👊🏼 Does religion force people? 🤔 Why do we feel that God is forcing us? #PnOnFreedomOfChoice @PanahianEN

🌱How can I improve my prayer? 💭 A Review on the book "How to Pray a Good Prayer" by Ali Reza Panahian 📘 Why the book had such a huge impact on a reader. 🔴 youtu.be/FzCELuOwj_w #HowtoPrayAGoodPrayer @PanahianEN

💭 Why doesn't God talk to me? #Video @PanahianEN

🌱What is our duty in society regarding other people’s "good mood"? 🔻What effect does giving a "good mood" to others have on us? Paying attention to the topic of a good mood in "social relations" is very important and requires constant vigilance on our part. Perhaps our most important social duty and the most important steps for our personal growth is to help others to be in a good mood and not make anyone feel bad. Do we have anything higher than this? Oppression is a severe form of creating a bad mood in others. Not respecting other people’s rights is also a way of making someone feel bad. Now, what is the effect of making others feel good? For example, some religious scholars say that if you want to give charity in order to solve one of your own problems, take care of the need of a poor person, who is very needy and doesn't even think that it is possible for you to solve his need, by giving a large amount of charity so that he will feel good. When he feels good very deeply and thanks you, good things will happen for you. Another example is with regard to parents. We should do something for them. We should not just limit ourselves to not making them upset and respecting their rights. More than this, we should do something to make them feel very good. If a person makes his parents deeply happy, perhaps even if he does this just once, it will have a tremendous impact on his entire destiny in a way that he will see that his life improves afterwards. This is because of the deep happiness he brought to his parents. Therefore, we have a duty to be careful about other people’s mood. That is, first of all do not do something that makes them feel bad. Secondly, do something to make them feel good. Another example is if you blow your car horn loudly while you are driving and another driver becomes nervous. He will feel bad. Or suppose you brake in front of someone and scare him, this will have a very bad effect on you. Why do you make others feel bad? Stop at a distance and let them be sure that you have seen them so that they may feel safe. Let's care about each other’s mood. #PnOnGoodMood @PanahianEN

☑️ Parents! Let your children choose! One of the positive effects of paying attention to freedom of choice is that when a person chooses by himself with awareness and alertness, he stands by his choice and endures the hardships on this path better. When a person doesn't choose something himself, the difficulties bother him very much and he gives up in the middle of the way. When we want to train our child to pray, we must first work on his/her spiritual independence and freedom of choice. Let's tell our children, “You have the freedom to choose whether you want to pray early or late, or even not to pray! Those who did not choose to pray it was because of these reasons, and those who chose to pray it was because of these reasons. See the results they got based on their choice.” We must teach children they have a freedom of choice and help them to gain the ability to choose, since they must make choices. This is the most beautiful, outstanding part of religion. Being religious has some hardships. One has to pass up some things. Not being religious also has hardships, but not being religious is more difficult. Tell your children, “Being irreligious has some enjoyments. If it didn't have any enjoyments, people wouldn't go toward being irreligious! So, it definitely has some enjoyments. But religion has much more enjoyments, and so on.” Tell them these things so that they can choose based on their awareness. It is good for parents to show their decision-making and the moments when they are choosing to their child. They should think out loud about the difficulties they have in choosing, so that the child can be informed that mom and dad have an issue called "choosing!" They think about their decision, and they hesitate before making a choice. Finally, they choose with caution. In this case, the child learns to think when choosing too. Let your children think and choose when they want to get married. Don't push them. Don't try to talk and prepare the environment in such a way that they feel they have no choice in the matter, or they won't feel responsible and won't tolerate the hardships that arise in the future. #PnOnFreedomOfChoice @PanahianEN

⚠️ Why do religious commandments mostly tell us what not to do? 🔻We’ve been created for a continually increasing, warming love. 🔴 youtu.be/4R_maB4QcfY #Video @PanahianEN

🐬You’re not a dolphin, are you?! A person must be himself before he can be good, and he must have an independent personality before he can be religious. Religion first makes a person independent, and then it helps him to grow. Independence (having an independent personality) is the foundation of religion. Therefore, the Almighty God waits to give the rewards for our deeds in Purgatory and on the Resurrection Day. That is, He usually delays the rewards until then, so that our independence will not be disturbed. If there are rewards and punishments in this world, they usually come from “where one does not expect!” [Qur’an 59:2] Why is it like this? It is so that our minds do not become caught up with thinking about rewards. They have investigated this issue in psychological experiments. For example, they told a group, "If you solve this problem, we will give you a big prize." Another group was told, "We will give you a small prize." And another group was told, "There is no prize!" The results showed that when they set a big reward, people thought less and couldn’t solve the problem very creatively. But when there was no reward, people’s minds worked better. And when people were promised a small reward, their minds worked mediocrely. What is God's plan for prayer? His plan is this, “If you pray, I will not rain flowers on you, and if you do not pray, I will not rain bullets on you. Decide for yourself!” Why doesn’t prayer have immediate, tangible rewards and benefits? Because God wants our soul to grow. Animals are after immediate results. For example, when Mr. Pavlov (a famous psychologist) wanted to train a dog, he trained it by giving it an immediate reward. He conditioned it by saying, "Do this action to get this result, and I will give you this food." A dolphin trainer once told me, "We train the dolphins in this way that when we signal them to do something, we immediately give them a fish for them to become conditioned." When he said this, it occurred to me that many of us tell God in a similar way, "God, give me something when I pray!" But God tells us with His silence, "You’re not a dolphin, are you?!" #PnOnFreedomOfChoice @PanahianEN

📘 Let’s study the supplications #Video @PanahianEN

👤Don’t say, “I am one, just like everyone else!” No, be yourself. 🔻Who caused Imam Husayn (as) to be alone and be martyred? One of the factors that deprives people of their independence and freedom of choice is following others for no reason. If we want to follow someone, we should have a reason. Imam Sadiq (as) said, “Avoid following after personalities. You should not make someone big and accept whatever they say other than (God’s) Guardian.” [Kafi, vol. 2, p. 298] Open your eyes. Maybe he/she is making some wrong statements in the middle of his/her words. Imam Kazim (as) said, “Don't say, ‘I am one of the people and with them.’” [Al-Ikhtisas, p.343] You should not do whatever other people do. Don't say, "Everyone acts like this, so I will do the same!" People may be making a mistake. Think a little. Maybe other people don't understand many things. You should be independent. See how enjoyable it is to be yourself and have initiative. If you want to take your child to the hospital for treatment, you will ask, “Which hospital should I take him to? To which specialist should I take him?” You should ask these questions about the religious scholars as well. You should investigate the school of thought you want to follow. For whoever you want to follow, you must have a reason for doing so. Who caused Imam Husayn (as) to be alone and be martyred? One group of people were those who came to Karbala and stood against Imam Husayn (as). The rest of the people were sitting in the city of Kufa, looking at each other and asking, "Should we go to help Husayn, or not?" When they brought the severed head of Aba Abdillah al-Husayn (as) to Kufa, some of those people rose up and were martyred. But when it was necessary for them to take action, they looked at each other and did not go to help Imam Husayn (as). When they needed to support the Imam, they looked at each other and said, "What will you do? What should I do?” #PnOnFreedomOfChoice @PanahianEN

🌱 Just because of one man #Video #Arbaeen @PanahianEN

👌🏻 A special suggestion for those who want to participate in the Arbaeen walk! One way I suggest for improving the spirituality of this trip is to remember Imam Mahdi (aj) more in this blessed, epic journey. Talking to Imam Mahdi (aj) is something very beautiful during this trip, especially when you are walking in darkness in the nights. Why do we ask God several times in the Ashura Supplication to hurry the reappearance of the saviour (aj) in order to avenge the blood of Imam Husayn (as) and remove oppression? The greatest effect Imam Husayn (as) has, is that he lays the groundwork for Imam Mahdi’s (aj) reappearance. If someone does not pay attention to the Imam of the Time (aj) during Arbaeen, it is as if he has not understood the philosophy of making the Arbaeen pilgrimage. The philosophy of the Arbaeen walk is to prepare the groundwork for Imam Mahdi’s (aj) reappearance. In the Arbaeen Supplication, we recite, "I am ready to help you.” In Arbaeen, when you say, "I am ready to help you," do you mean you want to help Imam Husayn (as) who lived 1400 years ago, or do you want to help his son, Mahdi (aj)? Today, helping the Imam of the Time (aj) means preparing the groundwork for his Reappearance. You should remember Imam Mahdi (aj) during the Arbaeen walk so much that everyone realizes this magnificent Arbaeen - with all its Mawkibs and crowds - is actually Imam Mahdi’s (aj) encampment and it is bringing us closer to his reappearance. While we are walking during the Arbaeen walk, we should have two loves in mind: one is the love of visiting Imam Husayn’s shrine (as) and the second is the love of breathing and taking steps next to the Imam of the Time (aj) on this path. Those who participate in the Arbaeen walk should keep remembering Imam Mahdi (aj). #Arbaeen @PanahianEN

🌱 Why should we go to Karbala on Arbaeen? 📢 We’re conveying a message to the world on Arbaeen. 🔴 youtu.be/u7LCVoYDHB4 #Video #Arbaeen @PanahianEN

🌱I’m coming from Holland. 🔴 youtu.be/uB4x7OrnUOU #Video #Arbaeen @PanahianEN

📱Q: How can I check my child's cell phone without him/her getting upset?!   It is strength of will, "freedom of choice" and an ability to make decisions that make human beings outstanding and make it possible for their talents to flourish. Parents should realize these things to be able to know how to raise their children. Once a mother asked me, “How can I check my child's cell phone without him getting upset?” I said, “You shouldn’t check your child’s cell phone! Your child should know (meaning you should have taught him) how to use his freedom of choice properly.” Piety means learning to not abuse our right of freedom of choice. Piety means remembering there is a hidden Observer, an Observer Who does not give immediate rewards and punishments. And He has given people the ability to decide and also freedom of choice. When this ability and choice are given to someone and he feels dignified and honored, he will practice not abusing his freedom of choice. But if we keep forcing someone, whenever he gets a chance, he will escape, do something wrong and enjoy deceiving others! That which is valuable is for a person to have this freedom but not become corrupted. The peak of beauty is for a person to have power over someone but to forgive him, or for a person to have the ability to betray someone else, but he doesn’t do this. #PnOnFreedomOfChoice @PanahianEN

👣 Let’s take some steps for Imam Husayn (as) ❤️ The sign of Imam Husayn’s (as) special love for those who walk for Arbaeen 🔴 youtu.be/AHx4dV48Jow #Arbaeen @PanahianEN

🫂We need to visit Imam Husayn (as) 💫 A believer needs to visit his Imam similar to the way a child has a need for his mother #Arbaeen @PanahianEN