Respected Community Members and Zawwar of Sayyid-ush-Shuhada (a)

Salamun Alaykum,

Millions of followers of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) are converging towards Karbala to commemorate the 40th of Imam Husayn (a) in one of the largest gatherings in the world. It is heartening to note that thousands of community members across the globe have also arrived in Karbala for the commemoration of Arbaʿīn as well as attending majalis in their hometowns.

On this occasion, we ask all members of the community (especially the zawwar of Imam Husayn (a)) to remember us in their duas during these most sacred days.

As narrated by Imam Hasan al-Askari (a), performing the Ziyarat of Arbaʿīn is one of the 5 signs of a true believer. In the Ziyarat, we say:

“Oh Imam, we are with you, we are with you and not against you”

Arbaʿīn teaches us the level of tolerance and love for one another, especially the walk from Najaf to Karbala binds us all together regardless of denominations we come from. Imam Husayn (a) and his sacrifice is a core part of our faith that unites us together as a community and as a society.

We may all be at different levels of our understanding of our faith, levels of spirituality may differ but one thing that is common is our love of Abu Abdillah (a). The core element of love, compassion and empathy is an intangible that does not and should not change. We all strive to grow as individuals and as a community every single day and we should focus on doing so together.

Recently, a community leader met His Eminence Sayyid al-Sistani (d) and asked him:
“How do I deal with varied members in the community, especially those who are less religious?”
Our Marja’ responded:
“You should never isolate anyone, nor lead them to despair. You must do your best, to awaken their souls, give them guidance to the best of your ability.”

We as a community should not judge those who we think less of and cast them aside. Instead, we must focus on how we can help each other on the journey to getting closer to Allah (SWT). Let us remember each other in our duas in these days and especially our marhumeen.

Safder Jaffer
President
World Federation of KSIMC

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