The Press Release on the Terrorist Attack against Tuz Khormato - Iraq

The Press Release on the Terrorist Attack against Tuz Khormato - Iraq
2017/09/26

The terrorist attacks against the innocent followers of the Ahlul-Bait (peace be upon them) have increased recently in tens of bombings of civilian gatherings in a number of governates in Iraq. These terrorist acts include targeting the followers of the Ahlul-Bait (peace be upon them) in the city of Tuz khormato, attacking worshippers in Mosques, youths in the stadiums, visitors of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) in their way back and many others. This confirms that these attacks are part of regional plot that will have dangerous consequences on the security of the regional and of the world.

As we ask Almighty Allah to send His mercy on the souls of the martyrs and to grant the wounded fast recovery. We strongly condemn these savage attacks and emphasize on the following:
Firstly: It is necessary for the Iraqi government and judiciary system to take the responsibility in bringing the perpetrators to justice and in protecting civilian citizens especially the followers of the Ahlul-Bait (peace be upon them) as they are the primary target of terrorism.
We also emphasize on the importance of allowing the people of the targetted areas like Tuz Khormato and Tal Afar to protect their own cities.
Secondly: We call the international community; especially the international organizations to classify such crimes as crimes against humanity, since they are genocides that resulted from hate culture and shedding human blood on religious bases which are violations of the international laws and ethics.

"There is no power save from Allah, the All-High, the All-Great"

The Office of the Religious Authority, Sayyid Mohammed Saeed Al-Hakeem

Day Questions

In the case of a person making a Qasam (pledge) or Nadhr (vow/covenant) to Almighty Allah, is it necessary that they utter it in words with the tongue, or is it sufficient that they have the intention in their heart for it to become obligatory to act upon?

It is not mandatory to fulfill the vow (nadhr) or the oath (qasam) unless they are verbally pronounced in the proper manner.

I am in the process of selecting a marja to emulate, and have been recommended His Eminence Sayyid al-Hakeem. Can I rely on his book of Islamic laws in order to decide to follow him?

It is obligatory on individuals to follow the most knowledgeable when possible and that can be determined by referring to the experts who are able to determine who this is. It is not permissible for lay people to base the choice of their marja on learning about his verdicts and feeling comfortable with them.

I was following a Mujtahid who I believed to be worthy of being a Marja, but I later realized after some research that and he was not the most knowledgeable and his ijtihad was questionable. A trusted person told me that a particular Marja was amongst the most knowledgeable Mujtahids, and I began following him although I was not certain that He was the most knowledgeable. Is my taqleed valid?

If it has been proven to you via religious evidence that there are Marjas who are more knowledgeable than the Marja that you used to follow, you should refrain from following the latter and search for the most knowledgeable amongst those Marjas. If you could determine him by religious evidence then you should emulate him. If you could not, you must choose the most pious amongst them and if the said is not possible too, you can choose one of them and emulate him.

There are various opinions amongst the Shia about some rituals of commemorating the Ahlulbait (peace be upon them) and mourning for them, and these differences become more apparent in the month of Muharram. What is your advice in this regard?

There is no doubt that we should commemorate the tragedy of Ashura and express our grief and sorrow over what happened to Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) and his family and companions; and the Imams (peace be upon them) emphasized this in a well-known manner that is recorded in the books of narrations.However, differences have occurred in respect to some practices and rituals, and opinions have differed about them for some time.Our advice to all the believers is that they should refer in this issue to those Maraji who they follow and fulfill the conditions of Taqleed, and they should distance themselves from conflicting and quarrelling over it, as a believer may commit a sin as a result of such arguing. Rather, it is best at times to leave such quarrelling when there is no benefit in it. This may even cause harm and lead to animosity and hostility between believers.

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