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 a lay person decided on who is the most knowledgeable mujtahid based on his own research and without needing to ask the religious scholars who can determine the most knowledgeable, would this be sufficient?

A lay individual is not qualified to determine the most knowledgeable in the right way without referring to whoever can determine him amongst the experts, since they– and not any inexperienced person – are the ones who know the level of knowledge of the people that reached the level of ijtihad.

I cannot understand the fundamental difference when purchasing something between paying in installments and paying on credit with interest. When I purchase any items in installments, I pay a higher amount than the normal price, and this is termed as interest. When I pay on credit, I pay later with interest. So what is the difference?

The difference is that paying in installments is a purchase made for a specific agreed-upon price, albeit higher, over a set period; whereas buying on credit is a purchase of something for a fixed price, made through an interest-based loan, and as long as the loan is not fully repaid the interest will apply above the agreed-upon price. Therefore, paying in installments does not involve Riba as defined by the Sharia and is permissible, and paying on credit does involve Riba and is prohibited.