A grand celebration ceremony was held at the Islamic Centre of England on the occasion of the auspicious celebrations of the three Radiant Stars, Imam Hussain, Imam Sajjad and Hazrat Abbas (pbut).
This celebration was held on 13th February 2024, in the magnificent presence of different nationalities, in three languages: English, Arabic, and Farsi.
HIWM Seyed Hashem Moosavi, Imam of the Islamic Centre of England, in his speech in both English and Farsi, explained about worship and its ability to reach God. He said, “Almighty God created the world for man and man for Himself and He made servitude a way to reach Himself. It should be understood that in this regard, philosophy of sending the Prophets (pbut) was also a call to God’s service and avoiding tyranny.”
He added, “The successors of the Prophets (pbut), including the successor of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) of Islam, Imam Ali (pbuh) were also proud to serve God.”
HIWM Seyed Hashem Moosavi pointed out the close connection of worship with the titles and names of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them).
Although Imam Hussain (pbuh) did not have a son named Abdullah but he (pbuh) was known as “Abba Abdullah” because with his (pbuh) pure blood, he (pbuh) created such a transformation in the world of worship, which every servant of God who worships God in the world of existence owes it to his (pbuh) pure blood. The true worship of God is dependent on the existence of Imam Hussain (pbuh), and it is for this reason that he (pbuh) was called Abba Abdullah.
The Imam of the Islamic Centre of England also pointed to the titles Zain al-Abidin and Sajjad for Imam Ali bin Al-Hussein (pbuh) and Abd Saleh for Hazrat Abbas (pbuh). He added, “These titles also show the importance of worship and servitude in the lives of those two nobles (pbuh). That being the characteristics of worship are a great lesson for all Shiites in putting the service to God at the top of all their work and never forgetting the secret and need of night worship and long prostrations to God in their lives.”
In this ceremony, Sheikh Rashad Ansari also spoke in Arabic, in which he explained about the virtues and characteristics of the celebrations of Shaban. He said, “True Shiites have special characteristics, the most important sign of which is divine piety.” He added that Imam Hussain (pbuh) said, “Hazrat Abbas (pbuh) was a true Shia because he (pbuh) was a righteous slave and a complete follower of the Wilayat.”
In this ceremony, a competition was held in the presence of dozens of children and teenagers, boys and girls in which prizes were awarded to ten winners of the competition.
Delightful music and videos were played, and presentation of contributions from the audience were among the features of this celebration.
