Month: July 2020

Ep. 12 The Forties – Sincerity – A Condition for Validity of Worship

Spotify | Google Al-Salam ‘Alaykum, this is Syed Ali Imran – and you are listening to the Forties podcast, brought to you by Mizan Institute. This is episode 12 – Sincerity – The Condition for Validity of Worship قَالَ وَ تَصْعَدُ الْحَفَظَةُ بِعَمَلِ الْعَبْدِ أَعْمَالًا بِفِقْهٍ وَ اجْتِهَادٍ وَ وَرَعٍ لَهُ صَوْتٌ كَالرَّعْدِ وَ ضَوْءٌ … Read more

Ep. 11 The Forties – Wisdom and Insight are the Result of Sincerity

Spotify | Google Transcript: Al-Salam ‘Alaykum, this is Syed Ali Imran – and you are listening to the Forties podcast, brought to you by Mizan Institute. This is episode 11 – Wisdom and Insight the Result of Sincerity وَ بِإِسْنَادِهِ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‏ مَا أَخْلَصَ عَبْدٌ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أَرْبَعِينَ‏ صَبَاحاً إِلَّا … Read more

Ep. 10 The Forties – Sincerity is the Greatest Blessing

Spotify | Google Transcript: Al-Salam ‘Alaykum, this is Syed Ali Imran – and you are listening to the Forties podcast, brought to you by Mizan Institute. This is episode 10 – Sincerity is the Greatest Blessing وَ عَنِ الصَّادِقِ ع‏ مَا أَنْعَمَ‏ اللَّهُ‏ عَزَّ وَ جَلَ‏ عَلَى‏ عَبْدٍ أَجَلَ‏ مِنْ أَنْ لَا يَكُونَ فِي قَلْبِهِ … Read more

The Fixed and Changeable in Islamic Legislation (2)

[Originally posted on Mind in Momentum] Click for part 1. The Authority of Reason in Deducing Religious Laws This is a translation of lessons given by Ayatullah Sayyid Munīr al-Khabbāz attended in the year 2019-20. For the sake of comprehensibility, there has been additions, removals and paraphrases. Original transcripts can be found here. 1 Introduction and Recap … Read more

Ma’idah al-Khamr – A Jurisprudential Discussion

What follows is a transcript from lessons 107 & 108 – March 9th and 10th 2020 – of last year’s advanced jurisprudence lessons on Food and Drinks given by Shaykh Haider Hobbollah in the city of Qom. The discussion below is regarding the famous ruling on the prohibiting of eating or drinking on a table … Read more

Commentary on Surah al-Zalzalah – Part 2

This is a transcript of four lessons given by Shaykh Haider Hobbollah on the commentary on Sūrah al-Zalzalah. Click for Part 1. — Verse 3 – Wa Qāla al-Insān Mā Lahā After the earth’s severe shaking, humans will say, “what is wrong with her? What is the matter with it?” This verse is speaking of … Read more

Commentary on Surah al-Zalzalah – Part 1

This is a transcript of four lessons given by Shaykh Haider Hobbollah on the commentary on Sūrah al-Zalzalah. Click for Part 2. — Names, Merits and Reasons for Revelation The chapter has been referred to in five ways in Islamic works: Surah al-Zalzalah – this is what is famous today and it is derived from … Read more

Ep. 9 The Forties – The Rejection of Insincere Deeds

  Spotify | Google Transcript: Al-Salam ‘Alaykum, this is Syed Ali Imran – and you are listening to the Forties podcast, brought to you by Mizan Institute. This is episode 9 – The Rejection of Insincere Deeds عَنْهُ عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ سَالِمٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ‏ قَالَ اللَّهُ … Read more

Ep. 8 The Forties – You Are Either with Allah or with Shaytan

Spotify | Google Transcript: Al-Salam ‘Alaykum, this is Syed Ali Imran – and you are listening to the Forties podcast, brought to you by Mizan Institute. This is episode 8 – You Are Either with Allah (swt) or with Shaytan عَنْهُ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَمَّنْ رَفَعَهُ إِلَى أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ ع قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‏ يَا … Read more

Sayyid Sīstānī on Why Shīʿa Ḥadīth Contradict (Pt. I)

Originally posted on Shiitic Studies. Introduction The presence of contradictions between Ḥadīth (reports) attributed to the Imams within the Shīʿa corpus is an undeniable problem. One that requires explanation. This is especially so because the problem has a long back-history of being weaponised by detractors seeking to expose the inconsistency between it and the theological doctrine of … Read more

Jilsah al-Istirāḥa – A Jurisprudential Discussion

Introduction This paper seeks to investigate the legal ruling on an individual sitting for a brief moment (jilsah al-istirāḥa) after performing the second prostration of the first or third unit in any Ṣalāt, before getting up to continue their prayers. Most Shīʿī, Sunnī and Zaydī jurists when discussing the rulings on prayers have offered an … Read more

Ep. 7 The Forties – A Sound Heart is Empty of Other Than Allah

  Spotify | Google Transcript: Al-Salam ‘Alaykum, this is Syed Ali Imran – and you are listening to the Forties podcast, brought to you by Mizan institute. This is episode 7 – A Sound Heart is Empty of Other Than Allah وَ بِهَذَا الْإِسْنَادِ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى … Read more

Ep. 6 The Forties – Keeping an Act Pure is More Difficult Than Performing It

Spotify | Google Transcript: Al-Salam ‘Alaykum, this is Syed Ali Imran – and you are listening to the Forties podcast, brought to you by Mizan Institute.              This is episode 6 – Keeping an Act Pure is More Difficult Than Performing It عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْمِنْقَرِيِّ عَنْ سُفْيَانَ بْنِ … Read more

Differing Perspectives Regarding Knowledge of the Unseen

By Shaykh Haidar Hobbollah Translated by Shayan Question[1]: Is there any rational evidence that proves the necessity of the Imām to know the unseen affairs, considering that the Imāms (upon them be peace) did not use this knowledge in many of their pursuits, but rather they acted according to their human nature? In other words, … Read more

Ep. 5 The Forties – Sincerity: The Greatest Worship

Spotify | Google Transcript: Al-Salam ‘Alaykum, this is Syed Ali Imran – and you are listening to the Forties podcast, brought to you by Mizan Institute. This is episode 5 – Sincerity: The Greatest Worship   وَ قَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ ع‏ أَفْضَلُ‏ الْعِبَادَةِ الْإِخْلَاص‏ Hadith #4: Imam Jawad (a) has said: The best of … Read more

The Fixed and Changeable in Islamic Legislation (1)

[Originally posted on Mind in Momentum]. This is a translation of lessons given by Ayatullah Sayyid Munīr al-Khabbāz attended in the year 2019-20. For the sake of comprehensibility, there have been additions, removals and paraphrases. Original transcripts can be found here. I will also include comments and questions that have struck my incapable mind along … Read more

Ep. 4 The Forties – Sincere Worship & Cleansing our Intentions

Spotify | Google Transcript: Al-Salam ‘Alaykum, this is Syed Ali Imran – and you are listening to the Forties podcast, brought to you by Mizan Institute. This is episode 4 – Sincere Worship and Cleansing our Intentions عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ يُونُسَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مُسْكَانَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ … Read more

Three Contemporary Approaches to Understanding the Imamah

This is a translation of a response by Shaykh Haidar Hobbollah to a question posed to him which can be found in volume 1 of his collection of questions and answers entitled Iḍāʾāt fī al-fikr wa al-dīn wa al-ijtimāʿ. For the original article please click here. Three Contemporary Approaches to Understanding the Imamah Question[1]: What … Read more

The Problem of Frustration and Regression in The Path of Students of Knowledge

The following is an abridged translation of a seminar given by Shaykh Haydar entitled “The Problem of Frustration and Regression in The Path of Students of Knowledge”. In this talk, he outlines some of the challenges and obstacles that are faced by seminary students and offers some advice and solutions on how to mitigate them. … Read more

The German Orientalist & the Prophetic Hadith

I recently came across a book in Urdu called ‘Islāmi Dāstānein’ which is a translation of the Farsi original written by Ali Redha Murtadhawi Karuni and translated by the late Muhammad Fadhl Haq. The book attempts to gather all the different moral anecdotes and stories that have been mentioned by the late Ayatullah Shaheed Mutahhari … Read more