Sheikh Abdul Mehdi Al-Karbalaei
My brothers, my sisters…
I bring to your attention the following two matters:-
First Matter:
With the approach of Arbaeen Ziyara, as millions of lovers of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) seek to participate in its remembrance by crawling on foot towards his holy shrine, intending thereby to express the intensity of their loyalty to him and the strength of their association with Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) in their lives, renewing their allegiance to continue on his path living by the noble principles and values he called for. We would like to remind the Mumineen (the faithful) of what some of them should consider and be attentive of on this occasion:
- One of the main purposes of this Husseini visit, is to maintain the principles of Islam, its ordinances and sacred teachings, which Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) and his family and his companions sacrificed for; in order to protect them from loss and deviation. This requires more excel from believers in religion and enforcing its teachings by obeying God and His Messenger (peace be upon him and his progeny) and the pure Imams (peace be upon them), performing religious duties and avoid prohibitions. Essentially, addressing on this visit, in accordance to the established range of virtuousness by the Hawza and its students to demonstrate the legal provisions and moral teachings of it and set up a prayer group performing along the road path to the holy city of Karbala. Esteemed visitors are advised to seize the opportunity of these holy days and make their divine journey to enhance their commitment to religious teachings and alleviate their sense of morality; keen on performing prayers in time, yet their attentiveness to be at the service to the visitors of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) and setting up condolence ceremonies should not prevent them from praying on time. Imam Hussain (as), with his intensity of care and keenness to pray, on the day of Ashura and the preoccupation with war and fighting did not stop him and his companions in the most intense times to delay that divine ordinance with God first… By God, prayers; for it is your religions spine, the Mumin’s rise to his Lord, and your Lord and His Messengers most loved actions.
- It is important for the purposes of this divine journey to mount the principle of the foundation on which Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) launched his mission from Medina to the holy city of Karbala, by which he wanted his followers and companions the darkest of circumstances to sacrifice, by money and self-sacrificing to abide by, to protect the values and principles of Islam in preservation without change and distortion, by altruism, courage, patience, steadfastness and determination in will for this sake. There is no doubt that fateful battle in these days with ISIS gangs reflects these very values by name and images and meanings, especially by our heroes who are stationed in the fronts leaving the world, their family and children and loved ones behind to encompass the values of redemption, sacrifice and altruism by sacrificing themselves for the sake of protecting this country, its sanctities and honour of its citizens. Perhaps in order to link the manifestations of loyalty to Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) in these days and sincerity to go visit him, is sustaining the momentum of the fight against ISIS so as to promote the spirit of steadfastness and the will in support of the fighters. Our most courageous of men are most determined to cleanse the lands of Iraq of gangs’ plagues. For the people who were able to defy terrorism, their car bombs and explosive devices all these years and achieved victory in a lot of its battles is most able to sustain the momentum of victories in the current battle against ISIS to reach the divine victory by God’s will.
- Hopefully the actions and work of visitors and owners of Hosseini Mawakeb may The Almighty may God reward them good, be a reflective mirror of the ethics of Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them); through their keenness to protect public and private property (whether government departments or public properties), and not to crowd out vehicles and pathways transporting visitors, maintaining the cleanliness of their sites, be careful not to waste food for this acclaimed action to feed visitors may turn into a blameworthy act if combined with profligate food waste. We also emphasise the necessity for well cohabitation between visitors without overcrowding or scrambling, rather there has to be cooperation among everyone for the success of this visit, especially cooperation with the security forces to enable them to perform their duties in the best way, to prevent any possible security breach God forbid. We request our sister visitors to adopt auspices of the highest degree of decency and chastity and avoid reprehensible mixing. We emphasise on our youth to take care in dressing appropriately in suitability to the sanctity of this occasion and avoid any actions that may offend this in dress or behavior.
Second matter:
We have previously stressed that the biggest challenge and the most dangerous in face of the Iraqi people of all its sects and ethnic groups and religions is a battle against ISIS and its exclusionary ideology and bloody culture. This terrorist organisation, whose brutal crimes reached various parts of the world, of the most recent examples which attracted the attention of the world, the Russian aeroplane bombing, the bombings in Beirut and Paris, which claimed the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians. Iraqis are destined to be on the forefronts in fighting these terrorists, trying to break their stems and contribute mostly to eliminate them from the world. Praise to Allah they have been able to achieve important victories in such efforts, as it is certain that victory and the final nail in the battle with ISIS will reflect in its prosperity on all Iraqis. It is here that we preach the necessity to be united exerting all energies and capabilities into this battle, which is one for all against these terrorists as everyone is responsible to not allow any deviation on the tracks of the battle. Everyone is responsible for not allowing room for cultivation of sedition or strife among the Iraqi people for no one other than criminal gangs will benefit from it. What recently happened in Tuz Khurmatu in clashes and acts of sabotage and violence is a serious indicator that calls for the wise of all parties to take the necessary measures to prevent the repetition of what happened and maintaining peaceful coexistence among all components in respect to the rule of law and respect for the other in the right to a decent living that preserves its security and stability. What is required by those who have control over the situation to not seek to exploit the current circumstances to impose a fait accompli in some areas according to their visions and perceptions for it will lead to further complications for everyone will inevitably lose and no victory will be sensed other than by care to perpetuate the coexistence based on reserving everyone’s rights according to the law.
Oh God, make our country safe in Your Care and Your Support and have Mercy on us oh All Merciful…
