| | | | | Lady Fatemeh Ma’sumeh (PBUH) |  Lady Fatemeh Ma’sumeh (PBUH) The Sun of Dignity A Short Biography of Holy Fatemeh Ma’sumeh (Peace Be Upon Her) The noble name of this honorable lady is “Fatemeh” and her most famous title is “Ma’sumeh”. The honorable father of Lady Fatemeh Ma’sumeh (PBUH) was the 7th Imam of Shi′a, Imam Musa al-Kazim (PBUH), and her respectable mother was Najmah Khatun (PBUH), who was also mother of the Eighth Imam of Shi’a Imam Ali al-Reza (PBUH). Lady Fatemeh Ma’sumeh (PBUH) was born on the first of Zual Qa’dah, 173 A H [March 26, 790 CE] in Medina, Arabian peninsula. And at an early age she experienced the tragedy of her dear father’s martyrdom, who had been imprisoned by Harun in Baghdad, and thereafter, she was brought up under the care of her brother, Imam Ali al-Reza (PBUH). In 200 A H, foll  | | | | | | | Occupying the U.S. espionage den |  Iran’s revolution deeply altered that country’s relationship with the United States. The deposed Iranian ruler, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, had been close to a succession of U.S. administrations, and this had produced deep suspicion and hostility among Iran’s revolutionary leaders, from both the left and right of the political spectrum. Beginning in the fall of 1978, the U.S. embassy in Tehran had been the scene of frequent demonstrations by Iranians who opposed the American presence in the country and on February 14, 1979, about a month after the shah had fled Iran, the embassy was attacked and briefly occupied. 52 United States diplomats and citizens were held hostage after a group of militarized Iranian college students belonging to the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line, who | | | | | | | The Sacred Defence Week | .jpg&width=269&height=350) The Sacred Defence Week The Iran-Iraq War was a military conflict that lasted from 1980 to 1988, sparked at the instigation of the US and some western countries by territorial and political disagreements between the two countries. Iraq’s president, Saddam Hussein, wanted total control over both banks of the Shatt al-Arab river, which historically acted as the Iran-Iraq border. Iraq also hoped to seize the rich oil-producing Iranian region of Khuzestan along the border. On September 22, 1980, Iraq took advantage of the chaos of Iran’s new Islamic revolutionary government to invade western Iran. Iraqi forces launched air strikes on Iranian air bases, following up with a ground invasion of the oil-producing border region of Khuzestan. Iraq initially caught Iran by surprise, successfully | | | | | | | The National Day of Fight Against Terrorism |  Aug. 30 (Shahrivar. 8), The National Day of Fight Against Terrorism, is the time to remember President Rajaei and Prime Minister Bahonar who were martyred in a bombing by the U.S-backed MEK (Mojahedin-e Khalq) terrorist group. The bomb, which claimed lives of other officials as well, went off at the office of Islamic Republican Party in Tehran in 1981. According to survivors’ accounts, the bomb was set off when one of the victims opened a briefcase which was carried inside by Massoud Kashmiri, a security official at the Islamic Republican Party. The assassination came 39 days after Rajaei won the votes of the majority of Iranians in an early election and had become the second president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, after Abol-Hassan Bani-Sadr, who had fled to Europe after being voted o | | | | | | | The Story of Mubahila | .jpg&width=269&height=350) Mubahila “If anyone disputes in this matter with thee, now after (full) knowledge has come to you, say: ‘Come! Let us gather together – our sons and your sons, our women and your women, our souls and your souls: Then let us earnestly pray, and invoke the curse of Allah on those who lie!'” (The holy Qur’an 3:61) After the conquest of Mecca, when Islam started spreading rapidly and the warring groups came under the flag of Islam, the holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) started sending emissaries to the tribes who had not yet accepted Islam. Eid al-Mubahila celebrates the famous event in the year 10 AH when a party of Christians, led by the Bishop of Najran called Abdul Masih (or Abu Harisa), came to debate with the holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) about the na | | | | | | | The Ghadir Sermon |  The Ghadir Sermon The Closing Sermon of God's Prophet, Muhammad (Peace be upon him and his descendants): (1) 1. “Praise belongs to Allah, Who is Sublime in His Oneness, and He is with all beings in His Loneliness. Glorious is He in His Domination, and He is great in His Foundations! His Knowledge encircles all beings without taking a move or having a dwelling; He subdues everything with His Power and Reasoning! He has eternally been praised, and so will be praised forever! There is no end to His Greatness, Dignity and Grandness; He is the Originator, Resurrector, and to Him all things return. 2. He is the Maker of the heavens, as well the expander of the Earth, and He is Ruler over them; He is [beyond all beings], and He is Glorified and Sanctified. So is He the Lord of the Angels, | | | | | | | Eid al-Adha |  Known as Eid al-Adha, the ‘Feast of Sacrifice’, is the most important feast of the Muslim calendar. The festival may also be known as ‘al-Eid al-Kabeer’, which means the 'Grand Eid'. It has more important status in religious terms than Eid al-Fitr (marking the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting) and this Eid lasts for four days whereas Eid al-Fitr is one day. The event marks the end of Hajj, a five-day pilgrimage that all able-bodied and financially capable Muslims are obliged to undertake once in their lifetime. Muslims may plan and save for many years to get enabled to take part in the event of Hajj, which is one of the five pillars of Islam. The pilgrimage is believed to cleanse the soul out of sins and instill a sense of equality, sisterhood and brotherhood. Some 2.5 million pilgr | | | | | | | Arafa |  Arafa Arafa (Arabic: عَرَفَة) is the ninth day of Zual-Hijja, the last month of Lunar calendar, and the day before Eid al-Adha. According to Shi'a jurisprudence pilgrims of Hajj must stay in Arafat from the noon to sunset of this day. The day of Arafa is one of the most important days of year for Muslims. Special rituals have been reported for this day in hadiths, the best of which is praying and asking for forgiveness; most of Shi'as recite the Supplication of Arafa by Imam Hussain (PBUH) in the day. According to Shi'a, performing Ziyara of Imam Hussain (PBUH) is recommended on this day. Supplication of Arafa by Imam Hussain (PBUH) The supplication of Arafa by Imam Hussain (PBUH) is one of Shi'a supplications which was composed and recited by Imam Hussain (PBUH) on the Day of Arafa i | | | | | | | Marriage of Imam Ali and Lady Fatima (PBUT) |  Date of Marriage The marriage of Imam Ali and Lady Fatima (PBUT) occurred on Zual-Hijjah 1, 2 AH/May 25, 624. The marriage formula was recited by the Prophet (PBUH). According to scholars, there was an interval of ten months between the marriage formula of their marriage and their wedlock. According to sources of hadiths, before Imam Ali (PBUH), a number of Emigrants (Muhajirun) and Helpers (Ansar) expressed their tendency to marry Fatima (PBUH) to the Prophet (PBUH), but he refused their proposals. Mahr According to one report, Lady Fatima's Mahr was five hundred Dirhams. The Prophet called this marriage heavenly and that God engaged Lady Fatima (PBUH) to Imam Ali (PBUH). According to Ibn-e Shahrashub in Manaqib al-Abi Talib, at the time of Fatima and Ali's marriage, the Prophet | | | | | | | EID al-FITR |  Muslims around the world celebrate the end of Ramadan with Eid al-Fitr. Eid al-Fitr (also written and pronounced as Eid-ul-Fitr) is the first of two Eids of the Islamic (lunar) calendar year. It rounds off the month of Ramadan, which Muslims observe every year to acknowledge Allah’s revelation of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad. This Eid comes after the holy month of Ramadan, when many Muslims will not eat or drink during the daytime for a 29- or 30-day period. It’s part of Sawm (fasting) commitment, one of the five pillars of Islam. The holiday is all about the breaking of the dawn-to-dusk fast and is celebrated on the first day of Shawwal (the 10th month). The exact date is never certain far in advance, as religious authorities in various countries rely on the sighting of the Eid cr | | | | | |