND.

What is Confidence?

Jan 5, '13 11:41 AM for everyone

What is Confidence?

This can be difficult to answer. The word comes from the Latin to mean 'to put one's trust in someone' - that someone being ourselves.

The confidence checklist
How then is confidence - real confidence - demonstrated? Here's the iVillage 10-point checklist:

1. People who believe in themselves take charge of their actions.


2. They act assertively, speak calmly and listen properly.


3. They're flexible towards people, circumstances and all things new.


4. They're able to give genuine praise and to accept constructive criticism.


5. They evaluate themselves realistically.


6. They appreciate their achievements.


7. They learn from their mistakes.


8. They aren't run by 'shoulds', 'musts' and 'ought tos'.


9. When an opportunity comes up they say 'Why not?' rather than 'Why?'


10. They feel they can influence situations and outcomes.


The confidence withinWhere exactly does all this come from? Are we born with it? Are we socialised into it? "Yes, and yes," says psychologist Gary Fitzgibbons.

"Confidence is within all of us, but whether it shines through or whether it remains hidden can depend on how we are treated as children and young adults.