Religious Activists from Iraq Meet Grand Ayatollah Shirazi

On Tuesday, Muharram 28, 1441 AH, Abdul Amir Omawi, an elegy reciter of the holy AhlulBayt, and the son of the famous Iraqi poet, late Mahdi Omawi from holy Karbala, along with Haji Khaled Abul Kashi, the director of Baitul Abbas Husayniya met with the Grand Shia Jurist Ayatollah Shirazi in holy Qom and listened to his eminence.

In his remarks, the Grand Jurist said:

“Among the companions of the holy Prophet was a person called ‘Saad’, who later abandoned the side of the holy AhlulBayt and went astray. On the other hand, the fifth holy Imam Mohammad Baqir had a loyal companion, whose name was Saad too, and he was from the line of the Omayyad. Imam Baqir used to call this companion by the name of the Virtuous Saad, to distinguish between him and his namesake, who had turned away from AhlulBayt.

According to traditions, one day, when Imam Baqir met with Saad, he found him to be crying hard. When the Imam asked about the reason, the loyal companion of Imam said: I can’t help but cry, because I’m from the wicked Omayyad family. The Imam’s reply however was: You are not from a damned family, because now, you are from the AhlulBayt.”

The Grand Ayatollah further explained: “A thousand years ago, Imam Baqir gave this medal of honor to Saad and made him a revered figure. This also is mentioned in the holy Quran, as it says: ‘He brings the living from the dead.’ It is a great and unmatched honor to be with the AhlulBayt. It should be noticed that Saad was a descendent of Marwan bin Hakam, who was frequently denounced by the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (peace be upon him).”

The Grand Ayatollah Shirazi continued: “We must endure all the hardships in the path of AhlulBayt (peace be upon them). In this subject, Almighty God says: ‘Repel [evil] with what is best.’

His eminence then said: “Imam Hussain, in all his dealings with people, tried to speak to common level of understanding. However, when the Imam spoke to God, he used to pour out his wisdom to the full. Before the Day of Ashura, Imam Hussain invoked these words to Almighty God: ‘Oh, Lord. Don’t let your servants be trialed by me.’ In fact, Imam Hussain didn’t want the Shia believers to be confronted with serious trials related to Ashura tragedies.”

The Grand Jurist also hinted: “In the afterlife, we will be abundantly rewarded for whatever services and works we do to promote AhlulBayt (peace be upon them) in this world. Therefore, I suggest you to educate your children about AhlulBayt and help them continue your line of activities and serve the holy AhlulBayt (peace be upon them).”