Imam Mahdi (as),- Birthday of Imam Mahdi, Awaited Hope for Humanity, Advent of Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi (ATFS)

Imam Al-Mahdi (as): The Awaited Hope for Humanity
The belief in the Mahdi is not only an essential doctrine deep-rooted
in Islamic faith; it is rather an embodiment of human nature
regardless of one's religious affiliations. For it is the universal
desire of humans as a whole to try to achieve or at least witness the
realisation ofthe ultimate objective of their existence, through which
they will achieve perfection and social happiness in its entirety.
Therefore, by reason of inner necessity and inspiration, humans will
see a day when society will be replete with justice.
More importantly, from a religious perspective the concept of the
Mahdi is the culmination of human struggle in their path towards Allah
the Almighty. It is when true Justice will be establishedthrough human
hands but with Divine succour resulting in the prevalence of truth
over falsehood and all its offshoots.
And say: "Truth has (now)arrived, and Falsehood perished: for
Falsehood is(by its nature) bound to perish." (Holy Qur'an, 17:81)
Having identified that the need for the Mahdi is a subject of inner
necessity that is instilled into the hearts of humans, it is essential
to outline the duties of the human race as a whole intrying to achieve
a purgatory state of social felicity in the outward absence of the
Mahdi that would lay a foundation for his imminent reappearance.
However, in the case of such a state being reached, it prompts one to
question the fundamental motive behind the concealment of the Mahdi
despite when the social and political factors are welcoming to his
presence and his precepts. To this we say; Yes Indeed, this is exactly
where the problem lies! The principle reason that is delaying the
reappearance of the Mahdi is that the people aren't ready to
acknowledge the perfect leader and the perfect ideology that is to be
established by him, as clearly mentioned by the Mahdi himself in one
of his narrations;
'If our Shi'a (followers), may Allah help and succeed them to His
obedience, were united in wholeheartedly honouring the promise and
obligation that is upon them, there would have been no delay in
meeting us (i.e. in our reappearance), and bliss and felicity for them
would have hastened by seeing us with full knowledge and certainty of
testifying to our (leadership)'
Therefore, each and every one of us has to be very cognisant of their
acts, in relation to the part we play during the occultation of the
Mahdi. This period has been like none other before nor is the test set
upon the Muslim Ummah and humanity at large like any before. With lack
of direct contact with the divine leader of the time and the many
injustices that have overwhelmed today's society resulting in moral
demise on another side, many seek the help of Allah (SWT) and pray for
the hasty reappearance of the Mahdi and his promised victory. Strong
faith in the promised triumph in the midst of injustice anddarkness is
a means of separating the true believers from the rest. A brief look
into history shows endless of these so-called followers who eventually
betrayed theirleaders and thus put eternal shame and disgrace on
themselves. Aperfect example being the story of the inhabitants of
Kufah in Iraq at the time of the great ancestor of the Mahdi, Imam
Husayn son of Imam Ali (as), for whom he weeps blood each day until
the day of his reappearance.
Certainly those fortunate and blessed individuals who will take part
in this grand culmination of servitude, which will result in the
prevalence of Truth over all forms of falsehood, will be those whose
conviction in the Mahdi and the promised day is resolute. The
believers will be constantly tested by those whose aim is staunchly
fixed in denying the Mahdi, by using arguments such as his age, for
the Mahdi's age is now 1176 years. Many find it difficult to believe
that a human canlive for a period of this length, however, the
impossibility in this objection is relative and its relation is to
some person, place and time. What is impossibility to one person, time
or placemay be very possible to another, as we well know. Moreover, it
should be said that living for such a length of time is neither a
scientific nor a logical impossibility. Today scientists have
succeeded in prolonging the life of certain animals, hundreds of times
beyond their normal life spans by artificially creating conditions
that delay the degeneration of their tissues and cells. The failure of
this being effectively carried out on humans is merely due to the
increased difficulties involved, however, it is inno way an
impossibility, from a scientific point of view, to achieve this in the
future.
Imam Mahdi (as) was born on the fifteenth of Sha'ban in the year two
hundred and fifty five (255) after Hijrah. His birth was kept secret
since the authorities of the time were actively seeking to execute him
should he be found alive.The circumstances of his birth were
therefore, very similar to that of theProphet Moses (as) who was also
been searched for by the authorities of his time, for the Pharaoh was
well aware of the prophecy that a child would grow up to prevailover
him and his evil ruleand would replace this with the belief in the
true One God whose Power, Might and Wisdom is Absolute.
Similarly, the Abbasid Caliphate was well awareof Imam Mahdi (as) and
of how he would fill the world with justice and truth after it had
been filled with injustice and falsehood, from several traditions
originating from Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw). These narrations are
present to date in both Shi'a and Sunni books.
"The world will not come to an end until a man from the descendants of
Husayn takes charge of the affairs of the world and fills it with
justice and equity as it is filled with injustice and tyranny."
At the age of five, after the tragic martyrdom of his father, the
eleventh divine successor of Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) - Hassan son
of Ali , Imam Mahdi went into a minor occultation. Duringthis period,
Imam Mahdi (as) was in contact with his followers through appointed
deputies. This lasted for a period of about sixty nine years. A few
days before the death of his fourth and final deputy Imam Mahdi (as)
informed his followers, through his deputy, that there would be no
more deputies after the death of the current one and after thisperiod
Imam Mahdi (as) would go into a Major Occultation, which wouldcontinue
until the day Allah (SWT) grants permission to the Imam Mahdi (as) to
manifest himself. During this period, none would be able to approach
Imam Mahdi (as) through deputies or through direct contact. In regards
to the duration and the importance of this period, Holy Prophet
Muhammad (saw) was once asked about the nature of the reappearance of
Imam Mahdi. In his reply Holy Prophet likened the time of the
Reappearance of Imam Mahdi to that of the Hour of Resurrection and
then narrated the Quranic verse;
"He alone will manifest it at its proper time. It is heavy in the
heavens andthe earth. It cometh not to you save unawares" (Holy
Qur'an, 7:187)
An important question is raised in relation to this specific period,
by those who doubt or question the existence of Imam Mahdi (as). What
is the benefit of divine Imam tohis followers during his occultation?
In order to answer this question, one should realise that the position
and the role of an Imam is not only to administer the affairs and the
needs of Muslim Ummah, rather he is the link between man and God, the
link between the material and the spiritual worlds. Moreover, his
physical presence or absence has no bearing on his position in regards
to this role. This can be derived from one of the sayings narrated by
Imam Mahdi (as) himself;
'My benefit (to the people) during my occultation is similar to that
of the sun when it disappears from sight behind the clouds.'
Examining the above saying from a scientific approach, we understand
that just like how the Earth is sustained with the Sun's energy and
light irrespective of whether itis behind clouds, similarly, we derive
immense spiritual benefitfrom our Imam regardless of whether he is
physically with us or not. Furthermore, one can also obtain another
important role of Imamate from the saying above. Today, we know that
the Sun is the centre of the solar system and its existence nourishes
and nurtures for the planetary objects around it, similarly Imam's
sole presence, whether active or not, is of paramount importance as it
is the source of life for all as without the existence of God's proof
on Earth the world is tantamount to complete annihilation.
We therefore have to be mindful of what we do and should endeavour in
making our souls pure bynourishing them with theDivine light thus
making our souls the abode for Allah (SWT) and his beloved angels.
Spiritual perfection should be our goal and if there is any doubt as
to whether Imam is aware of our actsand is overlooking the welfare of
his followers, a saying by Imam Mahdi (as) should suffice;
'We have not ignored your consideration, and have not forgotten your
mention; otherwise hardship would have descended upon you andyour
enemies would have exterminated you.'
Imam Mahdi (as) is therefore watching over our affairs and is
patiently awaiting our response to his call. The matter regarding the
return of Imam is not onesimply related to awaiting a time frame
chosen by the Almighty Allah (SWT), rather in accordance to the
narration from Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) , it has a direct
relationship with our own actions, as he says;
'The best of actions is awaiting Al-Faraj (the return)'
The emphasis in this saying is on the word 'actions', because it is in
reference to participating in an actionin order to bring about that
awaited time. From this narration stems the School of Awaiting whichis
a comprehensive study into the necessary approaches and actions of the
Muslim community in order to hasten the appearance of the return.
It is therefore necessary for everyone to work tirelessly for this
objective and to remember that this mission is the only legitimate
solution to theproblems faced by mankind at large. It is
theresponsibility of everyone to remind those around them of this
sacred mission and it is likewise their responsibility to sacrifice
their time, efforts and even their finances for the cause of the
awaited Imam.
It is a frequent saying amongst many Muslims, when they remember
themartyrs of Karbala to chant: "If only we were with you, for surely
we would have been victorious." We today have that option, we have an
Imam in occultation waiting for us to reach out towards him. He is
patiently waiting for that time to come where a small group of people
would truly be of his followers such that he may appear and lead this
Muslim Ummah towards salvation, and yet we as apeople sit and do
nothing.
Advent of Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi (ATFS)
Ali and his family were very pious and religious people, they would
visit Islamic Center's and Masjid's every Thursday and Friday, they
would seldom missed any opportunity as far as"rights of Allah" like
performing prayers and other mandatory religious requirements was
concerned but the same could not be said when it came to the rights of
the oppressed. Not that they did not like to help the oppressed
buttheir "hectic schedule" and "low priority" prevented them from
making the necessary effort in that direction.
It was the auspicious night of 15th Shab'an thebirth anniversary of
Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi (ATFS) and Ali was extremely please with
himself as he was able to joined the congregation at the Islamic
Centre to celebrate the occasion and to perform special prayers,
including the supplications invoking Allah (SWT) to hasten the advent
of Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi (ATFS). After staying awake throughout the
night in prayers and assuming close proximity of Imam Mehdi (ATFS), he
peacefully went to sleep.
Ali woke up on a bright, sunny morning and looked out of the window.
It looked like a perfectly normal day, but then he remembered it
wouldn't be as perfect as he would've liked it to be. Just this past
week, the sun had started risingfrom the west and setting in the east.
The meteorologists at NASA kept saying again and again on the news
mediathat it was only the dust from the severe earthquakes occurring
around the world that was causing this outstanding mirage. Thatit
wasn't the only thing making 'top headlines' on the news though. A
powerful man was slowlytaking over the world under the guise of "war
on terror". Could he be the prophesized"Sufiani" Ali wondered, the
evil person appearing before the advent of Imam Mehdi (ATFS) as he sat
in his bedtrying to remember where he had heard about him before. Was
it in one of the Islamic speeches or at "Sunday Madrassa", Yes, he
said tohimself it was at "Sunday Madrassa" that's where he had heard.
But what did they warn us about"Sufiani"? He is a rich, powerful man
with plenty of resources. He will buy the high profile people from the
Muslim Ummah to promote his evil plan while the majority will remain
completely oblivious to what is really going on, their primary and
only concern would be to satisfy their desires whatever that may be,
consumption, sex, love, status, money, etc. In the mean time, Sufiani
and his army shall be pulling the strings and profiting from global
exploitation with no resistance because the masses were simply
mindless zombies.
Ali was just getting readyto get out of bed when he heard a loud voice
saying that the one who will rid the world of injustice has come. Just
as the voice stopped speaking, Ali heard another voice that spoke to
him softly, in a very soothing tone that immediately made him feel
very sleepy. "Go backto sleep" it said. "There isno one here your mind
is playing tricks on you. Think of how tired you are and how warm your
bed is. Go on back to sleep." Like a fool, Ali listened to the voice
and went back to sleep.
The sound of the doorbell woke him up, Alitried to ignore it but the
persistent ringing convinced him that whoever was there was not going
away. Finally Ali dragged himself out of the bed to open the door. He
saw a handsomeyoung stranger staring athim with kindness. The stranger
greeted him in an extremely polite way. Ali usually wouldn't
invitestrangers in his house, but something about thisman made him to
invite him inside. As the stranger stepped in, he said "are you ready
to join me in my struggle to spread justice in this world". On hearing
this, Ali was baffled, confused and perplexed, gatheringenough courage
he asked, "Who are you?" The stranger politely replied, "you always
stood-up whenever my name was uttered as a indication of joining me in
my struggle, on hearing my name you would place your right hand on
your head as a sign of offering your head in my cause" - The time has
come, Islam needs your sacrifice in order to restore the justice and
peace". He further continued "I am preparing an army that will help us
get rid of these evil people, and restore peace and justice". On
hearing his words, rush of adrenaline soared through Ali's vein,
comprehension dawned on him as he realized that he was in the presence
of his Imam. Ali's knees felt weak as relief washed over him.
Ali replied, "O my Imam, I have patiently waited foryou all along
during these hard times and I would be highly obliged to join your
army if you could solve my simple little problems, you see I just
bought my first big house and to pay the"mortgage" for this I and my
wife have to work round the clock. The big house without the furniture
was worthless so we bought new furniture's. In this new neighbourhood
all my neighbours had new latest car so we got new cars. To watch the
annual Hajj Pilgrimage live from Makkah and Ashura live from Karbala
we bought new plasma TV, all this recent expenditures has put us in
tremendous debt. Than we have this"recurring" expense of my children's
that are undergoing graduation, can you help me with thissmall
problem. The Imam stood in silence, he did not speak......
Ali continued......if my problems could be solve, I would gladly
joined you. I know I am sounding similar to my forefathers that left
your forefathers stranded before but let me tell youthat my
forefathers were wrong because they had more time then we have, you
see we are terribly swamp at times for weeks together I don't get time
to see my wife or my children's we just exchange messages on"voice
mails" and"emails". If I had time I would have gladly joinedyou
however I promise you that every evening I will perform additional
prayers for your success, please consider me with you spiritually and
financially. The Imam looked at Ali walked away towards the door
saying, "You are the real cause of my delay, you are still not ready
for my mission".
Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar! Ali opened his eyes, he was jolted awake by
the sound of the adhan emanating from his digital alarm clock. He sat
up in his bedand looked around his master bedroom. His heart was still
beating fast as he realized that it was a tragic dream. A dream that
has shattered all his hope, all along he has thought that he was
waiting for his Imam but his dream has proved otherwise. He had
gathered enough "signs on the appearance" of Imam but failed to meet
the "conditions of appearance" he realized how unprepared he was for
his Imam's advent, he cried from the depth of his heart, he fell to
the floor crying in shame andsaying "O Allah let this tragic dream
become wake-up call for my preparation, give me courage and hope to
work for the condition that will result in the final uprising of Imam
Muhammad al-Mahdi (ATFS)".
Birthday of Imam Mahdi (ATFS) is the day of the Oppressed People of the World
The appearance of the Imam Mahdi (as) is Allah'sfavour for the
oppressed and the weak, and is a means of their coming to power and
gaining the promised divine succession of the world. Holy Qur'an says
"We have decided to grant favour to the suppressed ones by appointing
them leaders and heirs of the earth", (Al-Quran: Chapteral-Qasas,
28:5). The appearance of Imam Mahdi (as) means the realization of the
promise Allah (SWT) made to the righteous in Holy Qur'an. "Verily we
have written in the Psalms (zaboor) after the Torah had been
revealed:My righteous servants shall inherit the earth." (Al-Quran:
Chapter al-Anbia, 21:105)
This auspicious occasion of birth anniversary of Imam Mahdi (atfs)
surely revives our hopes for a better future ahead when Imam Mahdi
(as) reappears from the occultation. Additionally, it is a special
reminder to those suffering under oppression and tyranny that
resistance and resilience in the face of injustice will only serve
them in the long-haul. The belief in Imam Mahdi(as) is a manifestation
forglobal community that the battle between truth and falsehood will
culminate in favour of forces of truth once the Promised one returns.
The continuation of the occultation of Imam Mahdi (as) is meant to
preserve the vigilance and advance the cause ofjustice. It is
important that as part of our waiting of Imam Mahdi (as), we
persistently oppose all bullying powers (global, domestic,secular,
religious or in any other form or shape),and remain steadfast during
adversarial times. The global dominance of few arrogant and oppressive
powers has yielded two billion starved people across theglobe,
millions displaced due to warmongering policies and majority of
nations subservient. In such circumstances, the silver lining is the
belief in the eventual global just governance of the ultimate saviour.
It convinces human beings that the world status quomust be denounced
and wait for a turnabout in the living conditions of the humanity at
large. Hence, it is imperative and incumbent upon the well-wishers and
followers of Imam Mahdi (as) to lay the practical groundwork necessary
for his return in addition to the prayers.

Imaam Ash-Shaafi'ee: the grand jurist for the Sunnah

Everything was placid in the large valley except for the voice of a
two-year old child who was weeping. His motherembraced him, took him
close to her chest, and patted his shoulders withtenderness and
compassion. The youngster quickly went into sleep as his mother stared
at the far horizon saying in a low weakened voice : "May Allaah have
mercy on your soul: father of Mohammad (her husband); you took us with
you from Makkah toGaza in search of our daily bread and good life, yet
you died and were buried here. Here am I on my way to Makkah again to
have your son raised among his tribe and clan 'Banu Al-Muttalib'."
The poor mother went into a bitter fit of weeping and crying as she
remembered those few years she had spent in Palestine with her beloved
husband, who was the best husband, brother, and friend for her.
However, the happy and beautiful days passed as quickly as clouds, or
as a short but pretty dream.
In the honorable Makkah,the mother lived with herchild in the
protection of her husband's family. Sheraised her son by giving him a
good education and instructions, flowing on him her love and
compassion, so the youngster grew up with a well balanced psyche,
apeaceful nature, and great ethics. The virtuousmother took on her
shoulders the responsibility of teachingher son the Quran, reading,
and writing so that he may be well armed by both religion and
knowledge. Thus, she sent her son to one of the small schools (
Kuttaab , Pl : Kataateeb) despite her poverty and inability to save
the instructor's wage. Yet, Mohammad went to his first day at school
almost unable to walk properly, and when the instructor saw Mohammad,
he sort of belittled him and told him: "O my son, just sit next to me
and listen carefully to your elders sothat you may get used to reading
and memorization."
However, the young Mohammad Ibn Idrees Ash-Shaafi'ee was glittering
with intelligence and ingenuity. He used to incredibly quickly learn
by heart whatever he heard from what the teacher dictated to his
students. Every single dayin the small school his knowledge increased
along with his enthusiasm to learn more. His teacher then loved him
more and actively pushed him forward. The youngster naturally became
more and more distinguished, until his teacher told him one day, "My
son, you arehighly smart and intelligent to the extent that I hardly
make any effort with you that is worth any wage. All I need from you
is to teachon my behalf when I am not present." The youngster rushed
happilyto his mother to tell her the happy news that she would not
have to pay anymore for the teacher. The virtuous mother was glad for
her son's excellence and encouraged him even more to study. This led
him to embark actively on the completion of learning the Quran by
heart which he finally completed when he was only seven years old.
Being in great happiness for her son's completion of the memorization
of the Quran in that fast manner, she started thinking how could she
best direct this smart child towards more excellence. She sent him to
attend the lessons given around the sacred Mosque of Makkah. The boy
started to listen to prominent scholars; and as he did not have the
price for paper on which to write what he listenedto, he used
parchment, palm tree leaves, and camel shoulder bones. During this
early period of his quest for knowledge, Ash-Shaafi'ee intelligently
realized the importance of the learning the classical Arabic language
from its pure sources, in order to understand the Quran and the Sunnah
, (the Prophet Muhammad's ( ) sayings, acts, and approvals) in the
best possible way. He went tothe Huthayl tribe, which was among the
most eloquent Arab tribes, andstayed with them for long years in which
he learned their eloquence, memorized their poems, studied from them
the biographies of Arabs both pre-Islam and after Islam, and learned
knighthood and archery. He eventually became a brave unrivaled knight
and a skillful archer who rarely missed his target.
As years passed, Ash-Shaafi'ee returned to his beloved hometown
Makkah. No sooner had he quenched his longings to his mother, he
continued his quest for knowledge enthusiastically. He headed for the
Grand Mufti (Religious Jurist) of Makkah, the sacred Mosque, Muslim
Ibn Khaalid Az-Zinji who became the first teacher for him in Fiqh
(Islamic Jurisprudence). He also, started studying Hadeeth under the
supervision of Sufyaan Ibn 'Uyaynah, the narrator of the sacred
Mosque. In a shorttime, Ash-Shaafi'ee rose to prominence as
anexcellent Islamic scholar. His mentor, Muslim Ibn Khaalid gave him
permission to answer thereligious enquiries when Ash-Shaafi'ee was
only fifteen. He told him proudly, "O Mohammad! Give fatwa and answer
the questions of people. By Allaah! Now it is opportune for you to
give fatwa." His other mentor, Sufyaan Ibn 'Uyaynah, used to refer
enquirers to him while he turned towards him and pointed "ask this
boy."
While still studying in Makkah, Ash-Shaafi'ee heard of the renown
scholar of Madeenah, Imaam Maalik Ibn Anas . He wanted to become a
student of Imaam Maalik yet he saw with his sharp intellect that he
should not go to him unprepared and void. He memorized Maalik's famous
book "Al Muwatta" in only nine days. After that he went off to see
Imaam Maalik in his house in Madeenah. Ash-Shaafi'ee spoke eloquently
and politely with the Imaam and told him that he wished to become his
student. The Imaam looked at the boy for a long time as the boy was
telling his story of how he sought knowledge so far. The Imam had an
astonishing physiognomyand a penetrating insight; he told him: "My
son! By the Will of Allaah you will have a great future. Tomorrow come
to me and bring with yousomeone who could readthe Muwatta' well as I
fear you would not be able to read it by yourself." Ash-Shaafi'ee
responded with the same politeness "Imaam, I will read it myself from
memory without a book."
Ash-Shaafi'ee remained in the companyof Imaam Maalik for a long time.
The Imaam loved him a lot, and in 179 A.H after Imaam Maalik passed
away, Ash-Shaafi'ee returned to Makkah fromMadeenah armed with a great
load of knowledge which had influenced his life. In Makkah he was
wedded to Hameedah Bint Naafi', a grand daughter of Caliph 'Uthmaan
Ibn 'Afaan, MayAllaah be pleased with him, and had two sons and a
daughter from her.
In the courtyard of the well of Zamzam and next to Prophet Ibraaheem's
Maqaam (the stone on which he stepped up to put the bricks in the
Ka'bah), Imaam Ash-Shaafi'ee sat down to teach people and around him
many students were gathered from everywhere. His circle became very
prominent in the sacred mosque of Makkah and even became well
knownoutside Makkah until it reached Iraq . Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Mahdi,
one of the scholars of Iraq sent him a letter requesting that he
authors a book on the evidences of legislation from Quran, Sunnah and
the consensus of the religious scholars, as wellas other issues upon
which the science of Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) isbuilt.
Ash-Shaafi'ee wrotethe book and named it Ar-Risaalah (The Treatise)
which became the first book that founded what came to be called: 'Ilm
Usul Al Fiqh (The science of the sources of Islamic Jurisprudence), of
which Ash-Shaafi'ee was the organizer, classifier, and the inventor of
its issues.
In 195 A.H the Imaam Ash-Shaafi'ee traveledto Baghdad for the second
time and continued to teach therefor two years. Many studied under
his supervision including Imaam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal who later said "Had
it not been for Ash-Shaafi'ee we would not have known the
understanding of Hadeeth ." Before he left Iraq he had finished
writing his large book Al Hujjah (the Proof), in which he put down
the essence of his new schoolof jurisprudence .
In 199 A.H the Imaam went to Egypt where he stared to spread his
knowledge between the Egyptians who loved him very much. More
studentscame to him from all overthe world. Towards the end of his
life, the Imaambecame very sick. This illness continued with him for
four years yet it did not stop him from teaching or lecturing. When he
came back to his house after teaching, he used to force himself to
ignore the pains of thesickness and get absorbed in writing, and
editing and proofreadingthe book of Hujjah which he wrote in Iraq .
After the proofreading and editing, he renamed the edited book: Al Umm
(the Mother). The Imaam remained to follow his daily routine until
illness forced him to retire and stop teaching. His students used to
visit himto console him in his sickness. One day one of his students
entered his room and asked him:"How do you feel this morning O Imaam?"
Ash-Shaafi'ee answered: "I feel that I am traveling away from this
world, away from the brothers, drinking from the cup of death, and
approaching Allaah the Glorious. By Allaah I do not know if my soul
will go to heavenso that I may congratulate it, or to hell so that I
may lament." He then went into crying. OnFriday, the last day of Rajab
the year 204 A.H, his pure soul went up to its Provider and Caretaker.
He was buried in the cemetery of Qurashiyyeen amidst the cemeteries of
Banu Al-Hakam in Egypt . May Allaah bless the Imaam's soul and admit
him into his wide paradises.

Eight medical reasons to prohibit swine flesh

Why did Islam prohibit eating theflesh of swine?
The answer to this question has remained debatable among Muslims and
those of other religions who eat the flesh of swine and breed pigs, as
they were unconvinced of the reasons for which Islam forbade eating
the flesh of swine until they werepanic-stricken by the epidemic
outbreak of swine flu that overwhelmed the world.
Let Dr. Hassaan Mustafa, a member of the World Union of Health in
Canada, enumerate to us the diseases transmitted by the flesh of swine
to man:
1. The pig cannot get rid of the entire quantity of uric acid that
isformed in its body, given that it isthe main element of urine. It
getsrid of only 2% and 98% remains in its flesh. That simply means
that the flesh of swine is saturated with the main element of urine,
which the bodies of all living beings on the surface of the earth
endeavor to get rid of through the urinary system, due to the
poisonous substances it contains. This is why those who eat the flesh
of swine have high rates of arthritis, due to the high rate of uric
acid in their blood.
2. The flesh of swine is hard to digest; and it takes four
completehours in order to be digested, given that the amount of
digested protein that is absorbedafter that process does not exceed
14%. For this reason, the flesh of swine is nutritiously bad and
unworthy of the money paid for it, given that the flesh of swine, in
many countries, is moreexpensive than the flesh of other animals whose
flesh is edible with no similar problems.
3. The flesh of swine contains high rates of the growth hormone, which
accelerates the proliferation of cancer cells if there are any.
4. The fat of swine is hard to digest and emulsify in the digestive
system. The greatest portion of it is formed of harmfulsaturated fats.
It is absorbed from the intestines into the blood in the form of huge
molecules, that might possibly sediment on the walls of blood vessels
and block them, causing blood clot, let alone sclerosis andnoticeable
high rates of cholesterol and saturated fats (triglycerides) in the
blood.
5. The fat of swine sediments in the human body in the same place it
comes from in the pig; and this is indeed strange!!! If thefat comes
from the belly of the pig, it would settle in the belly of the person
who eats it. In this way, the fat of swine helps distort the human
body.
6. Eating the flesh of swine paves the way for many ailments and skin
problems and diseases, like pimples, sores, fat sacks, and itching,
for it contains a high rateof histamine.
7. Pigs and their flesh are the source of more than 57 parasitic,
germ-caused and virus-caused diseases transmitted to man, of which a
mention may be made ofTrichinella, from which the flesh of swine could
hardly be free. Trichinella parasites remain in the muscles of man,
causing severe pains that might probably paralyze their movement. They
might also remain in the diaphragm, causing breathlessness and
consequently death. Moreover, those parasites might remain for more
than thirty years in the muscles after encasing themselves in a calcic
sac.
It is quite interesting to know that an American researcher published
on the Archives of Internal Medicine website in 11/6/2001 that the
renowned German musician Mozart (d.1791) likely died because of eating
uncooked flesh of swine 44 days before the beginning of his 15-day
fatal ailment. He was infected by Trichinella, which hadnot yet been
known at that time.
8. The body of the pig in itself is regarded as a biological factory
that has the potential to producevirus-caused diseases and epidemics
that might affect man due to the genetic resemblance of pig cells to
those of man. The world pandemic called swine flu which we are
witnessing now is a result of the metamorphosis and merging of the
viruses of bird flu, human flu and swine flu, together inside the body
of the pig. They have been metamorphosed into a new deadly virus that
is transferred from pigs to people and from man to man. In Canada, a
case has been recently recorded where that disease was transmitted
from an infected person to a herd of pigs, thus making that pandemic
enter a dangerous integrated cycle.

Proxy detention 'collusion' exposed

Governments around the world, including those of Arab and European
states, have colluded inthe secret detention of 'terrorismsuspects',
UN investigators have reported.
An extensive report, released on Wednesday, paints a disturbing
picture of a systematic secret detention program involving many
countries.
Officials found that secret detention "may even amount to acrime
against humanity".
The 222-page document, which will be presented at a forthcoming
meeting of the UN Human Rights Council, is the result of several years
of investigation, and notes that secret detention is "a manifold human
rights violation that cannot be justified under any circumstances".
Despite clear laws that outlaw the secret detention of prisoners in
both war and peace, the investigators concluded that in the years
following the 9/11 attacks, several countries took part in the US-run
secret detention program.
Complicity
Criticisms of US detention policy since 2001 are nothing new, but the
report will make for uncomfortable reading for leaders in countries
accused of colluding with Washington in theCIA's now defunct rendition
and detention program.
The UK, Canada, Australia and Germany are all accused of"taking
advantage of the situation of secret detention," by sending questions
and receiving information from prisoners held in proxy detention.
The report also notes that the US"asked partners with poor human
rights records to secretly detain and interrogate persons on its
behalf," accusing Jordon, Egypt, Syria, Morocco, Pakistan, Ethiopia,
Djibouti, and possibly Uzbekistan of holding prisoners on behalf of
the CIA.
The authors admit that some of the claims of complicity cannot be
confirmed, but say the"consistency of many of the detailed allegations
provided separately by the detainees adds weight" to arguments placing
the countries at the centre of an international extra-legal detention
system.
While many of the allegations in the report date back to the Bush
years, investigators criticize Barack Obama, the US president, for not
going far enough in overhauling the system he inherited on taking
office.
While the report acknowledges Obama's achievements, it says there is
more to do, including revealing the whereabouts of prisoners who have
disappeared in the system.
"Clarification is required as to whether detainees were held in CIA
'black sites' in Iraq and Afghanistan or elsewhere when President
Obama took office, and,if so, what happened to the detainees who were
held at that time," the report says.
Disappearances
The issue of what has happened to prisoners held in US secret
detention in the past extends beyond those who were in US custody when
Obama took office.
The report details the case of a prisoner who disappeared beforeBush
left the White House, Mustafa Setmariam Naser.
The author of a number of books and other publications on Islam and
jihad, the Syrian and Spanish national was seized in Pakistan in2005
and handed over to the US authorities. He has not been heard of since,
although last year the FBI said he was no longer in US custody.
A June 2009 statement from the CIA on the issue of Naser's whereabouts
said that the agency "could neither confirm nor deny the existence or
nonexistence of records responsive to your request," adding that even
if the CIA did have the records, they would be classified.
Campaigners now believe that Naser could be in Syrian custody and are
calling on the US government to reveal where he isbeing held.
The report also attacks the Obama administration for its treatment of
prisoners in Afghanistan, specifically those held in a prison at
Bagram Airbase, describing the situation there as one of "great
concern".
The US is holding around 650 prisoners at Bagram. Earlier this month
the Obama administrationreleased a list of their names, thefirst time
prisoners held in Afghanistan have been formally identified.
The UN investigators urged the USto release additional information,"on
the citizenship, length of detention and place of capture ofall
detainees currently held" at the prison.
Reactions
Accusations of complicity in the US rendition program have prompted a
furious reaction fromsome of the governments singledout by the report.
The UK, which is accused of complicity in the cases "of
severalindividuals, including Binyam Mohamed, Salahuddin Amin, Zeeshan
Siddiqui, Rangzieb Ahmed and Rashid Rauf," rejected the report
as"unsubstantiated and irresponsible".
"There is no truth in the suggestion that it is our policy to collude,
solicit or participate in abuses of prisoners," a spokesman for the
British foreignoffice said, adding that any debate on the issue "needs
to be informed by more than unsubstantiated rumor and allegation".
But the report concludes that secret detention is a reality that needs
to be addressed.
"The evidence gathered by the four experts for the present study
clearly show that many states, referring to concerns relating to
national security - often perceived or presented as unprecedented
emergencies or threats - resort to secret detention," it says.
"With very few exceptions, too little has been done to investigate
allegations of complicity."
PHOTO CAPTION
A mobile guard tower stands over a camp at the US military prison in
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in October 2009.