Family Day
Salaam dear young friends. Hopefully you are all fine by the Grace of God. You are certainly enjoying your summer holidays. The climate is hot this year with temperatures soaring all over the northern hemisphere, including Iran, so be careful of sunstrokes.
Because of scorching heat and absence of rain, water levels are fast receding in lakes and reservoirs. If the trend continues we might face shortage of proper drinking water.
Let us pray to God to have mercy upon us by sending down showers of rain from the sky. At the same time let us by God-fearing by avoiding wastage of water.
It is indeed a pathetic sight to see some persons, oblivious of the dwindling fresh water resources worldwide, cleaning their courtyards, not with brooms, but with a hose pouring out gallons and gallons of water.
Such behaviour is a criminal act and a cardinal sin, since water belongs not just to all of us, but to our children and the future generations. We are actually violating the rights of others.
Well dear friends, yesterday was a very auspicious day that we celebrated and we are still basking in its blessings.
Yes friends, the 1st of Zi’l-Hijjah was that great day in history when by the command of God Almighty, Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) joined together in matrimonial union his Immaculate Daughter, Hazrat Fatema Zahra (AS) and his cousin and first infallible successor, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS).
Thus was planted the tree of felicity whose blessed branches, the Infallible Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt (AS), would shade the genuine teachings of Islam in every age and place from any deviation when charlatans masquerading as ‘caliphs’ and wrongly claiming to be heirs of the Prophet’s political legacy, would distort the letter and spirit of the holy Qur’an as a cult of violence, fratricide, enslavement of women, and cannibalistic terrorism.
We in Iran celebrate the 1st of Zil-Hijja as “Family Day” in honour of the start of conjugal life for the most excellent and exemplary family that no one else in the history of mankind could ever build. Islam attaches paramount importance to the building of the family unit on a sound and healthy basis as the firm foundation of a progressive society.
Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) practically taught us how to lead sound, healthy, and satisfactory life. After him, the most excellent exemplars for all mankind are his divinely-designated heirs – the Infallible Imams.
So we ought to be thankful for God for guiding us to the right path, the path of peace, prosperity, progress, and proper propagation of the dynamic teachings of Islam, as revealed by the Creator to His Last and Greatest Messenger.