It’s fun to buy the latest gadgets and new plant introductions for the flower garden, but sometimes our green thumbs are bigger than our wallets. Discover four ways to satisfy your need to expand your flower gardens for little or no money. 1. Free P...

It’s fun to buy the latest gadgets and new plant i...

Roses can be finicky plants, but you can maximize the blooming potential of your roses by following the basic tenets of rose culture and maintenance. Here are six ways to get more rose blossoms for your flower arrangements. 1. Before You Plant You ...

Roses can be finicky plants, but you can maximize ...

When you walk down the fertilizer aisle at the nursery or home improvement center, the second thing you’ll notice about the aisle (after the distinctive smell) is the array of formulations. You’ll see bags and bottles, powders and granules, sprays an...

When you walk down the fertilizer aisle at the nur...

If you've experienced failure in the flower garden, perhaps you've written yourself off as having a brown thumb. However, even experienced gardeners make mistakes resulting from impatience and excitement. When we come home with a trunk full of greene...

If you've experienced failure in the flower garden...

Historians record that a Syrian looked at Fatima daughter of ‘Ali (‘a)38 then asked Yazid to give her to him to serve him. This daughter of the Commander of the Faithful (‘a) was terrified; she clung to her sister Zainab and said, “Serve him?! How co...

Historians record that a Syrian looked at Fatima d...

Yazid ordered al-Husayn's head to be brought to him. He put it in a gold washbowl.23 The women were behind him. Sukayna and Fatima stood and tried anxiously to steal a look at it as Yazid kept hiding it from them. When they did see it, they burst in ...

Yazid ordered al-Husayn's head to be brought to hi...

Yazid turned to al-Sajjad (‘a) and asked him, “How did you, ‘Ali, see what Allah did to your father, al-Husayn?” “I saw,” answered al-Sajjad (‘a), “what Allah, the One and Only God, the most Exalted One, had decreed before creating the heavens and th...

Yazid turned to al-Sajjad (‘a) and asked him, “How...

Ibn Ziyad sent a messenger to Yazid to inform him that al-Husayn (‘a) and those in his company were killed, that his children were in Kufa, and that he was waiting for his orders as to what to do with them. In his answer, Yazid ordered him to send th...

Ibn Ziyad sent a messenger to Yazid to inform him ...

Having come to know that ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas refused to swear the oath of allegiance to Ibn al-Zubayr, Yazid wrote him saying, “It has come to my knowledge that the atheist son of al-Zubayr invited you to swear the oath of allegiance to him and to ...

Having come to know that ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas refu...

Ibn Jarir [al-Tabari] has said that when the news of al-Husayn's martyrdom was announced, ‘Abdullah Ibn Ja’far held a mourning majlis, so people came to him to offer their condolences. His slave, Abul-Lislas,61 said to him, “This is what we got from ...

Ibn Jarir [al-Tabari] has said that when the news ...

I could not find any reliable reference clearly stating that Umm al-Baneen58 was alive during the Battle of Taff, and there are three theories refuting anyone's claim to the contrary: First: ‘Allama Muhammad Hasan al-Qazwini says on p. 60 of his boo...

I could not find any reliable reference clearly st...

Ibn Jarir [al-Tabari] narrates the following: Ibn Ziyad wanted to send ‘Abd al-Malik Ibn al-Harith al-Salami to Medina in order to inform ‘Amr Ibn Sa’id al-Ashdaq48 of the killing of al-Husayn (‘a), but he sought to be excused of such an undertaking...

Ibn Jarir [al-Tabari] narrates the following: Ibn...

My heart goes for your head atop a spear Outfitted with its own lights with an attire, Reciting the Book from the top of the spear, Through him did they raise the Book even higher.38 The martyred grandson of the Prophet (S) remained an ally of the Q...

My heart goes for your head atop a spear Outfitted...

At the same time when Ibn Ziyad ordered the captives to be brought to his meeting place, he also ordered al-Mukhtar son of Abu ‘Ubayd al-Thaqafi to be brought to him, too. Al-Mukhtar had been in prison since the assassination of Muslim Ibn ‘Aqil. Wh...

At the same time when Ibn Ziyad ordered the captiv...

Hammad said to the Imam (‘a), “I have personally witnessed some of what you have just described.” The Imam (‘a), then said, “Praise to Allah Who has made some people come to us, praise us, and mourn us, and praised is He for making our enemy shame th...

Hammad said to the Imam (‘a), “I have personally w...

Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (‘a) walked to his father's body, hugged it and wept loudly. Then he came to the gravesite and lifted a handful of its soil. A grave already dug appeared, and so did a pre-constructed shrine... He placed his hands under the Imam...

Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (‘a) walked to his father's b...

Historians record that the Master of Martyrs (‘a) set up a tent on the battlefield,1 ordering those killed from among his companions and Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) to be carried to it. Whenever a fresh martyr was brought, he (‘a), would say, “You have been ki...

Historians record that the Master of Martyrs (‘a) ...

‘Ali Ibn al-Husayn (‘a) was brought on a lean camel. Chains were placed on his neck, and he was handcuffed. Both sides of his neck were bleeding. He was repeating these verses: O nation of evil, may your quarter never tastes of water! O nation that ...

‘Ali Ibn al-Husayn (‘a) was brought on a lean came...

Umm Kulthum said, “Silence, O people of Kufa! Your men murder us, while your women mourn us! The judge between us and you is Allah on the Day of Final Judgment. O people of Kufa! Horrible, indeed, is what you have committed. Why did you betray Husay...

Umm Kulthum said, “Silence, O people of Kufa! You...

Fatima, al-Husayn's daughter,8 delivered a speech saying, “All Praise is due to Allah, as much as the number of the sands and of the stones, as much as the ‘Arsh weighs up to the ground. I praise Him, believe in Him, and rely upon Him, and I testify...

Fatima, al-Husayn's daughter,8 delivered a speech ...

The daughter of the Commander of the Faithful (‘a) explained to people Ibn Ziyad's villainy and meanness in a speech which she delivered to them. She signaled to the large crowd to calm down. They did, standing as if birds were resting on their heads...

The daughter of the Commander of the Faithful (‘a)...