Reclaiming an Imamite Poet: Abu Tammam and His Ode for Imam Ali (as)
Ḥabīb ibn Aws al-Tā’ī (188-231 AH), better known by his nickname Abū Tammām, is widely regarded as one of the most celebrated…
Muhammad Jaffer
Muhammad Jaffer is a neurologist by profession, and his field of interest is Islamic literature. He enjoys translating Arabic poetry in particular.
A Detailed Analysis of Ayah al-Tabligh
Download Here Abstract By Muhammad Jaffer and Sayyid Burair Abbas Ayah al-Tablīgh has long been argued for the declaration of the Wilayah…
A Beautiful Ode for Lady Zaynab (as)
Below we have translated a beautiful qaṣīdah by the poet—Ibrāhīm ibn Yaḥyā al-‘Āmilī (1154-1214 AH)—in honor of Lady Zaynab.[1] The poet was…
The Jurisprudence of Ashura (Part 3)
By Muhammad Jaffer[1] [2] The prerogative to rationalize Imam Ḥusayn’s movement primarily emerged from theological-polemical exigencies and thereby entered the domain of…
The Qasidah Muhammadiyyah of Imam al-Busiri
On the commemoration of the demise of our Holy Prophet Muḥammad (saw), we present this humble translation of a famous qaṣīdah written…
The Jurisprudence of Ashura (Part 2)
In the previous article, we made some prefunctory remarks regarding the challenges of extracting jurisprudential discussions from the tragedy of Karbalā. We…
The Jurisprudence of Ashura (Part 1)
By Muhammad Jaffer[1] Despite the relatively short span of time in which its events transpired, the fateful tragedy of Karbalā is arguably…
A Brief Overview of Faqir Dehlavi’s Treatise “Rajm al-Shayatin”
There has unfortunately been a dearth of literature regarding the intellectual contributions of Shī’ah scholars of the Indian subcontinent. Although still extant,…
Exegetical Trends of the Shi’a During Imam Baqir’s Era – Exploring the Dialectical of Exoteric vs Esoteric (Zahir & Batin) and Revelation vs Interpretation (Tanzil & Ta’wil)
Exegetical Trends of the Shi’a During Imam Baqir’s Era – Exploring the Dialectical of Exoteric vs Esoteric (Ẓāhir & Bāṭin) and Revelation…
The Theory of Quranic Interiors (Butun al-Quran): A Study and Analysis (Part 2)
By Shaykh Ḥaydar Ḥubbullāh and transcribed by Muḥammad Ṭarrāf Translated by Muhammad Jaffer[1] II. The Proposed Postulates for Understanding the Quranic Interior…
The Theory of Quranic Interiors (Butun al-Quran): A Study and Analysis (Part 1)
By Shaykh Ḥaydar Ḥubbullāh and transcribed by Muḥammad Ṭarrāf Translated by Muhammad Jaffer[1] In the previous two articles, we discussed the various…
The Poem of Shaykh Ahmad al-Wa’ili for Imam al-Jawad
One of the most illustrious of Shī’ah poets, orators, and scholars of the past century was the Iraqi Shaykh Aḥmad al-Wā’ilī (1928-2003).…
The Language of the Quran (Part 2): Between The Vernacular (al-lughah al-urfiyyah) and Transcendental (ma fawq al-urfiyyah)
By Shaykh Ḥaydar Ḥubbullāh[1] Transcribed by Muhammad Jaffer In the previous article, we explained the vernacular theory of Qurānic language as espoused…
The Language of the Quran (Part 1): Between The Vernacular (al-lughah al-urfiyyah) and Transcendental (ma fawq al-urfiyyah)
By Shaykh Ḥaydar Ḥubbullāh[1] Transcribed by Muhammad Jaffer I. Introduction What is meant when we discuss the vernacular and common rational language…
The Poem for Imam Husayn (a) that Made Imam al-Sadiq (a) Cry
One of the most well-grounded traditions of the Shī’ah is the composition of poetry for the Ahl al-Bayt. This practice was generally…
An Ode Comparing the Shrines of Imam Ali and Muawiyah
It is said that one of the famous Sunni poets and literarians of Syria, Muhammad Majdhoob (d 1999 CE), visited al-Najaf al-Ashraf…
Walad al-Zina (Child Born Out of Wedlock) in Imami Law
By Shaykh Haider Hobbollah The question of an illegitimate child (al-ibn ghayr al-shar’ī) or a child born out of illicit relations (walad…
A Translation and Commentary on the Epic Ode of Sayyid al-Himyari for Imam Ali (as)
Before you lies our humble endeavor to translate the legendary panegyric by al-Sayyid al-Ḥimyarī (may God have mercy on his soul; 105-173…
Women in the Holy Prophet’s Life: An Analysis
Below we have translated an excerpt from an excellent work by Shaykh Ḥusayn al-Khechin entitled “Al-Mar’ah fī al-Naṣṣ al-Dīnī: Qirā’ah Naqdiyyah fī…
Occultation and Mahdawiyyat in the Writings of Shaykh al-Mufid (Part 2)
Originally written in Arabic by Sayyid Muḥammad Riḍā Ḥusaynī al-Jalālī and translated into Persian by Dr. Jūyā Jahānbakhsh[1] Click Here for Part…
Occultation and Mahdawiyyat in the Writings of Shaykh al-Mufid (Part 1)
Originally written in Arabic by Sayyid Muḥammad Riḍā Ḥusaynī al-Jalālī and translated into Persian by Dr. Jūyā Jahānbakhsh[1] Translated and Annotated into…
Analyzing the Disparagement of Unorthodox Scholars (Part 1)
Translated by Muhammad Jaffer and edited by Sayyid Burair Abbas Unfortunately, a trend that has been becoming increasingly prevalent within the…
Ibn Abi al-Hadid’s Ode for Imam Husayn (as)
Below we have translated a famous eulogy composed by the Mu’tazilite Shāfi’ī commentator of Nahj al-Balāghah, ‘Abd al-Ḥamīd ibn Abī al-Ḥadīd (d.…
Ashura and Myth
By Dr. Jūyā Jahānbakhsh The following is a translation of an essay written by Dr. Jūyā Jahānbakhsh on his blog site.[1] Dr.…
The Poem of Imam al-Shafi’i for Imam Husayn (as)
Below we have translated a famous qaṣīdah attributed to the founder of the Shāfi’ī madhhab—Muḥammad bin Idrīs al-Shāfi’ī (d. 204 AH)—in mourning…
Sayyid Rida al-Hindi’s Tragic Poetry Regarding Karbala
Below we have translated two famous qaṣīdahs regarding Imām al-Ḥusayn (as) composed by the famous poet and jurist, al-Marḥūm al-Sayyid Riḍā’ ibn…
The Qur’anic Poem of Shaykh Salih al-Kawwaz for Imam Husayn (as)
The below poem is composed by the illustrious Iraqi poet al-Marḥūm al-Shaykh Ṣāliḥ ibn Mahdī al-Kawwāz al-Ḥillī (d. 1290 AH). Although al-Kawwāz…
Shaykh Ahmad al-Wa’ili’s Famous Qasidah for Imam ‘Ali (as)
Below we have translated into rhymed English verse the famous al-Qaṣīdah al-Nūniyyah of the illustrious Iraqi scholar and poet Shaykh Aḥmad al-Wā’ilī…
Al-Zahra: Between Universality and Compartmentalization of Her Tragedy
Translated by Muhammad Jaffer and edited by Sayyid Burair Abbas In the context of the recent film released in the UK regarding…
Bid‘ah & the Principle of Religious Wariness: A Study on Newer Perspectives and Applications of the Concept
By Shaykh Haider Hobbollah Translated by Muhammad Jaffer, Sayyid Burair Abbas, and Sayyid Ali Imran Edited by Sayyid Burair Abbas Introduction Muslims…
The Crisis of Spiritual Decline: Analyzing its Reasons and Proposing Solutions
Translated by Muhammad Jaffer and edited by Sayyid Burair Abbas In the current materialistic age, one of the major causes of estrangement…
A Critical Analysis of Religious Discourse Today: Rescuing Our Youth
Translated by Muhammad Jaffer and edited by Sayyid Burair Abbas Religious adherents of Islām today struggle to maintain a strong sense of…
An Abridged History Regarding the Shrines of the Imams at Jannat al-Baqi’
The following is a translation of an originally Persian article written by Dr. Aḥmad Khāmehyār regarding the history of Jannat al-Baqī’. The…
The Poet-Knight Abu Firas al-Hamadani and his Famous Poem Lampooning the Abbasids
Below we have translated the legendary Qaṣīdah al-Mīmīyyah of the Arabian poet-knight al-Amīr Abū Firās al-Ḥamadānī (may God have mercy on him);…
A Detailed Analysis on the Verse of al-Mawaddah fi al-Qurba
The following is an abridged translation of an excellent article written by a researcher in Qum, Shaykh Rūḥullāh Malekiān, linguistically analyzing Sūrah…
On Islamic Irfan (Mysticism): Analyzing its Epistemology and Pedagogic Dimensions
The following is a translation of Shaykh Ḥaydar Ḥubbullāh’s epistemic analysis of mysticism.[1] We found this piece particularly important to translate, especially…
On Contemporary Shi’ah Religious Thought
The following is a translation of some excerpts from an interview that Shaykh Ḥaydar Ḥubbullāh had with the Baḥrainī newspaper al-Ayyām about…
The Legendary Ode Inscribed into the Golden Cage of Imam Ali (as)
The following is a translation of al-Qaṣīdah al-‘Ayniyyah of ‘Abd al-Ḥamīd ibn Abī al-Ḥadīd al-Mu’tazilī (586-656 A.H.). Ibn Abī al-Ḥadīd is widely…
The Famous Poem of Ahmad al-Wa’ili for Imam Hasan (as)
Below is a famous Arabic poem in eulogy of our dearest al-Imām al-Ḥasan ibn ‘Alī (may peace be upon him) composed by…
An In-Depth Analysis of the Verse of Tathir: Who are the Ahl al-Bayt? (Part 2)
Part 2: Answering Certain Contentions About the Verse of Purification Given the theological implications of interpreting the verse as we have sought…
An In-Depth Analysis of the Verse of Tathir: Who are the Ahl al-Bayt? (Part 1)
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلَا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الْأُولَىٰ ۖ وَأَقِمْنَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتِينَ الزَّكَاةَ وَأَطِعْنَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ۚ إِنَّمَا…
Abdul-Qadir Jilani bin Salim’s Ode in Praise of Sayyidah Khadija
Below is an Arabic poem by the Sunni Shāfi’ī modern-day scholar and poet ‘Abdul-Qādir Jilānī bin Sālim bin ‘Alawī Khirad regarding Sayyidah…
The Importance of Pilgrimage (Ziyarah) in Shi’ism and Catholicism: Comparing and Contrasting
Below is a precis of an article in the Arabic journal al-Nuṣūs al-Mu’āṣirah (Contemporary Texts), written by Muḥammad Folādī, Muḥammad Jawād Nawrūzī,…
Answering the Seven Cascading Contentions of Satan
The following is a translation of a philosophical rebuttal by the grand luminary Shaykh Muḥammad Husayn al-Khorasānī (1336-1406 AH; may God have…
On Approaching Atheism
The below piece is a translation and summary of a lecture given by the contemporary Saudi Shī’a scholar and polemicist, Shaykh Aḥmad…
Shaykh al-Islam al-Baha’i’s Ode in Praise of the Twelfth Imam (as)
Below, we have translated the famous Arabic qaṣīdah for the Twelfth Imām al-Mahdī (may Allah hasten his reappearance) composed by the Safavid…
The Famous Ode of Ibn ‘Arandas Reputed to Summon the Twelfth Imam (as)
Below is a translation of the famous al-Qaṣīdah al-Rā’iyyah by the illustrious Imāmī Shī’a scholar, jurist, and poet, Sāliḥ ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhāb…
Farazdaq’s Legendary Panegyric for Imam Zayn al-Abidin (as)
It is narrated in Ibn Khallikān’s Wafayāt al-A’yān that one day, the Umayyad Caliph Hishām ibn ‘Abd al-Malik was at Ḥajj performing…
The Eulogy Immortalized in Golden Ink at the Gate of Imam Husayn (as)
Below is a translation of the legendary al-Qaṣīdah al-‘Aynīyyah of the Iraqi poet Muḥammad Mahdī al-Jawāhirī (1899-1997)—may God have mercy on him.…
The Legendary Poem Inscribed into the Golden Dome of Imam ‘Ali’s Shrine
The following panegyric for Imām ‘Alī (as) is written by a famous 19th century Arab poet and the Sunnī Ḥanafī governor of…
Imam al-Hadi’s Poem in the Court of Mutawakkil
It is narrated by Al-Mas’ūdī in Murūj al-Dhahab that al-Imām ‘Alī ibn Muḥammad al-Hādī (as) was called into the court of the…
Kumayt’s Panegyric
Translated by Br. Muhammed Jaffer. Al-Kumayt ibn Zayd al-Asadi (may God be pleased with him) was among the staunchest in his love…
Abu Talib’s Panegyric
Translated by Br. Muhammed Jaffer. خليليَّ ما أُذْني لأوَّلِ عاذلِ بِصَغْواءَ في حقٍّ ولا عندَ باطل خليليَّ إنَّ الرأيَ ليسَ بِشِركة ٍ…
Di’bil’s Ode for Imam al-Rida (a)
Translated by Br. Muhammed Jaffer. Regarding the life of Di’bil, click here. This is the famous 120 stanza Taa’iyyah of Di’bil al-Khuzaa’i’s…
