The Press Release on the Tragedy at the Entrance of the Holy Shrine

The Press Release on the Tragedy at the Entrance of the Holy Shrine
2019/09/14

Indeed we are of Allah and to Him we shall return

It is with great sadness and pain that the news of the tragedy at the entrance of the holy shrine of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) has reached us, which led to the loss of tens of lives, as they repeated the chant “Ya Husayn”, their hearts filled with the love and grief for the Ahlulbait (peace be upon them), during their participation of the Tuwairich Run on the afternoon of Ashura.
We, therefore, pay condolences to the Imam of our Time (may Allah hasten his reappearance) as well as to their grieving families, and to all the believers and lovers of the Ahlulbait (peace be upon them).
We call upon those responsible in the Iraqi government and the Custodianship of the Holy Shrines to establish sound plans and to take precautionary measures to ensure that such a tragedy does not occur again.
Similarly, we call upon all the respected visitors to the holy shrines – may Allah honour them – to act in coordination with the brothers who have been tasked with managing the millions of visitors in order to enable the illumination of godly teachings and guidance, and the expression of love and sorrow for the Ahlulbait (peace be upon them). Indeed, such service during this season is amongst the greatest of deeds in the eyes of Allah Almighty, and He is the greatest supporter and the Guardian of the believers.
In conclusion, we supplicate to Allah Almighty to bless those pure souls and to raise them in the highest ranks with the Master of Martyrs and his noble companions, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon them all. We pray that He inspires their loved ones who they leave behind with patience and solace, and that He blesses the injured with a quick recovery, for He is the Most Merciful.

11 Muharram 1441

Day Questions

If the caravan from Arafat passes by Muzdalifa at 8:00 pm on the 9th of Thul-Hijjah, can the caravan leave Muzdalifa and come back to it before the intention of Wuquf or must they stay in Muzdalifa?

It is obligatory to stay in Muzdalifa until after the time of Fajr. Based on compulsory precaution, the pilgrim should stay there from the middle of the night until the spread of the light after Fajr that allows pilgrims to see their way, but it is better to stay until after sunrise.

A man with a son from a wife marries another woman with a daughter from a previous marriage. The son of the man and the daughter of the woman now live in the same house and they consider each other as step-brother and step-sister, and it is very difficult for the girl to constantly wear hijab in front of her step-brother. The son and daughter have no intention or desire to ever marry each other as they view each other as brother and sister. Because of the hardship that the girl faces in wearing hijab in front of her mother's husband's son may she remove her hijab in front of him? Is it allowed for them to touch without lust?

It is not permissible and hijab is obligatory in the said case.

Are there different forms of Tashahud taught by Imams including the one which includes the third testimony?

The forms of Tashahud narrated from the Ahlulbait (peace be upon them) do not include the third testimony.

I have heard that if a person fails to do taqleed, all of his good deeds will be invalidated, no matter how virtuous a devotee he may be. Is this true?

The individual – who has not reached the level of ijtihad, nor does he act on precaution between the edicts of the mujtahids – cannot guarantee the correctness of his deeds before Almighty Allah, unless they correspond to the edicts of a religious scholar who is an expert in Islamic jurisprudence, i.e. a mujtahid. Referring to the expert will relieve him from liability if the edicts of the mujtahid do not conform to the actual legislated laws of Allah Almighty. Without following the expert mujtahid, the person will be held responsible before The Almighty if the actions and transactions were not really in accordance to the religion.

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