The World Federation of KSIMC

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When we reflect on the tragedy of the day of Ashura, our immediate thoughts may be that this event is purely historic and that there is nothing to take away and implement in our lives. After all, almost 1,400 years ago, a man took a stand on the plains of Kerbala, and with him were a small group of his immediate family along with loyal supporters. They came, lived, were martyred and that is the end of the story – or is it?

The companions of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, were normal human beings. Some were recent converts to Islam; others lived in families with dual loyalties; and yet others were just border-line Muslims, however, at the end of the day, they all had tough decisions to make during a critical juncture in their life. Eventually, they chose to overcome the vicissitudes of their era to ‘ Become Husayni ’ - manifesting the noble ethical traits of Islam.

This Muharram, Islamic Education of The World Federation will tap into the companions who make up the struggle of Ashura. We will identify noble women and men who stood with Imam al-Husayn, peace be upon him and reflect on character traits such as

1. Never acquiescing to humiliation

2. Safeguarding our Salat despite leading busy professional lives

3. Looking past ourselves and preferring others; finding the right spouse

4. Walking together on the path towards God

5. Plus many more which they best exemplified.

We will pinpoint some of the challenges we  face in adopting these traits in our lives and will complete our daily discussion by providing clear and practical ways of overcoming the challenges we face in the present era by gaining inspiration from the companions – in essence, to #BecomeHusayni.

This Muharram, let us try and make the message of Muharram relevant to our own lives and to do all that we can do to # BecomeHusayni

For those who enjoy reading, we have created  ' The Month of Muharram  guide ' for the believers in which we review the major historical events which transpired in this month and also the important spiritual acts of worship we should engage in during this sacred time.

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Watch the trailer here: 

Listen to the daily podcasts here:

No To Humiliation | #BecomeHusayni | Day One

Listen to our first podcast on the 1st Muharram 1441. One podcast to be released every day for the first 10 days of Muharram.

Today we will talk about the actions of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, before he left for Kufa, and how he clarified his stance – he refused to pledge allegiance to a tyrant like Yazid. To him, this was nothing more than humiliation and ran counter to the ethos of the past Prophets. He would rather his body cut to pieces than his principles shred to bits. As believers, how can we live up to the standard that Aba Abdillah set 1,400 years ago?

Uphold the Salat | #BecomeHusayni | Day Two  

Our second podcast will focus on the importance of Salaat. The daily prayer is the foundational pillar of Islamic worship and if accepted, all acts of worship will be accepted, however if they are rejected, everything else is declined. It is easy to pray when at the religious centre, but how do we juggle our religious responsibility when we are at work or at school? Like the companions of Kerbala, do we long to speak to Allah? When times are tough, do we turn to Allah or our vices?

Indeed God is with the Patient Ones | #BecomeHusayni | Day Three

In today's podcast, we will look into the reality of acquiring Sabr. Being creations of two dimensions – physical and spiritual – we are constantly concerned with our physical health, but do we pay the same concern to our spiritual well-being? Living in an era of instant gratification, how should we understand the sacred trait of sabr – patience and fortitude, how can we use this trait in our daily lives and what are the benefits of maintaining a life of fortitude?

Never Underestimate a Good Deed | #BecomeHusayni | Day Four 

Day four our #BecomeHusayni series and we will look into understanding good deeds. A believer is one who is always working to spread goodness and kindness in society – no matter how “small” it may be. However sometimes, we don’t find the “opportunity” to do good – what is referred to as tawfīq – the ability to do as we intend. Reflecting on one of the heroes of Kerbala who was given tawfiq and did good, through his life, we study how we can attract this important trait in our lives. 

Preferring Others Over Ourselves | #BecomeHusayni | Day Five

It is one thing to give to others from the ‘excess’ that we have; it is yet another thing to give to others when we find ourselves in times of difficulty. Do we regard others as our own selves? Do we feel the pain of the suffering of others? Are we ready to share our time, energy, wealth, knowledge – all that God has given us to those around us? How do we cultivate empathy in our hearts and our next generation?

Deep Knowledge (ma’rifah) of the Imam of our Time | #BecomeHusayni | Day Six

The Qur'an paints a picture of previous prophets and both their supporters and those who rejected the Divinely sent – to teach us that we must struggle to recognise the rightful representative of God in every era. This knowledge must lead us back to God and to our religious responsibility. How do

Safeguarding Half of our Faith | #BecomeHusayni | Day Seven

They say that behind every successful man, there is a strong woman – but in Islam, that woman is not only ‘behind’ the man, but ‘alongside’ him. This is seen from the lives of women such as Khadijah binte Khuwaylid, Fatima al-Zahra, Zaynab al-Kubra, peace be upon all of them, and the great women of Kerbala. The women of Kerbala did not only encourage the men in their lives, rather, they were there shoulder to shoulder with them in the struggle. Today, how can couples work together to serve Allah (swt) and help one another in the journey of life?

Allah Can Change Our Bad Deeds | #BecomeHusayni | Day Eight

In Islam, there are no dead-ends. Just because one is a sinner today, does not mean that they must remain so forever. We all sin – either intentionally or unknowingly – but the goal is to realise our erroneous ways, and turn back to God before it is too late. Our Merciful Creator has given us many examples of people in the past whose repentance was accepted – and Kerbala itself presents us with the greatest paradigm of turning back to Him.

Certainty in the Face of Imminent Death| #BecomeHusayni | Day Nine

Every day, we leave the house to go to work or school – confident that we will return home at the end of the day to be with our loved ones; however the reality is that we don’t know what will happen. This is where we need to develop yaqin – certainty – in our hearts of the world to come and that our time here is limited. This will help us chart out the time we have here to ensure that we make the most of this life, leaving a positive legacy for others to remember us by.

The Ends Does Not Justify the Means | #BecomeHusayni | Day Ten

As Muslims who follow the balanced teachings of Islam as carried by the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, we do not use morally wrong actions to achieve morally right outcomes – our acts must be in line with our teachings. Following in this Qur’anic ethos and one which we derive inspiration from is the movement of Imam Husayn and his stance on the Day of Ashura. How can we ensure that we are principled, ethical, and upright believers while living in a sea of falsehood, corruption and dishonesty?

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