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Poem for Milad un-Nabi

The Prophet’s Legacy Listen, O brothers! In the ocean of faith, the Qur’an is the most precious pearl of Muhammad. Just as every king keeps his treasure concealed, the Qur’an is the hidden treasure of Muhammad. Observer well, who do you see as the custodian of this treasure and the trustee of Muhammad? Just as you leave your treasure to your children, there is a legacy for the children of Muhammad. Do you not see that the pearls of faith cannot come from anyone except the children of Muhammad? This treasure was entrusted to one person only, worthy of being…

A Muharram victory

Oh boy! Was the US so confident of Allawi’s victory that they didn’t think what would happen if the Shi’i religious party won the elections? It’s not so much that they won, I think everyone but this administration saw them winning a plurality if not a majority, but it dawned on me today that they won the elections during Muharram. The first ten-days were when the Prophet’s grandson Husayn was tortured and killed. It’s one of the formative moments of Shi’ah identity and remains incredibly important for the Ithna’ashari, the type of Shi’ah in Iraq. The symbology of Imam Husayn…

Friedman on Sistani and the Nobel

See here. Friedman, like most commentators, acknowledges Sistani’s Shi’ism, but fails to understand what that means. “People power” as he describes is what the Ithna’shari conception of the state was/is prior to Khomeinism taking center stage. The idea of jurists leading the state, vilayat-e faqih, is a relatively new concept, but it’s already become normative for even op-ed writers who supposedly have the time to be able to think.