 I start with the name of Allah, the Beneficent and the Merciful. I seek salvation from Satan, the accursed. My dearest viewers, my brothers and sisters from across the world. As-salamu alaikum jami'an wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. May the peace, blessings and the protection of Allah SWT be with you. I would like to thank you for tuning in to another episode of the Ramadan show, exclusively here on Imam Hussain TV with me, your host Dr Shabir Tejani. Insha'Allah, today we hope to impart some more pearls of wisdom to you so that we can be your one-stop shop for the holy month of Ramadan. I would like to encourage you once again and humbly ask you to send in your videos, your pictures and your blogs from across the world to tell us how you prepare for this holy month. Insha'Allah, we can share these with the rest of our viewers as well. Once again, don't forget to join us on social media by using the hashtag IHTVRamadan. Please join us on Facebook, Instagram and on YouTube as well where the show will be uploaded tomorrow, insha'Allah. Before proceeding on to the show, I would just like to quote a quick saying from the Holy Quran. Allah SWT says, remember me and I'll remember you. And this is such a short quote but so profound. In our times of need and desperation, if you remember Allah SWT, surely in those times Allah SWT will ease those burdens upon us. And in the times of joy, if you remember Allah SWT, then those times of joy will be ever more improved and ever more increased. Insha'Allah, we hope that if we follow this saying, then we'll succeed in this world and in the hereafter. During this episode of spiritual refinement, insha'Allah, I want to talk about a specific dua. That dua that we've been taught by the 12th Imam to recite on a daily basis or a nightly basis during the holy month of Ramadan. And that is none other than Dua Ifteta. The holy Imam, the holy 12th Imam, alayhi salam, asks us to recite it every night during Ramadan because of its excellent ability to mold a man's attitude towards Allah SWT as it expresses, as it says, many, many aspects of a human being. And it also describes the grace of Allah SWT. This dua is not only a supplication for our needs but a teaching of the very fundamentals and roots for our faith. It's a way of planning life. It remains our responsibility to plot the chart of life as we create a beautiful dua or recite this beautiful dua rather during the holy nights of Ramadan. I'll talk about two sections, insha'Allah. The first section of the dua describes different qualities of Allah SWT reveals the graciousness and the love that Allah SWT has for us. The section of the dua can be further divided into the following parts. Part one, the praise of Allah SWT as is the etiquette of Dua Ifteta. It begins with raising and glorifying Allah SWT. This is not because Allah SWT requires praise but it's the etiquette of doing the dua. We ask him or we elevate his status before we ask for our supplications. And it's to remind the supplicant of the supreme being which is Allah SWT. Secondly, there's emphasis on the oneness of Allah SWT. The third part of this section is the generosity of Allah SWT. Finally, it's the relationship of Allah SWT with a human being. Although it is us who needs Allah SWT and should strive towards him, it is Allah who invites us and encourages us to come towards him. He who shows love, he who shows mercy and he who continues to bless us in many, many ways. Section two of the dua is where we send peace and blessings upon the Prophet and the Ma'asumin, peace and blessings be upon them all. And we discuss the role of the 12th Imam, Al Jalla Allah Farajah. The first part is when we send salawat on the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. After remembering the oneness of Allah SWT and remembering Allah, the next most important part of faith is his messenger, the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him. And then we bless the Ma'asumin, peace and blessings be upon them all because after the Prophet, they're the next representatives on Earth. After which we discuss or we talk about the role of the 12th Imam, you see in every era Allah SWT has sent a representative on to Earth to guide his creatures, to guide the human beings, to establish truth and justice on the planet. The last part of the dua iftitah talks about the coming of the 12th Imam, preparing the believers for the anticipated establishment for the rule of Earth of Imam Mahdi, peace be upon him. Praying for help and for victory of the 12th Imam reminds us that we're actually awaiting him and need to prepare for his coming. We become aware of our responsibilities in his occultation and the importance of training ourselves for his reappearance. The salutations to the Imam are not limited to simple salutations but instead are expanded in several phrases and then attention is focused on the last Imam at the end of the dua. Firstly we say, oh Allah, please send blessings to the custodian of your commandments, the vigilant guardian, the reliable patron and the awaited establishment of justice. Surround him with your favourite angels and assist him with the Holy Spirit, oh Lord of the worlds. In this passage, we ask Allah to support our Imam with the Holy Spirit. The concept of the Holy Spirit is very important especially for the Shi'a. According to the Quran and various narrations, one of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is to support and guide the good people. For example, the Quran says that the Holy Spirit supported Prophet Isa, peace and blessings be upon him. We're reading the Quran. It says, when I strengthened you with the Holy Spirit, if we are good and pious people, we too can hope that Allah will support us and one of the ways in which He does this is by asking the Holy Spirit to help us. It should be mentioned that whilst the Sunni scholars normally identify the Holy Spirit with the archangel Jibra'il, alaihi salam, Shi'a Muslims are taught by the Holy Imam's peace and blessings be upon them to hold that the Holy Spirit is a creature higher than the level of Jibra'il. Towards the end of the dua, we make a very beautiful and important request to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala for ourselves. We say, oh Allah, let us bear witness that which you make known to us is the truth and let us attain that which we fall short to do so. The concept of bearing is very important regarding this Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says in the Holy Quran, the likeness of those who are charged with the Torahat and then they did not observe it is as the likeness of the donkey bearing books, evil is the likeness of the people who reject the communication of Allah and Allah does not guide the unjust people. Therefore someone may be given a divine book but it does not mean that they will necessarily be able to bear it, meaning that they may not be able to bear and take it on board. So it is important to carry and uphold the truth as we know it and to take on board whatever is available to us and whoever is able to do this will achieve a high position. Last but not least, let's remember that it's important to recite one verse of the dua and understand it instead of reciting the whole dua without understanding it at all. Obviously if you can recite the whole dua and also try and memorise it, it would be beneficial. But the real beauty of it, the real essence of the dua is within the translation, within the meaning and if you can read the meaning or understand the meaning you can make a stronger bond towards Allah SWT the Holy Prophet, his guides after him the Imams alayhi salam and finally a close connection to the Imam of our time, Imam Mahdi alayhi salam. The Holy Prophet Muhammad may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him in his progeny was asked O Prophet of Allah, which of the two months possesses a greater reward? Rajab or the month of Ramadan? The Holy Prophet may the peace and blessings be upon him in his progeny replied nothing can be compared to the month of Ramadan in terms of reward. As we go around the world and look at how people prepare themselves for the holy month of Ramadan I've been doing my research talking to friends and family talking to other people to see how they around the world prepare for this holy month and today my research has taken me to Sydney, Australia Sydney is a city, one of the largest cities in Australia it's found on the south-east coast of the country of Australia it has a large and diverse population of all races, of all backgrounds of all religions the people in Sydney, Australia the Shiites especially they're found in different races so there are the Indo-Pakistani community there is the Hogyi community the Iraqi community the Lebanese community and the Iranian community and all of them have their own centres obviously during the month of Ramadan because of the government and because of the country being non-Muslim the working hours don't change very much and therefore people have to go to work during their routine hours and then come home and rest for a bit before the time of Iftar now during these episodes we've talked a lot about long hours of fasting, extreme heat however in Australia it's a slightly different story because this year during the month of Ramadan it will be their winter and the days are actually shorter than usual and they fast and Alhamdulillah because of the shorter days they're able to keep up with their fasts without having the same trials as people on the other side of the world who have to have 20-22 hour fasts and the routine is about the same depending on which culture they belong to so in some cultures in some people they tend to have Iftar at home after prayers and then they go to the mosque for Majalis and then for Dua'as as well and Amal on the nights which are specific for them after which they come home and they get themselves ready for Sahur and Fajr and then ready for the next day as I've said before the children are especially encouraged to fast during this month so in the shorter days in this time of the year if they fast one or two days they're given gifts and encouragement so that they're ready for the older age when they get to adulthood and get to the age where they have to fast of Sydney, Australia the Shias especially they invite one another to their communities so they can get together as a congregation as a large community and celebrate when it comes to the time of Eid and especially during the nights of Amal where the community comes together in congregation and prays together supplicates together, repents together and they find beauty in this so that they can enjoin and galvanize themselves as a community insha'Allah I hope you can send your videos and your pictures your blogs about how you prepare yourself for this holy month we would love to air them and show the rest of the world what you do to prepare for this holy month as I've said before and I'll say it again I find it astounding how practices vary from across the world but even more of a miracle even more astonishing is that in all of that there is only one goal one destination that we all have and that is the love of Allah SWT and the Ahlul Bayt alaykum as-salam Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem dearest brothers and sisters as-salamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh may peace and blessings of Allah be upon each and every one of you today we came to another market in the holy city of Karbala to show you the atmosphere of the holy month of Ramadan in the holy city of Karbala so stay tuned with us brothers and sisters I have one of the brothers here I will ask him a few questions about the holy month of Ramadan in the holy city of Karbala may peace and blessings of Allah be upon you may you meet us in your presence and explain us about the situation of Ramadan in the city of Karbala may peace and blessings of Allah be upon you may peace and blessings of Allah be upon you the first days of Ramadan are very beautiful Ramadan is starting to disappear and the people outside the country are visiting me Imam Al-Hussain, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him people are starting to get excited and the first days that started or the first days that appeared and the people started to visit these Karbala days are very beautiful and they are safe and safe thank God Karbala is a gift for them and their family may peace and blessings of Allah be upon them may peace and blessings of Allah be upon you in the holy city of Karbala he is congratulating you and the Islamic Ummah on the holy month of Ramadan and he is saying that since the start since the first day of the holy month of Ramadan the visitors from Iraq and other countries are coming to the holy city of Karbala to visit the holy shrines of Imam Al-Hussain and his brother Abel Fadl Al-Abbas then they come to this markets to buy souvenirs for the family members and their friends what is the difference in your work at the beginning of the month of Ramadan and at the end of the month of Ramadan from coming to the holy days the first days that started since the first month of Ramadan of course it is the holy month for people who always visit Imam Al-Hussain and his brother Abel Fadl Al-Abbas for the first days do not be excited for the first days that they are the most Karbala people for the first 10 days it would be just a visit but the last days since the month of Ramadan they always visit the holy shrines even those who come to the holy city of Karbala those who come to visit the holy shrines to visit the holy shrines always the last days visit the holy shrines to be the most people to visit the holy shrines gucken to the mosques ad the holy behavior bland 4 days I ask brother about the difference between the first days of the holy month of Ramadan and the last days or the last decade of the holy month of Ramadan when we come closer to theый he is saying that since the visitors on the first days of the holy month of Ramadan comes from the holy city of Karbala usually do not have visitors sell too much things here but when it comes closer to the days of the Eid and the visitors from Karbala from other provinces of Iraq and from other countries come to the holy city of Karbala we have more visitors here and as a result they they can sell more things to the visitors of Abiyah Abdullah al-Hussain. In today's health tips and medical advice inshallah I want to talk about our short series that we've been going on about from yesterday's episode where we go through the stages of life. Yesterday we explored childhood inshallah today we'll talk about pregnancy. Pregnancy is one of the most natural phases in a woman's life it is a phase where they go through many changes in their human body it's a phase in which they have to cater for the fetus or the baby that's growing in their womb it's a phase in which the severe hormonal changes in the body and it's a phase in which they have to take good care of themselves so that they can be the best possible mother and allow the child who's in their womb to develop as much as possible. There are specific illnesses or specific problems associated with pregnancy and obviously when it comes to pregnancy we have to be as doctors very careful how we manage pregnant women what medications we give them and also we have to be aware that there are times during the pregnancy where things if even subtle things may be the first signs of something more serious. Pregnancy itself is split into three trimesters which means three different parts and each trimester is used for a different thing or each trimester the baby grows or develops in a different way and as a result that's actually devised or it actually forms the basis for the way in which we investigate the mother especially in the United Kingdom. The first trimester is the trimester that's used for initial development of the baby and as a result we have something called the booking scan at 12 weeks which is at the end of the first trimester. This is where we look at the viability of the fetus i.e. is there a heartbeat we look at the initial structure we can't tell about organs such as the heart or the kidneys but we can tell generally if the fetus is there if the heart's beating and if there's anything grossly problematic at that stage however the anomaly scan which is done usually around 20 weeks looks at things like the heart looks at the kidneys looks at other parts of the fetus's system and it can identify if there's any problems because the second trimester is when the organs grow and that's why we do the anomaly scan at this time during the life of the fetus. Inshallah I'll talk about specific problems that are associated pregnancy now. The first one obviously is called it's called preeclampsia I'm sure many of you have heard of it but I'm sure as to what it is and what symptoms to look out for preeclampsia essentially is a condition in which the mother or the lady excretes protein through their urine and as a result because of the lack of protein in the blood more fluid escapes from the vascular system and therefore can cause the fluid to build up in different parts of the body so you can get fluid build up around the liver fluid build up around the brain and you can also get an increase in blood pressure we as doctors if we find a lady who's suffering from headaches for example we'll always do a test of the urine we'll always measure the blood pressure and preeclampsia is one of the first signs that something can be quite wrong with the pregnancy and as a result sometimes what happens is that we have to deliver the baby early in order to try and ease this problem associated with pregnancy. Other problems associated with pregnancy obviously are vomiting. Sometimes vomiting can be normal within the pregnancy especially during the first trimester but if it's excessive we call it hyperemesis gravidarum. This is a condition in which the mother loses so much fluid through the vomiting that we have to admit them to hospital we have to make sure they're an IV fluid so that we can replenish their fluid stores and rehydrate them. This can be something that is very very burdensome something that's very very difficult to manage especially for the mother because normally during pregnancy you're at home with your family but during this time it can be very difficult as you're in hospital. This is one of the conditions which we as doctors have to manage very very very carefully because dehydration is can be one of the first signs that something's not quite right something's worrying. The other problems associated with pregnancy are obviously medication if someone's on certain medications already then as doctors how do we alter those medications without causing a big change or fluctuation to the system of that person. So especially on women with epilepsy we have to change the anti-epileptics around and make sure that the anti-epileptics they're on do not cause harm to the fetus. Other things that we have to be careful about are medications for women who have mental health problems such as depression or psychosis and so forth. Even something as simple as controlling vomiting we have to be very thoughtful about which medications we give the women because even the simplest forms of anti-epileptics or anti-sickness tablets can be harmful to the baby. Finally simple things like painkillers can also be very harmful depending on which one you choose. We never give out NSAIDs which are things like ibuprofen because they can be damaging to the fetus. Like I've mentioned before the pregnancy is there in three parts. Usually the third part and the last part of the pregnancy is when the lungs develop. Therefore in babies who are born premature at about 30 weeks or 32 weeks their lungs are not developed enough for them to be able to breathe and sometimes you find that the premature babies have to be put onto a ventilator initially and that is to help them to breathe. They're given something called surfactant which is a special fluid which allows the lungs to open up. This surfactant is actually produced in our bodies at about 32 weeks once we're in the mother's womb. Insha'Allah I hope that this episode has been useful. This is an episode in which we've talked about pregnancy from a very very medical point of view. We've not talked about it spiritually or from the mother's point of insha'Allah we'll explore that in one of the other episodes where we talk about the role of the mother and the role of the mother in the upbringing of the child. But pregnancy essentially is one of the most difficult times during a woman's life but it's the time which is the most satisfying once the pregnancy is over. Obviously pregnancy itself is just the beginning of a long journey of a long road in motherhood but insha'Allah I hope that if you pay heed to these advices that I've given and pay heed to the tips that I've given you'll be able to have a successful pregnancy. Finally I just want to talk about nutrition during pregnancy. This is obviously one area in which as a woman you're very much focused in upon. Firstly the first thing we do as doctors is put all women who are pregnant on folic acid and then after that other things to be very careful of is having the right amount of vitamins and minerals in your system making sure that if you can taking vitamin tablets or taking lots of fruit and vegetables. One thing that we advise to avoid during pregnancy is liver because liver has very high concentrations of vitamin A and vitamin A can be toxic to the fetus. Also during pregnancy light exercise is very useful because you can get pains and aches in the muscles around the womb especially during the last few weeks of pregnancy. During these weeks as the baby grows the ligaments are pulled and you get pain in the back but if you have prepared for this by doing some light exercise during the pregnancy it should make the pain more bearable. Insha'Allah I hope that this has been a useful session and useful few minutes for you and insha'Allah if you pay attention to the tips I've given you you can have a successful pregnancy and insha'Allah raise your children in the way of the Ahlul Bayt alayhim as-salam. Imam Hassan peace be upon him like all the other imams was granted divine knowledge by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and he demonstrated this right from his childhood. Once Imam Hassan was asked what are the ten things that are stronger than one another? Imam Hassan peace be upon him replied among the strong things is stone even stronger is iron which is used to break the stone even stronger is fire which is used to melt the iron even stronger is water which is used to extinguish the fire even stronger is the clouds that carry water even stronger is the air which float the clouds and even stronger is the angel which moves the air even stronger is the angel of death which takes the life of the angel who moves the air even stronger is death which comes upon even the angel of death and even stronger is the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala which governs death and governs everything that that happens in the world. In this episode, the poem I wanted to present is something that is slightly different to the norm, slightly different to the other episodes. It's not something recited, it's something that's spoken. It's something I've written on Imam al-Hussain because he forms such an important part of my life. He's more than just a person that I look up to. He's so much more than just an individual of personality. He's everything about life. He is life. And I wanted to impart this vision that I have of Imam al-Hussain to you, the viewers. And I've written it up in the form of a poem. So insha'Allah if you can bear with me for a few minutes so you can get that vision that I have of him in your hearts as well. I don't think about Hussain the man because Hussain the man is a comprehension that is far beyond me. I just think about your name Hussain because your name alone gives me an insight into your personality. Your name Hussain is so special in a world where nothing's as it seems. Your name Hussain is hope for those who have nothing left to dream. Your name Hussain is justice in a world full of oppression. Your name Hussain is the answer to every transgression. Your name Hussain is strength for those who live every day in fear. Your name Hussain is the hand that wipes away the every tear. Your name Hussain is like the palm that reaches over the side when someone is dearly clinging on to the cliff edge of life. Your name Hussain gives us belief in humanity and morality. Your name Hussain gives us patience in the face of brutality. Your name Hussain is company for the one who stands alone. Your name Hussain is belonging for the person who is disowned. Your name Hussain is direction for those who are lost or astray. Only one mention of your name and then they find their way. Your name Hussain heals the wounds of innocent persecution. Your name Hussain is the beginning of every revolution. It gives the oppressed a voice and empowers them with a choice to stand up and rise against falsehood and lies. But you see, Hussain is not a name for aggression. It is another name for love and for compassion. It is not an encouragement for hostility. It is the very principles of selflessness and nobility because no matter how great your tribulation is, how troubled your situation is, how deep your devastation is, how extreme your desolation is, how severe your deprivation is for however long the duration is. Just say the name Hussain from the heart and every one of your trials will move afar. Whatever they are, however deep the scar, I know what I'm saying must sound bizarre. It is as if the word Hussain speaks to your very soul, giving you a new lease of life and some control. You just have to look into the eyes of a lover of this personality and all you will see is contentment in the face of calamity. So the question is, have they met that man? That man who made that final stand far away in a barren land just to give humanity a hand. He who changed the course of time, the only thing he did was to decline for there to be any form of crime against humanity or humankind because this was unacceptable in his eyes and so he gave the ultimate sacrifice. No, they haven't. Yet, so many stand toe to toe with death just to say his name with their final breath 1400 years have elapsed. Has the story of Karbala faded perhaps? No, it is alive today as it was on that fateful day because Hussain's act wasn't for himself. It was a lesson for mankind. You see, there is a Hussain inside all of us, one that we have to find. So when others ask me what is so special about the name Hussain, I tell them that the essence of life is within this very name, your name, Hussain. The Holy Prophet Muhammad may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny was asked, O Prophet of Allah, which of the two months possesses a greater reward, Rajab or the month of Ramadan? The Holy Prophet may the peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny replied, nothing can be compared to the month of Ramadan in terms of reward. As we conclude this episode of the Ramadan Show, I want you to leave you with a few final words, a final thought. And this is from a very famous French proverb, a French saying. And that is that it's never too late to do good. What this means is that in our lives we'll get opportunities until our very last breaths to do something good and every opportunity we get is a mercy, a blessing from Allah SWT. This is upon us to make use of those opportunities and to try and do good with that in order so we can get close to Allah SWT and hopefully on the day of judgment we'll be resurrected with the righteous. I would like to thank you once again for watching and inshallah I hope you can send in your videos, your pictures, your blogs about what you do on a day to day basis in the month of Ramadan. Please don't forget to join us on Twitter with the hashtag IHTVRamadan. Like our page on Facebook, please subscribe to us on YouTube and also join us on Instagram. Finally I would like to ask you to please pray for us and most importantly pray for the reappearance of the 12th Imam, alayhi salam. I bid you farewell with these following words. Wassalamu alaykum jami'an wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.