After a careful and meticulous examination of its contents, his eminence's English book of "Practical Laws of Islam" (Tauḍiḥ al-Masāil) has been released and is now available to his followers.

Imam al-Rida ('a) played an integral role in guiding the intellectual progress of the Muslim Ummah and defending the Islamic beliefs against the encroachment of un-Islamic ideological currents. As the Muslim Ummah’s borders expanded, it came in to contact with the ideas and beliefs of many various nations and religions.

These were hearts and minds which had been locked by the darkness of deviation and straying and it was the Prophet (s) who helped open them to guidance and salvation.

The Lady Zaynab is narrated to have said to Imam al-Sajjad (a): In this land in the future, a flag will be raised over the tomb of your father, Imam al-Husayn (ʿa), which will never become old or faded. With the passing of time, it will not be damaged and no matter how much the leaders of disbelief strive towards effacing it, it will only grow in grandeur and greatness day by day.

There is hope that in the world of today, the oppressed nations will take lesson from the story of Karbala and rise up, crushing their oppressors once and for all.

We must be careful never to become like those who sell their religion, neither for much worldly wealth, nor for little. In this issue, we must follow one who was faced with the greatest of tests but never sold his religion irregardless of its personal cost.

One of the main problems facing humanity during our time period is that of the oppressive superpowers and their destructive goals and policies. The aim of Imam al-Husayn (ʿa) was nothing but fighting against these oppressive and tyrannical powers.

There is no doubt that Imam al-Hasan (ʿa) possessed so many positive and noble characteristics that he was truly befitting of his name ‘Hasan’. We hope that we can also follow in his footsteps and become more like him as well.

Imam al-Husayn (ʿa) performed his prayers in congregation even on the day of Ashura. This shows us that the prayers must be performed even in the most extreme and difficult of condition. Thus, in order to highlight this lesson and show its importance, it is very important that we offer the Noon Prayer of the day of Ashura in congregation.

Reviving the name and memory of these great men is something which gives inspiration and it furthermore gives human beings a spirit of self-sacrifice.

The mourning ceremonies must be held in a way where all the people are made aware of the goals of Imam al-Husayn(ʿa). The methods which are used in these ceremonies must be in line with the guidelines of Imam al-Husayn (ʿa) and the rest of the Infallibles (ʿa), as well as the common practice of the wise members of the Muslim community.

Various moments in the history of Karbala have shown us how we should live an honorable life and how we should die an honorable death. These are the same lessons which Imam al-Husayn(ʿa) taught the world at the Battlefield of Karbala on the Day of Ashura.

We must follow in the footsteps of the martyrs of Karbala and we must also implement the teachings and messages which they left behind for us.

The combination of the proper affections for Imam al-Husayn (ʿa) alongside the necessary knowledge and understanding of the purposes behind Imam al-Husayn (ʿa)’s uprising are two necessary aspects of the establishment of proper mourning. The mourning ceremonies must be held with ever increasing levels of grandeur and perfection every year and we must be careful not to engage in any actions which will tarnish the grandeur of these ceremonies.

The martyrdom of Imam al-Husayn (ʿa) was so intertwined with various lofty values that it will never become old, nor will its values ever become outdated. Not only that, but Karbala and the sacrifice of Imam al-Husayn (ʿa) grows in value and relevance every single day.

One can only claim that they love Imam al-Husayn (ʿa) and are among his true followers when they have reflected upon the various corruption and problems which exist during their own time period and they have done their best towards reforming these issues. Without any doubt, if the mourners of Imam al-Ḥusayn (ʿa) make a logical and calculated decision together towards fighting the corruption which exists in their society, they will be successful in reforming it.

Ashura is not merely an incident which happened in the past, but rather, it is a reality which continues to this very day.

In the name of God

I had declared this decree several years ago conditionally, and it has been registered in my book, Rulings of Taqlid, that if based o­n the approval of the experts, smoking cigar (and other tobacco products) is harmful for health, it is forbidden.