His Eminence, Grand Ayatollah Al-Hakeem, Speaks of the Life of Imam Ali (Peace be upon him)

His Eminence, Grand Ayatollah Al-Hakeem, Speaks of the Life of Imam Ali (Peace be upon him)
2019/06/01

His Eminence, Grand Ayat0llah Muhammad Saeed Al-Hakeem, spoke to a group of students of Islamic sciences on a few aspects of the life of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), and about the hardships and tribulations he and his Shi’ahs faced, because of their steadfastness on their principles that originated from the teachings of the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny).

He spoke about Hadith al-Thaqlayn, in which the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: “I indeed leave behind amongst you two weighty things: the Holy Book, and my progeny, the Ahlulbait; as long as you hold on to both, you will never go astray.”

He spoke of the fortitude of the Shi’ahs, the followers of Amir al-Momineen (Peace be upon him) in staying upon the Truth, despite the pressures and injustices they faced. There came a point when their enemies thought they could finally eradicate true Islam, the Islam that was founded upon the divinely-ordained authority of the Ahlulbait (peace be upon them). However, their strength made them a well-known respected nation.

His Eminence spoke of other critical moments that the Shi’ahs have faced, such as the recent Baathist regime. This despotic regime turned its attention to the Seminary of Najaf and began expelling foreign students and scholars. Then it began arresting and assassinating the Iraqi students and scholars, until this city became almost empty of students and scholars, except a few who insisted on continuing their duties. The religious seminary suffered greatly and lost many great scholars. The 90s passed with its hardships, but with the fall of the regime the Seminary of Najaf has returned to its former state to play its role in the study, teaching and research of Islamic sciences, the propagation of the path of the Ahlulbait (peace be upon them) and in leading the Shi’ahs.

His Eminence concluded by praying to the Almighty to help and support the students of the Seminary to pursue their studies with sincerity to Him, and in fulfilling their responsibilities in a manner that pleases God, and that they are in their guidance of the Imam (may God hasten his reappearance), and that they see the rewards of their work in this life and the Hereafter.

Day Questions

Are coffee beans halal when they have been digested by civets before roasting?

If the mentioned coffee beans are contaminated with the feces of the animal - even by a little bit - then it is not permissible to consume the coffee that is made from such beans. If the contaminated beans are made tahir before using them to make the coffee, then it is permissible to consume the coffee.

I have heard that some people reject those who were born out of wedlock because they see them as bad people. Does the Islamic Sharia condone the rejection of marrying someone because they are of illegitimate birth?

Marrying those people is permissible. Everybody is entitled to choose his/her life partner in the way that he/she sees suitable whether they were born from a legitimate marriage or not.The father of the girl that is approached for marriage should choose what is best for his daughter. Defining what is best for her depends on the particular circumstances, social values and maybe other factors. It is possible that the father may see marrying his daughter to a person born out of wedlock to be against her best interests.

I am a married Muslim woman; I have formed a business partnership with non-Muslim married men to do business in beauty products. Is this against the religion?

It is permissible to buy, sell and trade in beauty products; also, it is permissible to have business partnership with men if it does not involve a prohibited act as a result of socializing with them.