Salaam dear young friends. Heartiest congratulations to you on the auspicious blessed days of Sha’ban, the month especially associated with Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) and his Immaculate Ahl al-Bayt.
We are basking in the blessed birthdays that we celebrated over the past few days and are looking to celebrate the rest of these propitious birth anniversaries in the coming days.
As you know, the 3rd of Sha’ban was the day on which the Immortal Martyr of Karbala, the Prophet’s younger grandson and 3rd Infallible Heir, Imam Husain (AS), was born in Medina in 4 AH.
The 4th of this month (26 AH) was the birthday of Valiant Standard-Bearer of Karbala, Hazrat Abu’l-Faz al-Abbas (AS), whose shrine stands like a sentinel to the shrine of Imam Husain (AS), as though he is still guarding this sacred land on which blood triumphed over swords to ensure victory for faith over falsehood.
The 5th of Sha’ban that went by yesterday was the birth anniversary of the Survivor of the heartrending tragedy of Karbala, Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS), the son and successor of Imam Husain (AS). He graced Planet Earth in the year 38 AH, and waged a unique jihad through imprisonment and the medium of prayers and supplications to salvage Islam in those day of Omayyad and Zubayrid tyranny and deviation.
Tomorrow on the 7th of Sha’ban, we would be celebrating the birthday of Hazrat Qasim, the son of Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (AS), who on entering teenage hastened towards martyrdom in Karbala with the words death in the way of God is “sweeter than honey”.
On the 11th of Sha’ban (Monday March 14 this year), we will be marking “Day of the Virtuous Youths” in honour of Imam Husain’s (AS) son, Hazrat Ali Akbar (AS), who despite bearing a striking resemblance to his great-grandfather Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), was cruelly martyred in the prime of youth in Karbala.
The icing to the birthday cakes of Sha’ban, as usual, is indeed the 15th of this glorious month on which in the year 255 AH, Imam Mahdi (AS), the Twelfth and Last Infallible Heir of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), opened his eyes in the city of Samarra in Iraq.
The Islamic Republic of Iran, thus celebrates mid-Sha’ban as “Day of the Oppressed” with prayers and supplications throughout the night preceding it, for the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (AS) in order to fulfill God’s promise of ridding Planet Earth of all vestiges of oppression and corruption through establishment of the global government of peace, prosperity and justice – Amen.
Well dear friends, this was all for our weekly chat. Goodbye and God bless you all.