Proclaim Good and Forbid Evil

Proclaim Good and Forbid Evil, always and at all costs !"If you do not march forth, Allah will chastise you grievously and will replace you by another people, while you will in no way be able to harm Him. Allah has power over everything". 9:39.

No people can live successfully, fruitfully and triumphantly without strong memory of their past. 10th of Moharram is one such occasion. Muslims attempt to recall the tragic event around the 60th year after Prophet Muhammad migrated from Makkah to Madinah. This time it was his family led by his noble grandson Imam Hussain (peace & blessings be upon all of them).

Reciting Divine words, reflecting Prophetic advises and studying history enables us crystallize our insights. However, when we attempt to draw the imagery of Karbala, no heart could be so hard as not to be pierced with piteous feeling while replaying the Day of Ashura. Words can simply not do justice to the sacrifices made on that day. They kept their heads high, faces bathed in blood and tears, looking one upon another. Others stood in dolorous pain, looking up to the highest heavens, fixing their eyes upon it, crying out, asking help from the Only Helper; while others made lamentations in the manner of dirge.

Today we try to recall their pain, suffering and sacrifices, as they happened, to inspire ourselves and to understand the concept of sacrifice for a noble cause.Regrettably, sacrifice as is generally understood today, is to give up something that should not have been touched in the first place. Selfless and unasked giving is a rarity and unheard of. Giving one's entire self and off springs for His pleasure is unimaginable.

Muslims must spiritually survive from the unparallel yesterdays of Prophet's progeny.We have been largely overwhelmed by a culture that has emptied our memories, made us apologetic for who we are, and stripped us along the way of the sheerest hope of self-definition. We alone are presumed past less and are left to repair our self-esteem. Imperative it is for us today, to define ourselves by our ongoing tribulations and those who mete them out to us. Otherwise, we cannot be collectively successful if we have no idea or, worse, have the wrong idea of who we were and who we are. Getting replaced, then seems to be only logical and deserving (refer 9:39).

The intent of this writing is to stimulate, not to sate -- to pose the question and to invite reflection -- to cause ourselves to act for an almost forgotten legacy of the sacrifices made by our beloved Prophet (pbuh) and his progeny.O Allah (swt) bestow upon us the courage to enjoin, proclaim and enforce Good and patience and perseverance to forbid and stop Evil for and by all.
Ameen Ya Rabb.------

It is with deep regrets that we like to record yet another attempt to silence Muslim activism in the USA. The ongoing witch hunt started by the US Government around Oct/Nov 2001, continues!

Nov 2001: the funds of 3 major Relief Organizations (Holy Land Foundation, Global Relief Foundation & Benevolence International) were frozen.
Dec 2001: 1 Board member of GRF continues to remain in prison.
March 2002: 14 Muslim organizations & some of the top Muslim leaders living in the Virginia area were raided, under the pretext of aiding and abetting terror.