In the name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the Ever-Merciful
Respected Community Leaders & Members
Salamun Alaykum.
I pray you are well.
My felicitations on the birth anniversary of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) whose expectant mother was hosted in God’s House, who was meticulously trained by the Holy Prophet(s), who defended, expounded & lived by God’s Eternal Word, till he was martyred. Also, condolences on the wafat of his Holy daughter Sayyida Zaynab binte Ali (sa), peace be upon them both, the propagator of the tragedy of Kerbala and defender of the Divine cause of Imam al-Husayn (as).
In October 2017, the Secretariat of The World Federation was inundated by messages from community members worldwide who had shown concerns on video clips and speeches relating to Aqa’id matters, Fiqhi Masa’il, Marja’iyyat, Arbaeen, etc.circulating in social media.
The World Federation commissioned Islamic Education Department led by one of our leading community scholars Shaykh Murtadha Alidina to carry out a comprehensive study and understanding of the views expressed. The process undertaken by the department involved tracking down and listening to the full lectures, statements or reading whatever documents that were produced and available. The next step was to seek clarifications from the speakers to ensure they represented their views.
After completing the investigation, Shaykh Murtadha Alidina and I then visited His Eminence Ayatollah Udhma Sayyid Ali Husayni Sistani (may God protect our scholars) on 15th February 2019, and we sought advice from His Eminence on these matters. In addition to the verbal guidance His Eminence gave us, we also received written guidance from his office, which can be viewed here. We also met Ayatollah Udhma Shaykh Ishaq Fayyaz, Ayatollah Udhma Sayyid Saeed al-Hakim, and Ayatollah Udhma Shaykh Bashir Najafi. We discussed the same matter with them and sought their advice and guidance as well.
Furthermore, Shaykh Murtadha Alidina visited and discussed the issue with other leading Mujtahideen in Najaf as well as Maraje and high-ranking scholars in Qum.
We received robust, succinct, explicit, and direct guidance from all these scholars. The common points of advice received from them are as follows:
- The views expressed by such scholars directly contradict the explicit text of the holy Qur’an and the blessed Sunnah reported from the Great Prophet (saw) and His Purified Progeny (as).
- Nobody subscribes to such ideas except one who does not have sufficient competence in the field of Islamic Jurisprudence; therefore, such a person is not qualified to teach those ideas.
- Even if someone is assumed to be qualified enough to engage in such discussions, it is not right that they present such specialist issues to the general public as non-specialists would not be able to correctly grasp what is being said.
- It is inappropriate for a religious preacher (Muballigh) to use the Mimbar to spread their personal opinions which create divisions and differences in the community. Rather, it is the duty of a Muballigh to invite people towards strengthening their faith and to spread its well established moral, social, and spiritual teachings as represented in the clear verses of the Holy Book and the beautiful sayings of the Holy Prophet (saw) and the Holy Guides (as).
- It is the duty of the community leadership, parents, and all believers, to refrain from entrusting the community and our children with religious training from such preachers. Rather, it is their duty to refer to others who are reliable from among the people of knowledge, piety, and righteousness.
Alhamdulillah, very clear guidance has been provided to us. We should all feel proud to be followers of a Madhhab that has been bestowed with such scholars. They have unanimously guided us with explicit and clear guidance on such matters.
I, therefore, implore the leadership of our community and in particular leaders and committees who have the responsibility of inviting preachers to our communities and to parents who have the primary responsibility to provide authentic source of guidance for their children, to enjoin, promote, and act upon the clear advice provided to us by our Maraje.
Click here to read the guidance from the office of His Eminence. May I request that you act upon this guidance.
The Islamic Education team will be running a series of videos and articles on intellectually empowering the community with greater Islamic knowledge. The launch will be announced shortly so keep tuned on our social media platforms for more updates.
Read further on for all other updates from The World Federation.
We pray for the hastened reappearance of our Twelfth Imam, Al-Hujjat, Al-Mahdi Sahibuz Zaman (aj).
With Salaams and Duas,
Anwarali Dharamsi
President
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Rajab al-Asabb
Although Allah is the creator of time and we as Muslims should value our days and nights, our Lord shows us in the Quran that some time periods are more sacred than others. Rajab is one of those months whose mention has been made in the Quran. These are acts of devotion which can be performed at any time of the year, however when done in Rajab, their rewards are magnified by Allah. Read more about the merits of this month here.
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Remembering Marhum Mulla Asgar
19 Years on of the death anniversary of our founder, Marhum Mulla Asgherali M M Jaffer.
The Khoja Heritage Team share an interview with Marhum Mulla Asghar's close colleague al-Haj Aunalibhai Salehmohamed on his thoughts of Mullah Saheb. Click here to watch the video.
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Madinah and Bab Applications open for Participants and Mentors
The Madinah and Bab courses cater for youth between the ages of 14 - 24 and have been running successfully every summer for the past 16 years. Youth from various parts of the globe gather together in Iran for three weeks performing a variety of activities. The course includes Islamic classes, cultural activities, spirituality and recreation.
To apply as a participant or a mentor please click here.
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Khoja Heritage Festival
This conference is intended as a community conference in the collaboration among the Khoja Heritage Project of The World Federation of KSIMC and The Council of European Jamaats. Its focus is to stimulate a rigorous discourse pertaining to the adventurous past, affluent present and challenging future of the Khoja Shia Ithna Asheri Muslim Communities. During the two-day fun family event we will hold the following:Plays, Quiz, Debates, Exhibition, Plus a unique Khoja Heritage Documuanty in Gujrati. Register here.
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Hiridjee Loans
The World Federation and Hiridjee Foundation are eager to empower Khoja girls by offering 2 female students the chance to study further within their chosen field. The aim is to provide female students from our community, who cannot afford the cost of education, an opportunity to pursue their higher education goals. Find out more here.
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MCE Latest news
In case you missed the newswire we released updating the community on the great efforts put in by the MCE team. You can view it here or catch up on our website.
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Week of Yemen
The World Federation took part in the APPG meeting and with MCF meeting discussing Yemen. Click here for more details.
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Cyclone Idai has impacted 2.5 million people across South East Africa. 400 people are already confirmed to have lost their lives, with the number expected to increase. Families are in need of urgent assistance.
WF-AID are partnering with Africa Federation to provide emergency supplies such as food, water and shelter to some of those most affected in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. Donate today.
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Your continued support, enthusiasm, dedication and passion is what makes The World Federation of KSIMC a success. We'd like to say a special thank you for supporting our global efforts. Together, we are helping and improving the lives of people all over the world.
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