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

Could one buy goods from someone who sells Alcohol in his shop?

Yes, but it is better to choose shops that do not sell such prohibited items.

I am currently unemployed and looking for work. Is khums obligatory on me to pay? Who do I pay it to?

Khums is obligatory once a year. It is on what exceeds the expenses during the year. One should refer to an agent of the marji', and determine a fixed yearly time to pay khums after calculating it.

What is the proof that wearing black clothing is permissible in mourning Imam Hussain (peace be upon him), considering there are some narrations from the Imams (peace be upon them) that tell us not to wear black clothing, as it is the clothing of Pharoah or the people of Hell? I ask this because some Muslims from other sects point out this inconsistency in order to criticize the Shias.

It is important to notice the following issues in answering this question: First: Those who dislike the followers of the Ahlulbait do not care whether the Shia wear black clothes, but what bothers them is that believers mourn the oppression that took place against the Ahlulbait. By this, they ignore the orders of Almighty Allah and antagonize the Prophet (peace be upon him) intentionally or unintentionally, since Almighty Allah considered the love for the Ahlulbait as the reward for the Prophet’s efforts in guiding mankind when He said: “I ask of you no recompense for this, but to love my kinsfolk.” (42:23) and the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered us to love his household, and he is the one who cried and mourned for what will happen to his Ahlulbait after Almighty Allah informed him about what is going to happen to them. Therefore the objection is not against the wearing of black. Rather, their objection is against the sorrow and grief that we have for the Prophet and his household (peace be upon them all). Lots of people wear black clothes and nobody object to such a phenomena. Second: Some narrations express dislike towards wearing black clothes in itself, but not for the sake of mourning. Other narrations state also that it wearing black was a symbol of Abbasids, and the dislike of wearing black could be for this reason. In a narration, Imam Ja’far Al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) stated after he wore the black clothes when he was called to meet the Abbasid caliph – as it was obligatory at that time to wear black clothes in the presence of the caliph: “I wear it although I know it is the dress of the people of Hellfire,” in reference to the Abbasids. After the end of the Abbasid state, this attribution ended. Third: Even if it is disliked to wear black clothes, even if it is not the symbol of the Abbasids, there is no doubt that it is recommended to wear black clothes if it was to express the grief in the mourning for the Prophet and his household (peace be upon them) since this a form of commemorating them and expressing grief for them and for the tragedy that took place. Doing do has great benefits for us and it strengthens the faith in the hearts of believers, whether this is achieved by wearing black clothing, or hanging black cloth in public areas, and the like.

While I wash an object or my body from najasah, and water splashes onto a place which is tahir, will that place also become najis? Is there a difference if the water I am washing it with is Kurr or Qaleel?

If the water used in the process of cleaning is little (qaleel), then the water that splashes off the najasah is najis and causes wherever it lands to also become najis. The exception to this ruling is the water used for istinja, (the process of cleaning the private parts after urination or defecation), in which case the water splashes will be tahir. If 'immune water' is used, then it is tahir after it splashes off the najasah, and does not cause other objects that it comes in contact with to become najis.Immune water is categorized into three types: (a) water that has reached the amount of kurr – approximately 464 kg, and it is better to consider it as 470 kg;(b) water that which has a source, such as spring water, well water, and tap water which is connected to a large tank or mains water supply;(c) rain water during rainfall.

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