Updated 11 May 2010
إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَ يُطَهِّرَكمُْ تَطْهِيرًا
Indeed Allah desires to repel all impurity from you, O People of the Household, and purify you with a thorough purification.
It is due to His Kindness and Generosity that we get opportunities time and again to get together in remembrance of Him. With the blessing of Seyyida Zainab we the sister’s circle in Damascus, were able to hold our 7th session last week. To date our sessions have been very well received and productive.
Topics of discussions have included:
• How to live Islam by improving our Akhlaq
• Why it is important to refrain from even minor sins,
• The importance of the Quran in our day to day lives
• Learning from the life of our Holy Prophet (saw)
• Clarifying the misconceptions of the status of women in Islam.
Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise for those that were stranded here on their way home from Iraq this past week due to the volcano in Iceland, as they were able to celebrate the birth anniversary of Seyyida Zainab in her proximity, and we had the pleasure of having some of them attend our last sister’s circle session.
Typically our sessions consist of a twenty minute talk followed by discussion either regarding the topic presented or any other pertinent issues. For our last session, I started our session with emphasizing the honor of being in the immediacy of Seyyida Zainab , as she is truly a role model for all of us. It is because of her the message of Imam Husayn (as) remains vibrant until today.
For those who have been here to Sham, know that it is only her light that radiates this land. Surrounded by the dirt roads, pollution and chaos it is the dome of her shrine that shines bright between the two towering minarets, attracting visitors from all over the globe all year round.
Following this introduction, I then conducted a short lesson explaining the true meaning and beauty of Surah al-Ahzab, verse 33 as quoted above. I went over particulars such as, highlighting the type of language used in this verse and its implicated meanings, how to defend some of the objections we face of this verse being revealed for the Ahl al-Bayt, as well as subtle grammatical details that draw attention to the significance of this verse.
Alhamdulillah the session went very well and everyone was quite pleased with both the content and style. We always welcome guests to partake in our sessions as it gives us all an opportunity to learn from one other and support each another through our journey towards being the best servants of Allah SWT.
Sabiha Jaffer
3rd Year IIPS Student