His Eminence Sayyid al-Hakeem calls the Turkish Alawite community to establish brotherly ties with other communities, and to learn the teachings of Islam and abide by them

His Eminence Sayyid al-Hakeem calls the Turkish Alawite community to establish brotherly ties with other communities, and to learn the teachings of Islam and abide by them
2019/05/06

His Eminence, Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammed Saeed al-Hakeem advised the Turkish Alawite community to strengthen the ties of love and brotherhood between themselves and other nations, and to continue the visitations of the holy shrines of the Infallible Imams (peace be upon them), to follow their virtuous path and to extend the bridges of acquaintance and friendship with the brothers in faith. His Eminence gave this advice during a meeting with visitors from the Turkish Alawite community.

His Eminence also recommended that they familiarize themselves with the laws of Islam and they learn their religious duties, through liaison and communication with scholars and preachers, and by abiding by the guidance of the Ahlulbait (peace be upon them), and by performing their duties in their prescribed times.

His Eminence expressed his pleasure in meeting with them and having this dialogue, and reminded them of their religious principles which they are obligated to preserve, as well as their attachment to the Ahlulbait (peace be upon them), doing what is necessary to abide by the religious decrees.

His Eminence prayed for their success and for the acceptance of their good deeds, and asked them to convey his greetings to their relatives in Turkey.

Day Questions

What is the iddah for the temporary marriage?

If the temporary marriage ended during her menstruation period, she must wait for two complete cycles and her iddah is finished when she sees blood for the third time. If the temporary marriage ends when she is not in her menses period, she should wait for one complete cycle and her iddah is finished when she sees blood for the second time.

What kind of things can the dowry (mahr) be in an Islamic marriage?

Anything that has a value and is permissible to earn from, by selling or leasing for instance, can be set as dowry, even if it is a little. It can be a tangible item, or a debt that is becomes liable for, or a service, such as to sew a garment or recite the Quran. As for those things which are not permissible to make one’s earning by, such as musical instruments or pigs, it is not permissible to make them the dowry.

Is the act of emulation (taqleed) obligatory? If yes, then kindly give me a reference from the Quran?

Taqleed is an obligation based on intellect. Muslims are required to implement the laws of the Islamic religion, and they cannot be known in details and in a correct way except by referring to the people of expertise, who are the religious scholars and relying on them in their findings that they concluded by research and study. Evidence of this concept from the Holy Quran is when Almighty Allah said: “And the believers should not all go out to fight. Of every troop of them, a party only should go forth, that they (who are left behind) may gain sound knowledge in religion, and that they may warn their folk when they return to them, so that they may beware.”(Qur'an, 122:9).

I heard a few narrations that tell us to hate the enemies of Ahlulbait (peace be upon them). Who can I classify as the enemies of Ahlulbait? Are they Sunnis? How should I act towards them and am I allowed to respect them?

The Sunnis are not the enemies of the Ahlulbait (peace be upon them) even if they do not follow them or believe in their Imamate. They – in general – love the Ahlulbait. Our Imams (peace be upon them) ordered us to associate with them in kindness and to communicate with them regularly. It was reported in an authentic narration that one of the companions asked Imam Al-Sadiq (peace be upon him), “How should we fare with each other, with our own people and with people who do not espouse our beliefs?” The Imam (peace be upon him) said, "You should look up to your Imams whom you follow and do as they do. By Allah, they visit their sick, attend their funerals, testify for or against them and return the trust to them." The enemies of the Ahlulbait are those who hate them and bear animosity with them. They are known by their names and personalities in the books of history and biographies. There were many rulers who acted with hostility against the Imams (peace be upon them) that lead to the Imams being killed, expelled and imprisoned. This can be found by referring to history books.