Shah ast Hussain (as)

The Resilient Muslim Race, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

The resilient
Muslim race
it falls it rises
hardships calamity
it will face
leaderless
but collectively calm
by Gods grace
ancestry
to Peace and Brotherhood trace
indeed God is Great
a chant from the minaret always
Truth Justice Tolerance embrace
another mans religion
wont deface
living as Indians
giving other
Indians breathing space
through sectarian strife
sectarian hate
this religion
they have tried to erase
the enemies of Islam
are not outside
but within
they will one day
fall into place
the Holy Message
of Humanity
will once again
become their base
live and lets others
live peacefully
this planet a momentary
nesting place
for the final journey
when we meet him
in sheer human humility
face to face
Islam from a Muslim
or a Muslim from Islam
you simply cant replace

Burqa - My Birthright, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

“Burqas not welcome in France “, says Sarkozy .
This is the heading of the Times of India Mumbai front page dated 23 June 2009..

Some Excerpts..
Says Sarkozy “The burqa is not a religious sign,it is a sign of subservience and a sign of debasement- I want to say it solemnly “he said.
“It will not be welcome on the territory of the French Republic”

“In our country , we cannot accept that women be prisoners behind a screen,cut off from all social life , deprived of all identity.”Sarkozy said.

To President Sarkozy from Marziya

says the little one
burqa my birthright
why it gives Sarkozy
the strong man of France
a shuddering fright
at the very mention of the burqa
he gets uptight
his mind in hysterical flight
or is it because he is
French and he is white
racial profiling souls to spite
undemocratic irresponsible words
from a leader of his height
c’est dommage ..
religious fires hate ignite
ban the burqa
in your country
but please stay quiet
dont make statements
against Islam
derogatory
racist
and not right

ps
I am a Francophile some of my best friends are French my French teacher at the Alliannce Francaise in Mumbai Dhanraj Mahal was Alain Ficat..early 70s..

Tanya Shia Pride, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

she has nothing to hide
the ahle bayt her guide
the imams on her side
beating her little chest
for imam hussain she cried
a shia child wide eyed
through words of a poem
holistically described
the future of our faith
from within and outside
tanya shia pride

STAND WITH FREE IRAN, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Inspired by Anthony Posey poet photographer of New Orleans

www.flickr.com/photos/60053005@N00/3633012760/in/set-7215…

the spirit of the people of iran
is what matters in the end
their right to exist they defend
a will that wont bow or bend
a posse of baton wielding goons
cant shake this spirit of freedom
a message in defiance
trough twitter they send
a cause we all must befriend
as it affects us all
lets not pretend
our prayers our best wishes
our support we over extend
its best interest of iran
the spiritual leaders
make the necessary move
a bleeding fence mend
a new election
recommend
not their ego
but their faith in humanity
by the grace of the almighty
transcend

STAND WITH FREE IRAN, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Inspired by Anthony Posey poet photographer of New Orleans

http://www.flickr.com/photos/60053005@N00/3633012760/in/set-72157619742030927/

The Shia Was Born To Bleed, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

the enemies of shiasm
a rabid rotten breed
paying
allegiance to mauwiyyah
accursed yazid
overgrowing
like the devils weed
proselytizing hate
indeed
misplaced martyrdom
as jehad to mislead
shiam a protest against
yazidiyat year after year
from one generation
to the next indeed
through our blood
we expose their misdeed
a singular chant of pain
hussainiyat guaranteed
he gave his head but not his hand
for his life he did not plead
keeping alive a pledge
of his grand father
to succeed
on the point of a spear
it was the holy koran
he did read
ya hussain shaheed

Shah ast Hussain, Badshah ast Hussain
Deen ast Hussain, Deen Panah ast Hussain
Sardad na dad dast, dar dast-e-yazeed,
Haqaa key binaey La ila ast Hussain

on the soul of humanity decreed

Hate Begets Hate, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

DOWN WITH THE WAHABISM!! SHIAS MUST PROTEST AGAINST ADEL-AL-KALBANI(MALOON) WHO GAVE FATWA OF KUF AGAINST SHI’ISM.
SHIAS MUST AVOID NAMAZ BEHIND THIS MALOON AT MAKKAH-E-MUAZZEMA.

Sent to me by my friend Jalal Kazim

Forwarded message ———-
Date: Sun, Jun 14, 2009 at 2:12 AM
Subject: Fatwa of Kufr

Fatwa of kufr against the Shi’a Ulama and Maraja’
M. Abdullah
The leader of the congregation at the Grand Mosque (Masjid-ul-Haraam) in Makkah, Mr. Adel al-Kalbani shocked even his interviewer on BBC TV in May 09

www.alforatt v.net/index. php?show= news&action=article&id=37369

When he declared that all the ‘ulama (religious scholars) of the Shi‘as are “kuffar” (non-believers) . This is not the first, and certainly, it will not be the last outburst by the clerics of the Wahhabi sect, expressing their blind hatred against the Shi‘as of Ahl-ul-Bayt (sacred family of the Prophet), despite the fact that many Shi‘a pilgrims innocently pray behind them the obligatory congregational prayers.
Mr. al-Kalbani was appointed by the King of Saudi Arabia in that position only last September. So his outburst may be seen as an attempt to secure his position by sending signals to the authorities that he is loyal to their mode of thinking. Although the Shi‘as in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia represent 15-20% of the total population, the Wahhabi cleric said in his interview: “As for repatriating the Shi‘as, we can possibly discuss it.” He claimed that the Shi‘as are not entitled to be represented in the Supreme Council of ‘Ulama, although they are supposed to enjoy the rights of citizenry in a country that has granted them its citizenship. Yet, they have to undergo discrimination because of their religious beliefs and culture.
“There are Shi‘as in the kingdom, but they are a minority and they should not be included in the Supreme Council of Ulama,” stressed Mr. al-Kalbani. He further claimed that they already have more rights than they should have. The Supreme Council was extended in February 2009 to include the other Schools of Sunnis (Maliki, Hanafi and Shafi‘i). It was exclusively formed in the past from members of the Hanbali School, to which the Wahhabi sect is affiliated. In recent months, the Shi‘as called for the establishment of religious pluralism and demanded an entry of Shi‘a ‘ulama to the Supreme Council. The Shi‘as suffer discrimination by being banned from holding key positions in military, diplomacy and security and from exercising their religious practices and cultural activities.
Mr. Adel al-Kabani, having a total disregard for the sensitive position vested (or more appropriately, wasted) in him, made his declaration in his interview on BBC TV (Arabic service). Speaking from Husayniyat-al- Rasul al-A‘dam in Kuwait, ‘Allama Shaykh ‘Abdul Hameed al-Muhajir protested in almost every single night’s sermons during the majalis in commemoration of the martyrdom of Sayyida Fatima al-Zahra, demanding an unqualified apology to the Shi‘as and an immediate removal of this cleric from his post by King ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abdul ‘Aziz because of his hostilities against the noble family of the Prophet of Islam. Hence, praying behind him is not valid at all, he emphasised in his speeches. He also appealed to the Shi‘as around the world and especially, the Shi‘a Maraja‘ to adopt a firm stance against the Takfiris (those who declare everybody except themselves as non-believers) . ‘Allama Shaykh al-Muhajir questioned that if the Shi‘as are “kuffar”, then on what basis does the Servant of the Two Sanctuaries (Khadimul-Haramayn al-Sharifain) issue visas to the them to perform pilgrimage to Makkah and Madina? Aren’t kuffar prohibited from entering the two sacred places? He pointed out that these extremist clerics are violating and contradicting the official policies of their own leaders and governments.
Why did ‘Allama al-Muhajir stress that to pass a verdict of kufr on the Shi‘a ‘ulama and Maraja‘ is tantamount to passing a verdict of kufr on the Imams of Ahl-ul-Bayt? Many Wahhabis and those who unfortunately imitate them blindly, are perhaps not aware, or they are aware but they turn a blind-eye, that many if not most Shi‘a ‘ulama are the direct descendants of the Prophet Muhammad (saww) through the pure lineage of Imam ‘Ali and Sayyida Fatima al-Zahra (peace and blessings be upon them). Hence, to curse or abuse or insult, or to generalise in accusing them, or to base one’s allegations on hearsay and imagination, borders dangerously at cursing or abusing the Prophet and his Ahl-ul-Bayt.
It follows that flinging frivolous accusations against the Shi‘a ‘ulama may result in two major sins (al-Kabaer): (a) committing buhtan (wrongful accusations) which may land the perpetrator into severe retribution in this life, in barzakh and in the Hereafter; and (b) abusing the Prophet and his immaculate progeny, which may land the perpetrator outside the fold of Islam altogether.
In every public gathering that ‘Allama Shaykh al-Muhajir addressed in Iraq during the Fatimiyyah majalis, where huge crowds numbering several thousands gathered to listen to him, he called upon the followers of Ahl-ul-Bayt to rise up to their responsibilities and defend the honour of Ahl-ul-Bayt at individual and organisational levels; and not to ignore this serious challenge emanating from the Takfiris that the life, property and honour of the Shi‘as are violable. As it is, their violent extremists are already terrorising and indiscriminately killing the Shi‘as in several parts of the world.
On the eve of the martyrdom of Sayyida Fatimah al-Zahra, ‘Allama Shaykh al-Muhajir, one of the most renowned Arabic speaker in the world, who has served the cause of Imam Hussayn a.s. for more than 50 years, vowed that he will not rest in peace until the King of Saudi Arabia apologises to the world Shi‘a community and removes the offending imam of Masjid-ul-Haraam from his position.
Addressing a large gathering in Basra, ‘Allama Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Fali also demanded an immediate action against the imam of Masjid-ul-Haraam and called for protests world-wide. ‘Allama al-Fali said, as these people falsely accuse the Shi‘as of being the grave-worshippers and by doing so, they provoke public sentiments against the followers of the School of Ahl-ul-Bayt, then let it be known, “may Allah curse the grave-worshippers” , he declared. If building a structure on the graves is “shirk” (polytheism) , then he asked, on what basis is the structure built over the graves of the khulafa and over the graves of imam al-Bukhari, on whose collection of narrations do their legal Schools depend? They also claim that the Shi‘as believe that the Qur’an is distorted. He gave references after references of several narrations from the books of Hadiths that the Sunnis consider the most authentic, where they themselves claim that distortions and deletions of certain passages have taken place from the Qur’an. Therefore, it would seem that they are trying to shift their guilt on others.
In his public address on 13 May 2009, ‘Allama Sayyid al-Fali quoted an interesting episode. He said that during the time of Saddam, the secret police of the tyrant arrested a learned scholar in Najaf and accused him of abusing the Arabs. The scholar was shocked and defended himself by saying that he has not abused the Arabs. The police asked, “didn’t you say “tabbat yada abi Lahabin wa tab?” (“Perish the hands of the Father of Flame (Abu Lahab)! Perish he!”). The secret police protested, wasn’t Abu Lahab an Arab? The scholar replied that it is not he who has abused him, but it is Allah Who has condemned him in the Qur’an. (Q. 111:1).
‘Allama Sayyid al-Fali had said in one of his previous majalis, quoting directly from Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal whose jurisprudence the Wahhabis follow, that Mu‘awiyah used to drink wine and his son Yazid was a vicious sinner. The Wahhabi media and press reacted by blowing the matter out of proportion and accused him of abusing the companions of the Prophet, despite the fact that Yazid was not a companion; and it was his father who had initiated the evil practice of cursing the leader of all the companions and the nearest member of the Prophet’s family, Imam ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib on the pulpits throughout the Muslim empire - the practice that continued for over 70 years.
‘Allama Sayyid al-Fali questioned the honesty of these people in concealing from the public the historic facts that it was Mu‘awiyah who had started the vile practice in the sermons of Friday prayers. Why don’t they utter a word of criticism against Mu‘awiyah for cursing the chief of the companions of the Prophet?

–

My words as poem

Islam has been destroyed
by the custodians of Islam
sectarian hate sectarian strife
caught in a spiritual traffic jam
as one vehicle of hate
into another vehicle of hate rams
killing little babies in cradles and prams
bleeding the soul of humanity in kilograms
thanks to wahabbism all over
the slaughter of the lambs
talibanism , puritanism
fundamentalism
bursting the peace of
all worldly dams
playing one against the other
Israel and Uncle Sam

INDIA4720, originally uploaded by glosack.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/glosackmd/3620345662/

Mumbai INDIA
“muharram”
the commemoration of the martyrdom of Hussein.

Looking forward to my next Muharram end of year.

Looking forward to my next Muharram end of year.

The Shias of Mumbai love you doctor ..your picture speaks volumes of our faith and our pedigree of pain called Ghame Hussain..

Khawaja Ghareeb Nawaz’s immortal verses on the status of Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS)
Shah ast Hussain, Badshah ast Hussain
Deen ast Hussain, Deen Panah ast Hussain
Sardad na dad dast, dar dast-e-yazeed,
Haqaa key binaey La ila ast HussainAnd a rough translation -

Ruler is Hussain, Emperor is Hussain,
Faith is Hussain , guardian of faith is Hussain .
Offered his head and not the hand to Yazid.
‘Indeed, Hussain is the foundation of La-ilah (the
declaration that none but God is Absolute and Almighty)

raza rumi

My Hallowed Head, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

shot by Umakant

I asked him to shoot my hallowed head, the seat of my pedestrian knowledge , the fountain of my flowing blood when I cut my head twice a year with a sword during Ashura and Chehlum in Moharam .

seat of my pedestrian knowledge
fountain of my flowing blood
the crucible of chaos
my hallowed head
my poetic human head
every year
during moharam
it has bled
painting the streets
spiritually red
into the gutters
of mumbai
flowing ahead
a protest against yazidiyat
that shall continue
much after I am dead
remembered forever
by my best friend fred
memories of pain
sorrow despair
words of silence
interred in pictures
seen unread
hussain is humanity
a thought embed

Allah Be Praised!, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Through his bounty
His Omnipresence
His Omniscience
my world is graced
Hussainiyat
my little heart
and soul embraced
Allah be Praised
through the doors
of Hussainiyat
a new dawn surfaced
Truth
Hussain is Humanity
between Ashura and Karbala
our ancestry traced
tears sorrow our blood
equally spaced
1400 years journey
Hussainiyat
we chased
bought through our mothers womb
a pact a pledge delicately placed
shah ast hussain
badshah ast hussain
cut copy and paste
once and for all
on the soul of humanity
evil replaced

SHIASM

the blood of our forefathers
from every face flows
1400 years
our pain grows
a chapter
that shall
never ever close
blood like melting ice
our ancestry of pain shows
we bleed
to remind the world
of a spiritual terrorism
on the soul of humanity
as Moharam
the whole world knows
save those
lovers of Mauwiyah
lovers of Yazid
behind close doors
the Lion of Karbala
on the banks
of the Euphrates
lets out a roar
Hussain is Humanity
a thought implores
the standard of Hussainiyat
on all hearts soars
puritanical poison
as Yazidiyat ignores
the Beauty of Islam
Hussain restores

Shiasm Up Close
A path of Truth
that we chose
through our blood
a conspiracy of hate
expose ..
Allah Ho Akbar
scriptured silence
of all our foes
read this as a  poem
or read it as prose
testament and will
of men in black clothes

Thank you Cousin !, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

image courtesy
farm4.static.flickr.com/3108/3166455578_0b4a5864b9.jpg

I was given a gift of friendship, a gift of two extra years added to my Flickr Pro membership by my closest and very dear friend family all put into one , Dr Glenn Losack MD of Manhattan New York.
Thank you Cousin
This means a lot to me..
I am touched by your kindness and love for me..

Iraqi Kama Matam Chehlum Mumbai 2009, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Habib Nasser a Shia photographer is the founder of this unique form of Iraqi Matam on the streets of Mumbai as part of the Chehlum Juloos that starts at JJ Hospital and moves towards the Rehmatabad Shia cemetery Mazgaon.

Men boys cut their heads in unison to the quintessential chant of Ya Hussain Ya Hussain..

Its here that I cut my head too, the ritual known as Kama Zani or Kama Matam. Habib does not participate in the event here but he does the hardcore sword matam at the Rehmatabad Shia cemetery.The scenes in the interior of the cemetery is akin to a war zone , blades flying in the air and the entire area flooded with blood.

However I will only show you the choreography of pain through the Iraqi Kama Matam..

Chehlum is the 40 day of Moharam or also known as Arbaeen ..of the Martyrdom of Imam Hussain, this is a peaceful, mammoth juloos or procession, with kids women and elders trailing the procession all the way to the cemetery.

Mumbai Moharam is larger than life and one of its kind..and the Iraqi Kama Matam takes you back to the streets of Karbala where this Matam is performed .

Habib has imported all the daggers, machetes , and the carbonized razor sharp blade is enough to cut the flesh all the way to the bone.

There is no casualty, the bleeding is stopped by rose water or plain water and nothing else.

No septic shots, no ointment no antiseptics or antibiotics.

I dont cut myself severely because than its impossible to shoot pictures with the blood flowing into the viewfinder of the camera.

This is nother pictorial journey into the LIfe of the Shia.. a great moment called Ghame Hussain.

Shah Ast Hussain- The Shia Way Of Life, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

posted at Now Public
my.nowpublic.com/strange/shah-ast-hussain-shia-way-life

Shah ast Hussain, Badshah ast Hussain
Deen ast Hussain, Deen Panah ast Hussain
Sardad na dad dast, dar dast-e-yazeed,
Haqaa key binaey La ila ast Hussain

Loosely translated

Ruler is Hussain, Emperor is Hussain,
Faith is Hussain , guardian of faith is Hussain .
Offered his head and not the hand to Yazid.
Truly, the mirror of faith is Hussain

Words of Khwajah Moinuddin Chishty Ajmeri on the Gates of the Bulund Darwaza Ajmer

Bleeding for Hussain , to keep the memory of his supreme sacrifice alive is a way of overcoming pain.. Ghame Hussain.

Moharam celebrated by the Shia Muslims is a statement a protest against aggression of the spiritual and human soul of Man.

Moharam is a 1400 year old protest against all forms of terrorism, simply called Yazidiyat, promoted by Yazid the Caliph of the Ummayad Dynasty.. against Imam Hussain the revered grandson of the Holy Prophet of Islam who met a tragic end fighting for the right of Man.

Fighting to keep the Faith of the Maker Alive ..his head was decapitated along with the heads of his male family members , and than placed on spears to be displayed at the Court of Yazid in Damascus.

This is early Arab barbarism..women children no one was spared.

The Shias all over the world mourn the death of Imam Hussain, the 10 th of Moharam is called Ashura and the 40 th day is called Chehlum.

Every Day is Ashura every place is Karbala

I show you through pictures the ritualism of overcoming pain..as seen In India during Moharam..flagellation’s, head cutting as performed by the Shias.

Swami Shankaracharya
"It is Hussain’s (ﮫﻨﻋﻰﻠﺎﻌﺘﷲﺍﻰﻀﺮ) sacrifice that has kept Islam alive or else in this world there would be no one left to take Islam’s name."

Rabindranath Tagore
"In order to keep alive justice and truth, instead of an army or weapons, success can be achieved by sacrificing lives, exactly what Imam Hussain (ﮫﻨﻋﻰﻠﺎﻌﺘﷲﺍﻰﻀﺮ) did."

Edward Gibbon
"In a distant age and climate the tragic scene of the death of Hussain (ﮫﻨﻋﻰﻠﺎﻌﺘﷲﺍﻰﻀﺮ) will awaken the sympathy of the coldest reader."
[The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, London, 1911, volume 5, pp391-2]

Mahatma Gandhi
"My faith is that the progress of Islam does not depend on the use of sword by its believers, but the result of the supreme sacrifice of Hussain (ﮫﻨﻋﻰﻠﺎﻌﺘﷲﺍﻰﻀﺮ), the great saint."

Katle Hussain Asal Margae Yezid Tha;
Islam Zinda Hota Hai har Karbale Ke Baad.

(The Martyrdom of Hussain was indeed the Death of Yezid;
Islam is rejuvenated after each and every Karbala).

Muhammad Iqbal (from Lahore, Pakistan) said:

"Imam Husain uprooted despotism forever till the day of Judgment. He
watered the dry garden of freedom with surging wave of his blood, and
indeed he awakened the sleeping Muslim nation. If Imam Husain had
aimed at acquiring a worldly empire, he would not have traveled he
did. Husain weltered in blood and dust for the sake of truth. Verily
he, therefore, became bed-rock (foundation) of the Muslim creed; There
is no God but Allah."

Charles Dickens had said the following about Imam Husain (AS):

"If Husain fought to quench his worldly desires, then I do not
understand why his sisters, wives and children accompanied him. It
stands to reason therefore that he sacrificed purely for Islam."

Thomas Carlyle has relayed this about the Tragedy of Karbala:

"The best lesson which we get from the tragedy of Karbala is that
Husain and his companions were the rigid believers of God. They
illustrated that numerical superiority does not count when it comes to
truth and falsehood. The victory of Husain despite his minority
marvels me!"

The famous, Dr. K. Sheldrake on Imam Husain (AS) said this:

"Husain marched with his little company not to glory, not to power or
wealth, but to a supreme sacrifice and every member of that gallant
band, male and female, knew that the foes were implacable, were not
only ready to fight but to kill. Denied even water for the children,
they remained parched under a burning sun, amid scorching sands yet no
one faltered for a moment and bravely faced the greatest odds without
flinching."

World famous Arab historian al-Fakhri has said this about Imam Husain’s
sacrifice:

"This is a catastrophe whereof I care not to speak at length, deeming
it alike too grievous and too horrible. For verily, it was a
catastrophe than that which naught more shameful has happened in
Islam…There happened therein such a foul slaughter as to cause man’s
flesh to creep with horror. And again I have dispersed with my long
description because of it’s notoriety, for it is the most lamented of
catastrophes."

74000 Blogs in 23 Months at Flickr, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

I complete 74000 blogs in 23 months at Flickr