************************************************************************** A Shi'ite Encyclopedia Version 1.5 Contents of Chapter 6.b: - al-Taqiyya/Dissimulation (Parts I through III) - Khums (one fifth) - Tawassul (Resorting to Intermediary) - Evidence for Tawassul by a Sunni Writer - Did Muhammad Receive Revelation by Mistake?! - Imamat vs. Prophethood (Parts I and II) - Finality of the Prophethood ************************************************************************** ____________________________________ | | | || || | || | | o_,_7 _|| . _o_7 _|| 4_|_|| o_w_, | |( : / (_) / ( . | |____________________________________| al-Taqiyya/Dissimulation (Part I) Assallamu `Alaykum, Today, I would like to present the concept of "al-Taqiyya" in the following exposition. This topic is as thorny as previous ones have been, and many people have experienced great difficulty in trying to understand it. I pray to Allah (SWT) that this discussion will help loosen some of the intellectual rust that has accumulated over the years in many peoples' minds. The interminable negative propaganda that people are bombarded with on a daily basis serves to nurture feelings of animosity and disbelief towards the Shia; additionally, it may promote the explicit denial of proven facts and truths. Nonetheless, you owe it to yourself to search for the truth; and, indeed, Allah (SWT) has commanded that you do. As such, it is your prerogative to believe or reject everything that the Shia claim; but my plea is that the next time you hear a discussion about the Shia in your Mosque, or any place else, please remember my posts, and question the person who is discussing the topic. Only then, will you see my point, In Sha' Allah (SWT). I intend to demonstrate and prove that the concept of "al-Taqiyya" is an integral part of Islam, and that it is NOT a Shi'ite concoction. As usual, the two perspectives, the Sunnis and the Shia, will be presented to maintain a level of fairness and integrity in the reporting of this topic. ============ Introduction ============ The word "al-Taqiyya" literally means: "Concealing or disguising one's beliefs, convictions, ideas, feelings, opinions, and/or strategies at a time of eminent danger, whether now or later in time, to save oneself from physical and/or mental injury." A one-word translation would be "Dissimulation." The above definition must be elaborated upon before any undertaking of this topic is to ensue. Although correct, the definition suffers from an apparent generalization, and lacks some fundamental details that should be construed: First, the CONCEALMENT of one's beliefs does NOT necessitate an ABANDONMENT of these beliefs. The distinction between "concealment" and "abandonment" MUST be noted here. Second, there are numerous exceptions to the above definition, and they MUST be judged according to the situation that one is placed in. As such, one should NOT make a narrow-minded generalization that encompasses all situations, thereby failing to fully absorb the spirit of the definition. Third, the word "beliefs" and/or "convictions" does NOT necessarily mean "religious" beliefs and/or convictions. With the above in mind, it becomes evident that a better, and more accurate definition of "al-Taqiyya" is "diplomacy." The true spirit of "al- Taqiyya" is better embodied in the single word "diplomacy" because it encompasses a comprehensive spectrum of behaviors that serve to further the vested interests of all parties involved. ================================== al-Taqiyya According to the Sunnis ================================== Some Sunnis assert that al-Taqiyya is an act of pure hypocrisy that serves to conceal the truth and reveal that which is the exact opposite (of the truth). Furthermore, according to those Sunnis, al-Taqiyya constitutes a lack of faith and trust in Allah (SWT) because the person who conceals his beliefs to spare himself from eminent danger is fearful of humans, when, in fact, he should be fearful of Allah (SWT) only. As such, this person is a coward. ====================================== Sunni Sources in Support of al-Taqiyya ====================================== The following exposition will Insha Allah demonstrate the existence of al-Taqiyya in the Quran, Hadith, the Prophet's (PBUH&HF) custom, and the companions' custom. As usual, Sunni books will be used to further the argument. This is in keeping with the commitment to reveal the truth by showing that the Sunnis reject the Shia's arguments, while THEIR OWN books are replete (full) with the SAME ideologies that the Shia uphold! Although some Wahhabis staunchly argue their aforementioned statements, and aggressively defame the Shia and refute their doctrines, they have failed to explain the validity of their argument vis-a-vis the existence of these SAME doctrines in their own books, as has been demonstrated in ALL the past posts about the Shia. Those who think that they are the true protectors of the custom of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) and the only guardians of the Islamic Faith, how can they explain their own rejection of that which they are supposed to protect? Rejecting al-Taqiyya is rejecting the Quran, as will be shown shortly. Let's Begin... Reference 1: ----------- Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti in his book, "al-Durr al-Manthoor Fi al-Tafsir al- Ma'athoor," narrates Ibn Abbas', the MOST renowned and trusted narrator of tradition in the sight of the Sunnis, opinion regarding al-Taqiyya in the Quranic verse: "Let not the believers take for friends or helpers unbelievers rather than believers: if any do that, (they) shall have no relation left with Allah except by way of precaution ("tat-taqooh"), that ye may guard yourselves ("tooqatan") from them....[3:28]" that Ibn Abbas said: "al-Taqiyya is with the tongue only; he who has been COERCED into saying that which angers Allah (SWT), and his heart is comfortable (i.e., his TRUE faith has NOT been shaken.), then (saying that which he has been coerced to say) will NOT harm him (at all); (because) al- Taqiyya is with the tongue only, (NOT the heart)." NOTE: The two words "tat-taqooh" and "tooqatan," as mentioned in the Arabic Quran, are BOTH from the same root of "al-Taqiyya." NOTE ALSO: The "heart" as referred to above and in later occurrences refers to the center of faith in an individual's existence. It is mentioned many times in the Quran. Reference 2: ----------- Ibn Abbas also commented on the above verse, as narrated in Sunan al- Bayhaqi and Mustadrak al-Hakim, by saying: "al-Taqiyya is the uttering of the tongue, while the heart is comfortable with faith." NOTE: The meaning is that the tongue is permitted to utter anything in a time of need, as long as the heart is not affected; and one is still comfortable with faith. Reference 3: ----------- Abu Bakr al-Razi in his book, "Ahkam al-Quran," v2, p10, has explained the aforementioned verse "...except by way of precaution ("tat-taqooh"), that ye may guard yourselves ("tooqatan") from them....[3:28]" by affirming that al-Taqiyya should be used when one is afraid for life and/or limb. In addition, he has narrated that Qutadah said with regards to the above verse: "It is permissible to speak words of unbelief when al-Taqiyya is mandatory." Reference 4: ----------- It has been narrated by Abd al-Razak, Ibn Sa'd, Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Mardawayh, al-Bayhaqi in his book "al- Dala-il," and it was corrected by al-Hakim in his book "al- Mustadrak" that: "The nonbelievers arrested `Ammar Ibn Yasir (RA) and (tortured him until) he (RA) uttered foul words about the Prophet (PBUH&HF), and praised their gods (idols); and when they released him (RA), he (RA) went straight to the Prophet (PBUH&HF). The Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "Is there something on your mind?" `Ammar Ibn Yasir (RA) said: "Bad (news)! They would not release me until I defamed you (PBUH&HF) and praised their gods!" The Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "How do you find your heart to be?" `Ammar (RA) answered: "Comfortable with faith." So the Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "Then if they come back for you, then do the same thing all over again." Allah (SWT) at that moment revealed the verse: "....except under compulsion, his heart remaining firm in faith...[16:106]" NOTE: The full verse that was quoted partially as part of the tradition above, is: "Any one who, after accepting Faith in Allah, utters unbelief, EXCEPT UNDER COMPULSION, his heart remaining firm in faith -- but such as open their breast to unbelief, -- on them is Wrath from Allah, and theirs will be a dreadful Chastisement [16:106]." (Emphasis Mine) Reference 5: ----------- It is narrated in Sunan al-Bayhaqi that Ibn Abbas explained the above verse "Any one who, after accepting Faith in Allah, utters unbelief....[16:106]" by saying: "The meaning that Allah (SWT) is conveying is that he who utters unbelief after having believed, shall deserve the Wrath of Allah (SWT) and a terrible punishment. However, those who have been coerced, and as such uttered with their tongues that which their hearts did not confirm to escape persecution, have nothing to fear; for Allah (SWT) holds His (SWT) servants responsible for that which their hearts have ratified." Reference 6: ----------- Another explanation of the above verse is provided by Jalal al-Din al- Suyuti in his book, "al-Durr al-Manthoor Fi al- Tafsir al-Ma-athoor," vol. 2, p178; he says: "Ibn Abi Shaybah, Ibn Jarir, Ibn Munzir, and Ibn Abi Hatim narrated on the authority of Mujtahid (a man's name) that this verse was revealed in relation to the following event: A group of people from Mecca accepted Islam and professed their belief; as a result, the companions in Medina wrote to them requesting that they emigrate to Medina; for if they don't do so, they shall not be considered as those who are among the believers. In compliance, the group left Mecca, but were soon ambushed by the nonbelievers (Quraish) before reaching their destination; they were coerced into disbelief, and they professed it. As a result, the verse "...except under compulsion, his heart remaining firm in faith [16:106]..." was revealed." Reference 7: ----------- Ibn Sa'd in his book, "al-Tabaqat al-Kubra," narrates on the authority of Ibn Sirin that: The Prophet (PBUH&HF) saw `Ammar Ibn Yasir (RA) crying, so he (PBUH&HF) wiped off his (RA) tears, and said: "The nonbelievers arrested you and immersed you in water until you said such and such (i.e., bad-mouthing the Prophet (PBUH&HF) and praising the pagan gods to escape persecution); if they come back, then say it again." Reference 8: ----------- It is narrated in al-Sirah al-Halabiyyah, v3, p61, that: After the conquest of the city of Khaybar by the Muslims, the Prophet (PBUH&HF) was approached by Hajaj Ibn `Aalat and told: "O Prophet of Allah: I have in Mecca some excess wealth and some relatives, and I would like to have them back; am I excused if I bad-mouth you (to escape persecution)?" The Prophet (PBUH&HF) excused him and said: "Say whatever you have to say." Reference 9: ----------- It is narrated by al-Ghazzali in his book, "Ihya `Uloom al-Din," that: Safeguarding of a Muslim's life is a mandatory obligation that should be observed; and that LYING is permissible when the shedding of a Muslim's blood is at stake. Reference 10: ------------ Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti in his book, "al-Ashbah Wa al-Naza'ir," affirms that: "it is acceptable (for a Muslim) to eat the meat of a dead animal at a time of great hunger (starvation to the extent that the stomach is devoid of all food); and to loosen a bite of food (for fear of choking to death) by alcohol; and to utter words of unbelief; and if one is living in an environment where evil and corruption are the pervasive norm, and permissible things (Halal) are the exception and a rarity, then one can utilize whatever is available to fulfill his needs." NOTE: The reference to the consumption of a dead animal is meant to illustrate that EVEN forbidden things become permissible in a time of need. Reference 11: ------------ Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti in his book, "al-Durr al-Manthoor Fi al-Tafsir al- Ma'athoor," v2, p176, narrates that: Abd Ibn Hameed, on the authority of al-Hassan, said: "al-Taqiyya is permissible until the Day of Judgment." ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Reference 12: ------------ Narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari, v7, p102, that Abu al-Darda' said: "(Verily) we smile for some people, while our hearts curse (those same people)." Reference 13: ------------ Narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari, v7, p81, that the Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "O `Aisha, the worst of people in the sight of Allah (SWT) are those that are avoided by others due to their extreme impudence." NOTE: The meaning here is that one is permitted to use diplomacy to get along with people. The above tradition was narrated when a person sought permission to see the Holy Prophet (PBUH&HF) and prior to his asking permission the Prophet (PBUH&HF) said that he was not a good man, but still I shall see him. The Prophet talked to the person with utmost respect, upon which Aisha inquired as to why did the Prophet (PBUH&HF) talk to the person with respect despite his character, upon which the above reply was rendered. Reference 14: ------------ Narrated in Sahih Muslim (English version), Chapter MLXXVII, v4, p1373, Tradition #6303: Humaid b. 'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Auf reported that his mother Umm Kulthum daughter of 'Uqba b. Abu Mu'ait, and she was one amongst the first emigrants who pledged allegiance to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him), as saying that she heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: A liar is not one who tries to bring reconciliation amongst people and speaks good (in order to avert dispute), or he conveys good. Ibn Shihab said he did not hear that exemption was granted in anything what the people speak as lie but in three cases: in battle, for bringing reconciliation amongst persons and the narration of the words of the husband to wife, and the narration of the words of a wife to her husband (in a twisted form in order to bring reconciliation between them). The (Sunni) commentator of this volume of Sahih Muslim, Abdul Hamid Siddiqi, provides the following commentary: Telling of a lie is a grave sin but a Muslim is permitted to tell a lie in some exceptional cases, and this permission is given especially on three occasions: in case of battle for bringing reconciliation amongst the hostile Muslims and for bringing reconciliation between the husband and the wife. On the analogy [Qiyas] of these three ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ cases, the scholars of Hadith have pointed out some other exemptions: ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ for saving the life and honor of innocent person from the ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ highhandedness of tyrants and oppressors if one finds no other way to ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ save them. ^^^^^^^^^ Notice that neither the above tradition nor the commentary are concerned with dealing with non-Muslims only. Please refer to Sahih Muslim Volume IV Chapter MLXXVII Tradition no. 6303 p1373 English only - Abdul Hamid Siddiqui End of Part 1 of 3 *************************************************************************** ____________________________________ | | | || || | || | | o_,_7 _|| . _o_7 _|| 4_|_|| o_w_, | |( : / (_) / ( . | |____________________________________| al-Taqiyya/Dissimulation (Part II) ================================ al-Taqiyya According to the Shia ================================ The Shia did NOT innovate or concoct anything new, they simply followed the injunctions of Allah (SWT), as stated in the Quran, and the custom of the Seal of Prophethood, Muhammad (PBUH&HF). Nonetheless, one must also examine what the Shia themselves say about al-Taqiyya: al-Shaykh Muhammad Ridha al-Mudhaffar in his book, "Aqa'id al-Imamiyah," wrote that: "al-Taqiyya should conform to specific rules vis-a-vis the situation wherein eminent danger is present; these rules, listed in many books of Fiqh (Jurisprudence), along with the severity of the danger determine the validity, or lack of, al-Taqiyya itself. It is not mandatory to practice it (al-Taqiyya) at all times; on the contrary, it is permissible, and sometimes necessary, to abandon it (al-Taqiyya) altogether; as in the case where revealing the truth will further the cause of the religion, and provide a direct service to Islam; and (when the revealing of the truth is such that it constitutes) a jihad (striving) for (Islam's) sake; (verily,) in such a situation, wealth and life should be forsaken. Furthermore, al-Taqiyya is prohibited in instances wherein the killing of innocent people and the spread of corruption will result; and in cases wherein the marring of the religion will result, and/or a significant harm will befall the Muslims, either by leading them astray or corrupting and oppressing them. Either way, al-Taqiyya, as the Shia uphold it, does not make of the Shia a secret cooperative that seeks to destroy and corrupt, as the enemies (of the Shia) wish to present them; (these critics launch their verbal attacks) without really heeding the subject (of al- Taqiyya); and (without even) laboring to understand our own opinion on the matter (of al-Taqiyya). Nor does it (al-Taqiyya) mandate that the religion and its injunctions become a secret of secrets that cannot be disclosed to those who do not subscribe to its teachings. How so, when the books of the Imamiyah (the Shia) that deal with the (subjects of) Fiqh, Kalam, and beliefs are in abundant supply, and have exceeded the limits (of publications) expected from any nation professing its beliefs." Imam Khomeini in his book, "Islamic Government," also presents his view on al-Taqiyya. He believes that al-Taqiyya is permitted only when one's life is jeopardized. Whereas in cases wherein the religion of Allah (SWT), Islam, is in danger, it is not permitted even if it leads to one's death: The Imams, may peace be upon them, imposed on the jurisprudence very important ordinances and committed them to shouldering and preserving the trust. It is not right to resort to dissimulation on every issue, small and big. Dissimulation was legislated to preserve one's life or others from damage on subsidiary issues of the laws. But if Islam in its entirety is in danger, then there is no place for dissimulation and for silence. What do you think a jurisprudent should do if they force him to legislate or innovate?... If dissimulation forces on us to jump on the sultan's bandwagon then it should not be resorted to even if such refrainment leads to the death of the person concerned, unless his jumping on the bandwagon constitutes a real victory for Islam and the Muslims, as in the case of Ali Ibn Yaqtin and Nasiruddin in al-Tusi, may Allah have mercy upon their souls. In his book, "Shi'ite Islam" (translated into English by Sayyed Hussein Nasr), the Shi'i scholar Allama Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai defines Taqiyya as the situation where a person "hides his religion or certain of his religious practices in situations that would cause definite or probable danger as a result of the actions of those who are opposed to his religion or particular religious practices." He goes on to define the nature of the danger: The exact extent of danger which would make permissible the practice of Taqiyya has been debated among different Shia scholars. In our view point, the practice of Taqiyya is permitted if there is definite danger facing one's own life or the life of one's family, or the possibility of the loss of the honor and virtue of one's wife or of other female members of the family, or the danger of the loss of one's material belongings to such an extent as to cause complete destitution and prevent a man from being able to continue to support himself and his family. Tabatabai cited two verses from the Quran in support of al-Taqiyya: "...except for precaution and : : : . | :: : | | || dissimulation that you may protect 4_,_o_, o_8_,_o |q_o_,_, . | |_|| yourselves against them..."(Quran 3:28) : ( / (_) ^^^^^^^^^ For the above verse, the great Sunni scholar, Mawdudi, has a commentary in support of Taqiyya. Notice that in the above verse, the words "tattaqu" and "toqat" have exactly the same root as Taqiyya. The second verse is the following: "Any one who becomes unbeliever after being believer, EXCLUDING the one who is under compulsion and force while his hurt is firm in faith, but the one go on in disbelief, Wrath of Allah is on to them and they will have a dreadful penalty," (Quran 16:106) | : /| | || . | | | || . / 4_,_|_o q o _)| . _o |_|| 4_, |_o_,| ]_e_, . _o 4_|_||_, _9_) . _o . / / (_) : . (_) . / (_) | . / || ^ / | | | || @ | | ],_p _9_)_||_, _7 _w . _o . _)_| q . |_o_, |_||_, . _,_o_D_o / / . (_ / (_) (_) / (_) : . (_) |. |. | | || . . | . o_,_D_c __, |]_c o_8_| q 4_|_|| . _o __,,_p_c o_8_,_|_e_9 ( : . ( / (_) . ( : Then Tabatabai explained: As mentioned in both Sunni and Shi'ite sources this verse was revealed concerning 'Ammar Ibn Yasir. After the migration (hijrah) of the Prophet, the infidels of Mecca imprisoned some of the Muslims of that city and tortured them, forcing them to leave Islam and to return to their former religion of idolatry. Included in this group who were tortured were Ammar and his father and mother. Ammar's parents refused to turn away from Islam and died under torture. But Ammar, in order to escape torture and death, outwardly left Islam and accepted idol worship, thereby escaping from danger. Having become free, he left Mecca secretly for Medina. In Medina he went before the Holy Prophet--upon whom be blessings and peace--and in a state of penitence and distress concerning what he had done, he asked the Prophet if by acting as he did, he had fallen outside the sacred precinct of religion. Then Prophet said that his duty was what he had accomplished. The above verse was then revealed. The two verses cited above were revealed concerning particular cases but their meaning is such that they embrace all situations in which the outward expression of doctrinal belief and religious practice might bring about a dangerous situation. Besides these verses, there exist many traditions from the members of the Household of the Prophet, ordering Taqiyya when there is fear of danger. Some have criticized Shia by saying that to employ the practice of Taqiyya in religion is opposed to the virtues of courage and bravery. The least amount of thought about this accusation will bring to light its invalidity, for Taqiyya must be practiced in a situation where man faces a danger which he cannot resist and against which he cannot fight. Resistance to such a danger and failure to practice Taqiyya in such circumstances shows rashness and foolhardiness, not courage and bravery. The qualities of courage and bravery can be applied only when there is at least the possibility of success in man's efforts. But before a definite or probable danger against which there is no possibility of victory--such as drinking water in which there is probably poison or throwing oneself before a cannon that is being fired or lying down on the tracks before an onrushing train--any action of this kind is nothing but a form of madness and contrary to logic and common sense. Therefore, we can summarize by saying that Taqiyya must be practiced only when there is a definite danger which cannot be avoided and against which there is no hope of a successful struggle and victory. Please refer to Shi'ite Islam Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabatai Translated by Seyyed Hossein Nasr pp 223-225 It is apparent then, from the above quotes, that the Shia are NOT advocates of hypocrisy, secrecy, and cowardice, as some of the Wahhabis, among others, purport. The following is from the book of Moojan Momen, which is entitled "An Introduction to Shi'i Islam: History and Doctrines of Twelver Shi'ism," When discussing the sixth Shi'i Imam (successor to the prophet), Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (AS), he writes: The doctrine of Taqiyya (dissimulation) was widely used at that time. It served to protect the followers of Imam al-Sadiq at a time when al- Mansur [the caliph] was conducting a brutally oppressive campaign against the Followers of the Members of the House of Prophet and their supporters. End of Part 2 of 3 *************************************************************************** ____________________________________ | | | || || | || | | o_,_7 _|| . _o_7 _|| 4_|_|| o_w_, | |( : / (_) / ( . | |____________________________________| al-Taqiyya/Dissimulation (Part III) ====================================== Quran Speaks: al-Taqiyya vs. Hypocrisy ====================================== Some people have fallen victim to confusing al-Taqiyya with hypocrisy, when in fact they (al-Taqiyya and Hypocrisy) are two opposite extremes. al- Taqiyya is concealing faith and displaying nonbelief; while Hypocrisy is the concealment of unbelief and the display of belief. They are TOTAL opposites in function, form, and meaning. The Quran reveals the nature of hypocrisy with the following verse: "When they meet those who believe, they say: `We Believe;' but when they are alone with their evil ones, they say: `We are really with you, we (were) only jesting [2:14]." The Quran then reveals al-Taqiyya with the following verses: "A Believer, a man from among the people of Pharaoh, who had CONCEALED his faith, said: "Will ye slay a man because he says, `My Lord is Allah'?....[40:28]" (Emphasis Mine.) Also: "Any one who, after accepting Faith in Allah, utters unbelief, EXCEPT under compulsion, his heart remaining firm in faith -- but such as open their breast to unbelief, -- on them is Wrath from Allah, and theirs will be a dreadful Chastisement [16:106]." (Emphasis Mine.) And also: "Let not the believers take for friends or helpers unbelievers rather than believers: if any do that, (they) shall have no relation left with Allah except by way of precaution ("tat-taqooh"), that ye may guard yourselves ("tooqatan") from them....[3:28]" Moreover: And when Moses returned unto his people, angry and grieved, he said: Evil is that (course) which ye took after I had left you. Would ye hasten on the judgment of your Lord? And he cast down the tablets, and he seized his brother by the head, dragging him toward him. (Aaron) said: "Son of my mother! Lo! People did oppress me and they ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ were about to kill me. Make not the enemies rejoice over my ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ misfortune nor count thou me amongst the sinful people. [7:150]" . . |: : | | / . . .: | : || | _,_, q_|_,_o_, | q > |_) q _, q_9_e,_p_,_w | o q_o_|| . | (_S / : / / (_S / ( / (_) Now, we see that Allah (SWT) Himself has stated that one of His (SWT) faithful servants CONCEALED his faith and pretended that he was a follower of the Pharaoh's religion to escape persecution. We also see that Prophet Aaron (Haroon) observed Taqiyya when his life was in danger. We also observe that al-Taqiyya is CLEARLY permitted in a time of need. In fact, the Book of Allah instructs us that we should escape a situation which causes our destruction for nothing: "and make not your own hands contribute to your destruction [2:195]" ================ Reason and Logic ================ Aside from the instuctions of Quan and Hadith on the permissibility and necessity of Taqiyya, such necessity can also be derived from a logical and rational standpoint. It is apparent to any discerning observer that Allah (SWT) has bestowed upon His (SWT) creation certain defense mechanisms and instincts to protect themselves from impending danger. What follows are some examples that serve to illustrate the above point. The following quote is taken from the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia (1992) under the topic of "Instinct:" "Instinct is inherited, essentially unlearned, and generally adaptive ANIMAL BEHAVIOR that is typical to each species. Instinct is prominent in aggression, courtship, and mating, and in various social behaviors, although learning, maturation, growth, or circumstance can modify the behavior. Human behavior is mostly a product of learning, whereas the behavior of a moth, a snail, or a bird mainly depends on instinct." "Behaviors that are most instinctive include reproduction, concealment, defense, escape, threats or warnings, and aggression, all of which are essential to the survival of the species." "A species' instinctive behaviors appear similar in form: chickens and turkeys seek a high place to roost at night, cats stalk prey in a characteristic manner, and dogs mark their territories in a species- specific method. Typical behavior patterns appear even in animals that are raised isolated from other members of their own species, a situation in which learning by observation, imitation, or instruction cannot occur. Many, but not all, birds sing the songs of their conspecifics (other members of their species) even though they are removed from the nest before hatching and are raised in a quiet room. Others sing a simplified version of the species' song." It is apparent then that instincts play a crucial role in the animal kingdom, as well as the human one. Furthermore, the above quote asserts that: "Behaviors that are most instinctive include reproduction, CONCEALMENT, DEFENSE, escape, threats or warnings, and aggression, all of which are essential to the survival of the species." (Emphasis Mine) Given the above, we may suggest that although al-Taqiyya is a learned behavior, it nonetheless originates from the survival instinct that is innate to creation. That is, out of fear and the instinct to survive, one conceals that which may jeopardize his well-being. It is a fact that one CAN overcome the fear within him, and utter the truth even if it jeopardized him; but one must also set priorities and judge WHEN the telling of the truth will serve a noble purpose, and WHEN it won't make a difference. If a person is about to be slaughtered because he is a Shi'i, then his concealment of his beliefs is of utmost importance, IF that concealment does NOT serve as an injustice to someone else. For example, if I, a Shi'i, deny my beliefs to protect myself; and, as a result, an innocent man is blamed instead, then I must come forward, at the risk of death, to protect that man; but when my denial serves no injustice whatsoever, then I MUST conceal my beliefs to protect myself. The following quote is taken from the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia (1992) under the topic of "Insect:" "Most insects try to escape when threatened and some insects "play dead," for example, some beetles fall to the ground after folding up their legs, giving the appearance of a clump of dirt. Many insects use shelters ranging from burrows in the ground to elaborate shelters constructed of various materials. Insects also employ camouflage. Many are so colored that they blend into their background, such as moths colored like the bark of trees. Some insects bear a close resemblance to objects in the environment, such as inchworms, which resemble twigs. Other insects will cover themselves with debris or excrement. Chemical defenses often involve distasteful body secretions, repellent secretions, or poisonous injection into an attacker. The use of the sting is probably the most effective and often a severe method. The only stinging insects are Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, and some ants)." The following quote is taken from the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia (1992) under the topic of "Mammal:" "The name pangolin is from a Malay word for "round cushion" and refers to the animal's DEFENSE of curling up into a ball. As a further defense, the pangolin will spray urine and anal gland secretions on a persistent intruder." (Emphasis Mine) The following quote is taken from the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia (1992) under the topic of "Coloration, Biological:" "Both the ringed plover chick and its egg are cryptically colored. Plovers are shore birds that dig shallow nests in the open ground; the coloration acts as camouflage, helping the young blend with their surroundings as protection against predators." The following quote is taken from the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia (1992) under the topic of "Bear:" "The polar bear, Thalarctos maritimus, travels great distances along arctic coasts. Its white fur furnishes camouflage against snow and ice." The following quote is taken from the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia (1992) under the topic of "Deep-Sea Life:" "Fishes of the shallower parts of the deep sea often have very large eyes relative to their size, suggesting that they respond to the minimal light present in the upper zones. Both fishes and invertebrates in these zones also often possess complex organs capable of producing light (see BIOLUMINESCENCE). These organs frequently exist in definite patterns on the body and may be important in species and sexual recognition, in the attracting of prey or repelling of predators, in camouflage, or in other ways not yet understood." Other examples of naturally-occurring defense mechanisms include, but are not limited to, the thorns on certain flower stems and the poisonous chemicals in plants to protect them from danger. It is clear from the above quotations that defense mechanisms are Allah's (SWT) mercy to His (SWT) creation, such that He (SWT) has not left them unprotected. As such, al-Taqiyya, I contend, is an instinctive defense mechanism that Allah (SWT) has endowed humans with. The ability to use one's tongue to escape persecution is indeed a supreme example of defense. I read once in a Sufi book that "Islam is truth without form." Indeed, that is so; and Islam is Allah's (SWT) NATURAL religion, it is the Primordial Truth, it is the ONLY religion that conforms to man's instincts and natural inclinations. Given that, al-Taqiyya, I contend, is a truism because it satisfies an instinctive need to survive and prosper. ======== Comments ======== It has been demonstrated under the section of "Sunni Sources In Support of al-Taqiyya" that it is permissible to lie to save oneself, as al-Ghazzali asserted; and that it is legitimate to utter words of unbelief as al-Suyuti stated; and that it is acceptable to smile at a person while your heart curses him as al-Bukhari confirms; and that al- Taqiyya is an INTEGRAL part of the Quran itself, as has been shown under the section of "The Quran Speaks: al-Taqiyya vs. Hypocrisy;" and that it was practiced by one of the MOST notable companions of the Prophet (PBUH&HF), none other than `Ammar Ibn Yasir (May Allah Reward him GENEROUSLY); and we have seen that al- Suyuti narrates that al-Taqiyya is permissible until the Day of Judgment; and that a person can say anything he wants, even to badmouth the Prophet (PBUH&HF) if he is in a dangerous and restrictive situation; and we have also seen that even the Prophet (PBUH&HF) himself practiced al-Taqiyya in a manner of diplomacy that served to advance good relations among the people. Furthermore, the Prophet did not disclose his mission for the first three years of his prophethood, which was, in fact, another practice of al- Taqiyya by the Prophet to save the young Islam from annihilation. Now, the question to our opponent is: If your MOST authentic books explicitly advocate al-Taqiyya, as has been demonstrated above, why then do you mock the Shia and accuse them of hypocrisy? By Allah (SWT), who is the hypocrite now? Apparently now, there is NO difference between the Sunnis and Shia vis-a- vis al-Taqiyya, except that the Shia practice al-Taqiyya for fear of persecution, while the Sunnis don't. The Shia HAVE TO practice al-Taqiyya as part of the persecution that they have suffered from day one of the death of the Mercy to Mankind, Muhammad (PBUH&HF). It is enough to say "I am a Shi'i" to get your head chopped off, even today in countries like Saudi Arabia. As for the Sunnis, they were never subjected to what the Shia have been subjected to, primarily because they have always been the friends of the so-called Islamic governments throughout the ages. My comment here is that Wahhabis themselves do indeed practice al-Taqiyya, but they have been psychologically programmed by their mentors in such a way that they don't even recognize al-Taqiyya when they do actually practice it. Ahmad Didat said that the Christians have been programmed in such a way that they may read the Bible a million times, but will never spot an error! They are fixed on believing it because their scholars say so, and they read at a superficial level. I say that this also applies to those who oppose al-Taqiyya. Dr. al-Tijani wrote a short event where he was sitting next to a Sunni scholar on a flight to London; they were both on their way to attend an Islamic Conference. At that time, there was still some tension due to the Salman Rushdi affair. The conversation between the two was naturally concerned with the unity of the Ummah. Consequently, the Sunni/Shia issue introduced itself as part of the conversation. The Sunni scholar said: "The Shia must drop certain beliefs and convictions that cause disunity and animosity among the Muslims." Dr. al-Tijani answered: "Like what?" The Sunni scholar answered: "Like the Taqiyya and Muta' ideas." Dr. al-Tijani immediately provided him with plenty of proofs in support of these notions, but the Sunni scholar was not convinced, and said that although these proofs are all authentic and correct, we must discard them for the sake of uniting the Ummah!!! When they both got to London, the immigration officer asked the Sunni scholar: "What is the purpose of your visit sir?" The Sunni scholar said: "For medical treatment." Then Dr. al-Tijani was asked the same question, and he answered: "To visit some friends." Dr. al-Tijani followed the Sunni scholar and said: "Didn't I tell you that al-Taqiyya is for all times and occasions!" The Sunni scholar said: "How so?" Dr. al- Tijani answered: "Because we both lied to the airport police: I by saying that I came to visit some friends, and you by saying that you are here for medical treatment; when, in fact, we are here to attend the Islamic Conference!" The Sunni scholar smiled, and said: "Well, doesn't an Islamic Conference provide healing for the soul?!" Dr. al-Tijani was swift to say: "And doesn't it provide an opportunity to visit friends?!" So you see, the Sunnis practice al-Taqiyya whether they acknowledge the fact or not. It is an innate part of human nature to save oneself, and most often we do it without even noticing. My comment again is: Who, in Allah's (SWT) Name, is this Scholar to state that although the proofs provided to him by Dr. al-Tijani are ALL authentic, they must be discarded for the sake of uniting the Ummah???! Do you truly believe that the Ummah will be united by abandoning Allah's (SWT) commandments? Does the above statement represent scholarly merit, or pure rhetoric, ignorance, and hypocrisy on the part of that scholar? Is a scholar who utters such words of ignorance worthy of being obeyed and listened to? Who is he to tell Allah (SWT), the Creator of the Universe, and His (SWT) Messenger (PBUH&HF) what is right and wrong? Does he know more than Allah (SWT) about al-Taqiyya? Exalted be Allah (SWT) from being insulted by those who lack ALL forms of intelligence to interpret His (SWT) religion. al-Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (AS) [The Sixth Imam of Ahlul-Bayt] said: "al-Taqiyya is my religion, and the religion of my ancestors." He (AS) also said: "He who doesn't practice al-Taqiyya, doesn't practice his religion." In conclusion, I repeat my appeal to you to comprehend what I say in these discussions. The Shia are Muslims, NO DOUBT about it. Be your own judge, and verify what I say here. Better yet, download everything and go to the scholar that you trust the most; ask him to refute what the Shia claim; and then judge whether he himself is honest or not. Remember: "Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from error: Whoever rejects Taghoot and believes in Allah, (he) hath grasped the most trustworthy hand- hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things. [2:256]" Wassalam. End of Part 3 of 3 *************************************************************************** =========================== Side Comments on al-Taqiyya =========================== A Wahhabi contributor mentiond: > Taqqiyah means to pretend by doing or saying exactly the opposite of > what you believe or feel Not a correct definition. It does not necessarily have to be in exact opposite, though it might be so in some cases. al-Taqiyya is primarily concealing the belief. You might want to refresh your memory by reading my original article in which I mentioned the definition of al-Taqiyya as "Concealing or disguising one's beliefs, convictions, ideas, feelings, opinions, and/or strategies at a time of eminent danger, whether now or later in time, to save oneself from physical and/or mental injury." > e.g. to pretend to be nice while cursing the person in the heart > without a present danger (al-Kafi fi alFrua', Vol. 3, pp. 188-9). Again you are scrupulously quoting from a 33-page booklet written by "Saeed Ismaeel". The minimum amount of decency requires you to mention this since you did not directly looked up the above tradition. I doubt even Saeed Ismaeel (your mentor) has also touched al-Kafi. He got them from the books of "Ihsan Ilahi Zahir" and "Mohammad Manzoor Nomani", etc. I have read the books of these individuals from cover to cover. What I have found was malicious misquotations or quoting the traditions out of context. Sometimes they do not even bother themselves to quote the tradition (even partially) similar to above. We do NOT have any authentic tradition which sates you may apply al-Taqiyya WITHOUT PRESENT OR FUTURE DANGER. If you think otherwise, please quote a tradition which EXPLICITLY states the above. These are all interpretation of your mentors from the traditions. No tradition explicitly states as such. The danger might be present of later in time. Also the danger might be for oneself our for another person related to you. As such, the Imam may conceal some information from his own followers, if he knows that if they do that they will be trapped into the hand of officials. In fact, I have seen some Wahhabis, to mock Shia in the concept of Taqiyya, refer to a tradition in Usul Kafi and partially quote it out of context in order to misrepresent the concept of Taqiyya for the Sunni brothers. The correct translation of the tradition that they refer to, is as follows: Usul Kafi, Tradition #195: Zurarah said: I asked Abu Ja'far (AS) a question, for which the Imam gave me an answer. Afterwards another person came to the Imam and asked him the same question but Imam gave him a different answer. Again, a third person came and asked Imam the same question to which Imam gave an answer which was still different from mine and the second person. When the two had left, I asked "O son of Prophet, two of your followers from Iraq asked you a question and you gave them two different answers." Hearing this, the Imam replied, "O Zurarah, these different answers are in our own interests and they contribute to the stability of both (me and my followers). (In such severe moments) if all of you present a unite stand, it will enable the people (opponents and rulers) to verify the allegiance of yours to us and this will endanger and shorten the life of you (Shi'ites) as well as the life of ours." I have seen these Wahhabis that they quote the first part of the tradition and drop the explanation of Imam to show that Imam applied al-Taqiyya two his own followers with no reason. From the tradition, it is not clear what exactly the question of those followers was. However the clarification of the Imam at the end implies that the question was related to some social and political actions which were planted by the ruler of the time in order to identify and trap the Shi'ites. This is exactly what al-Taqiyya is used for. Note that the Imam is emphasizing that he is PRESERVING the life of his followers as well as the Ahlul-Bayt. Another example is explained by another tradition where the Imam attended the funeral prayer of one of the officials who was a hypocrite form Umayad Government, in order to fool the authorities which would cause to decrease the prosecution of Ahlul-Bayt and their followers. These kinds of diplomacies were widely used even by Prophet (PBUH&HF) himself. Have you ever thought why Prophet applied al-Taqiyya and did not disclose his mission for the first three years of his prophethood? It was because, if he have done that, Islam would have been destroyed from the very beginning. > The specific purpose of Taqqiyah is the "preservation of Islam and > the Shii school of thought; if the people had not resorted to it, > our school of thought would have been destroyed" If the Prophet applied al-Taqiyya for the first three years of his prophethood, and concealed his mission, then why not Shia do that to escape the prosecutions of so-called Islamic governors? Was the Prophet a coward? Or he wanted to preserve Islam from being destroyed? Also let me give you another example from another prophet who concealed his belief. Quran states that: Moses (AS) with the order of Allah, assigned Haroon (AS) as his successor (Caliph) and left his people to him, to go to MIQAAT (appointment with Allah) for a total of forty days. After leaving of Moses, all his companions (except very few) turned against Haroon, and were deceived by Sameri, and became worshipers of a golden calf. (See Quran 7:142, 20:90-97, 20:83-88). When Moses (PBUH) came back from MIQAAT he was very angry since Allah had informed him that his community went astray during his absence. Moses came and started questioning his brother Haroon, that why he did not take action to prevent this corruption. Quran states that Haroon replied: "(O' Moses) people did oppress me and they were about to kill me." (Quran 7:150). If you believe in Haroon as a true prophet of God, you do not allow yourself to call him coward. Or do you think that Aaron was a Shia? In fact, he was a Shia (follower) of Prophet Moses (AS). It was his duty to save his life, though it appears that Wahhabis think he should have killed himself. > As Ibn Taymiyyah said, the verse 3:28 about Taqiyyah is applicable in the > case of a non-believer ONLY under special cases, e.g., a Muslim cannot > apply it against a Muslim. A so-called Muslim who prosecute an innocent person, is not any better than a non-Muslim. If you look around the world, from Saudi Arabia, to Iraq, to Afghanistan,... the majority of those who prosecute Muslims call themselves Muslims too. If you look at the History also, they majority of Muslim rulers who called themselves Muslims and Khalifa, were oppressors and tyrant (like Umayad and Abbasid Caliphs). Are you suggesting that we should not safeguard our lives from those tyrants who label themselves as Muslims? Moreover, by his above saying, Ibn Taymiyyah did not accept Sahih Muslim as authentic, or else Ibn Taymiyyah has rejected the testimony of Prophet (PBUH&HF). Even the Prophet (PBUH&HF) himself practiced al-Taqiyya in a manner of diplomacy that served to advance good relations among the people. The tradition from Sahih Muslim which I mentioned in my article talks about MUSLIMS. In the case that there is a dispute between two Muslims to such extent that it is considered as an eminent DANGER, and if nothing else works, it is permitted to twist the words in order to make the reconciliation. You see, there always exists a requirement of an eminent DANGER for al-Taqiyya. For instance, the danger of divorce for a Muslim couple who have a dispute. The commentary of the tradition talks about Muslims too. > Verse 16:106 is applicable only when a Muslim faces a situation > smilar to a situation of the great Companion Ammar when he had to > choose between dying under torture like his parents or pretending to > be an unbeliever hy tongue These cases are not the basic rule but > only exceptions This a basic rule, otherwise Allah would not have mentioned it in Quran in a number of verses. > > Could you ever trust a Muslim if this were the case? If a Muslim is not in danger he should not apply al-Taqiyya, the same way that I do not apply al-Taqiyya behind this terminal. But if I were in a country like Saudi Arabia, then I would have practiced it. > If a person considers that Iying about Allah, His Prophet (pbuh) and > the Muslims to serve his biased and misguided goals as an essential > part of his bliefs, can we trust him? Surely not. But who said so? > The verse (3:28) is not only an exception but also a restricted > exception. Not only is it forbidden to be used against Muslims but it > also does not give permission to lie to others. What it means is that if > you oppose certain behaviors and you are in a situation where > condemnation would endanger Islam or Muslim community you can keep silent > but you must avoid Iying. (ibn Taymiyah, Minhaj, Vol. p. 213 and ibn > Kathir, Tafseer). Again, the saying of your "clergymen" such as Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Kathir is clearly in contradiction with Quran where Allah stated: "Any one who, after accepting Faith in Allah, utters unbelief, except ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ under compulsion while his heart remaining firm in faith... (16:106) As you see, Quran states "uttering unbelief". This does not mean keeping silent. Uttering means either saying or acting something in contrary to belief. What lie is bigger than uttering unbelief? Also, if the most authentic Sunni collections of Hadith such as Sahih al- Bukhari and Sahih Muslim advocate al-Taqiyya, then why do Wahhabis insist to the contrary? Is this not a sign of pure hypocrisy by itself? *************************************************************************** ____________________________________ | | | || || | || | | o_,_7 _|| . _o_7 _|| 4_|_|| o_w_, | |( : / (_) / ( . | |____________________________________| Khums (one fifth) We read in the Holy Quran: Know that whatever of a thing you acquire, a fifth of it is for Allah, for the Messenger, for the near relative, and the orphans and the needy and they way farer ..... (Quran 8:41) Thus Khums (literally one fifth of gain) should go to six people: 1. Allah 2. His Messenger 3. The near relative of the Messenger (Ahlul-Bayt) 4. Orphan 5. needy 6. the person who has fallen away from his home-town (and has no money to comeback to his own place). The portion of Allah goes to His Messenger to be spent for the path of Allah. After the Prophet passed away, and at the time of the first 11 Imams, the first 3 portions used to go to the Imam of Ahlul-Bayt to be spent in the path of Allah. Now that we have no access to Imam Mahdi (AS), a religious scholar will receive the first three portions (which will be half of total Khums) who will spend it on behalf of Allah, His Messenger, and his Ahlul-Bayt in the path of Allah (like spending it on the theological schools or any other things that they feel necessary in religious matters). also, if the scholar does not have any source of income and all his effort is for the religion, he can only spend a portion of what he receives as Khums for his ordinary expenses which could provide him an average or below average lifestyle. The scholar does NOT have to be the descendants of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) to be entitled to receive Khums. As for the last three portions, it doesn't go to a scholar. It can be directly spent on the needy people who should be, of course, the descendants of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). Note that it is forbidden to give Zakat (another religious tax which both Shia and Sunnis pay) and charity to the descendants of the Prophet. Thus Zakat revenues and charities go to those needy who are NOT the descendants of the prophet, while half of the Khums goes to those needy people who are the descendants of the Prophet. One should also note that during the history of Islam till now, the descendants of the prophet were being prosecuted every where and were deprived of their rights. Also a minority among Muslims continue to pay Khums (i.e., only Shia follow this Sunnah of the Prophet). In other words, only 20% of all Muslims pay Khums which heavily decreases the amount of what the needy descendants of Prophet get from Khums (=20%*1/2*1/5=2%) when it is compared with the amount that needy people who are not the descendants of the Prophet get through Zakat from all Muslims (2.5%) plus all the charities which could be much more than 2.5%. In the verse of Khums mentioned above "ghanimtum" has been used which has been translated as 'you acquire'. As explained above, it means, 'certain items which a person acquires as wealth'. What are these certain items? According to the hadiths of the Ahl al-Bayt Imams, the items that are eligible for Khums are seven, and they are 1. the profit or the surplus of income 2. the legitimate wealth which is mixed with the illegitimate wealth 3. mines and minerals 4. the precious stones obtained from sea by diving 5. treasures 6. the land which a dhimmi kafir buys from a muslim 7. the spoils of war. However there are some people who interpret the word ghanimtum as 'whatever of a thing that you acquire as spoils of war', thus confining the obligation of khums to the spoils of war only. The interpretation is based on ignorance of * the Arabic langauage * the history of khums * the Islamic laws * and the interpretation of the Quran Please bear in mind that the word ghanimtum has been derived from al- ghanimah. ================================= The meaning of the word Ghanimtum ================================= The famous Arabic dictionary of al-Munjid (Father Louis Maluf of Beirut) states, al-ghanim and al-ghanimah means * what is taken from the fighting enemies by force * all earnings generally Furthermore the saying "al-ghunm bil ghurm" means that profit stands against expenses, i.e, the owner is the sole proprieter of the profit and nobody shares it with him, therefore only he bears all the expenses and risk. For the readers satisfaction, they are also encouraged to look up dictionaries like Lisan al-Arab and al-Qamus. This implies that in the Arabic langauge ' al-ghanimah ' has two meanings, one is the spoils of war, and the other is profit. The above quoted proverb also proves profit is not an uncommon meaning. When a word in the Quran can interpreted in more than one way, it is incumbent upon the muslims to seek guidance from the Holy Prophet (PBUH&HF) and the Ahl al-Bayt. ==================== The History of Khums ==================== Khums is one of those things which were introduced by Abdul Muttalib (RA) the grandfather of the Prophet (PBUH&HF), and it continued in Islam when it was revealed in Quran. Acting upon a command of God given to him in his dream, when Abdul Muttalib rediscovered the well of Zamzam, he found in it many valuable things that were buried in it very remote past by the Ismailites when they feared that their enemies would usurp them. When Abdul Muttalib found that buried treasure, he gave away one fifth ( literally khums ) in the way of God and kept the remaining four fifth to himself. Then it became a custom in his family to and after the Hijrah of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) the same system was incorporated in Islam. Thus the first khums was not given from the spoils of war, but from a buried treasure ( which is one of the seven items eligible for khums ). ================ The Islamic Laws ================ Not a single Islamic school confines the meaning of ghanimah to the spoils of war. In addition to the spoils of war the following items are subjected to khums * minerals: eligible in the Hanafi and the Shia * buried treasure: eligible for all the muslims. As already mentioned earlier, the interpretation of the Quran must be based on the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt. The word ghanimah in the verse under discussion has been clearly interpreted as "the earned profit" (al- fa'idatul muktasabah) by our Imams. ===================== Some Sunni References ===================== To conclude, we can say that the word ghanima was never treated as being confined to the spoils of war by any Islamic school; and as far as our Imams are concerned, it meant many things besides the spoils of war right from the day of Imam Ali ( peace be upon him ), as many authentic traditions show. What has been quoted above is substantiated from the practice of the Holy Prophet (PBUH&HF) as well. For example when the Prophet (PBUH&HF) sent Amr bin Hazm to Yemen, he wrote instructions in which, among many other things, he says ' ... to gather khums of Allah from the gains [ of Yemenis ]. Please refer to * Ibn Khaldun, Tarikh Volume 2 part II p54 ( Beirut 1971 ) * Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah wan Nihayah Volume 5 p76-77 ( Beirut 1966 ) * Ibn Hisham, Sirah Volume 4 p179 ( Beirut 1975 ) And when the tribe of Bani Kilal of Yemen sent Khums to the Prophet, the later acknowledges it by saying, ' Your messenger has returned and you have paid the khums of Allah from the gains ( al-ghanaim ). ' Please refer to * Abu Ubayd, al-Amwal p13 ( Beirut 1981 ) * al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak Volume 1 p395 ( Hyderabad 1340 A.H ) * Jafar Murtada al-Amili, al-Sahih fi Sirat al-Nabi Volume 3 p309 ( Qum 1983 ) It is very interesting to note that the Bani Kilal obeyed Prophet's order and sent the khums of gains to him while no war had taken place between the muslims and the un-believers. This is a clear indication that khums was not restricted by the Prophet (PBUH&HF) to the Spoils of War! The importance given by the Prophet (PBUH&HF) to the issue of Khums can also be seen in his advice to the delegation of Bani Abdul Qays. It seems that Bani Abdul Qays ( which was a branch of Rabiah ) was not a very strong tribe. More over in order to travel to Medina, they had to cross an area inhabited by the Muzar tribe, which was against the muslims. Consequently, the Bani Abdul Qays could not travel safely to Medina except during the months in which war fare was forbidden according to the Arab custom. Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 4.327 (pages 212-213) Narrated Ibn Abbas: The delegates of the tribe of Abdul Qais came and said: `O Allah's Apostle ! We are from the tribe of Rabia and between us and you stand stand the infidels of the tribe of Mudar, so we cannot come to you except in the Haram Months. So please order us some instructions that we may apply it to ourselves and also invite our people left behind us to observe as well. ' The Prophet (PBUH) said: `I order you to do four (4) things and forbid you to do four (4): I order you to believe in Allah, that is, to testify that None has the right to be worshipped but Allah (the Prophet (PBUH) pointed with his hand) ; to offer prayers perfectly, to pay Zakat, to fast the month of Ramadhan, and to pay the Khums. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Considering the facts that they travelled in the haram months ( when the war fare ) was forbidden, the circumstances of the Bani Abdul Qays who were weak and small in numbers ( evident from their travelling in the haram months ), it leaves no room for interpreting the application of khums in the above hadith on the spoils of war exclusively! Please refer for the above hadith to * Sahih Bukhari Volume 4 pp 212-213 ( Beirut ) * Abu Ubayd, al-Amwal p13 ( Beirut 1981 ) *************************************************************************** ____________________________________ | | | || || | || | | o_,_7 _|| . _o_7 _|| 4_|_|| o_w_, | |( : / (_) / ( . | |____________________________________| More on Khums The following discussion is taken from Dr. al-Tijani's book, "Ma'a al- Sadeeqeen -- With The Truthful Ones,", pp 149-153. Moreover, I used a Fiqh book based on the teachings of al-Khumeini for some of the details. I also added my own remarks for purposes of clarity. To begin with, we must quote the Book of Allah (SWT): "And know that out of all the booty that ye may acquire, a FIFTH share is assigned to Allah, and to the Messenger, and to near relatives, orphans, the needy, and the wayfarer,--if ye do believe in Allah and in the revelation We sent down to our Servant.....[8:41]" The above verse is a clear injunction by Allah (SWT), the Creator of the Universe, to give out a FIFTH (Khums) of our wealth in the way of Allah (SWT) to the needy, orphans, etc.... Let's continue... The Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "I command you to do four things: To believe in Allah (SWT); to establish prayer; to pay Zakat; to fast Ramadan; and to pay the fifth of all the booty that you acquire for the sake of Allah (SWT)" Sunni reference: Shahih al-Bukhari, v4, p44. Now, the problem with the interpretation of the text is that the word "Ghaneema -- Booty" is interpreted by the Sunnis as that wealth collected as part of a war. That is not an accurate interpretation of the Arabic word. The Semitic languages, which Arabic belongs to, are based on the verb form, not the noun form. As such, the translation of the word "Ghaneema" is not all that accurate when the word "booty" is used. The Shia, in conformity with Allah's (SWT) and His (SWT) Messenger's (PBUH&HF) orders, pay 20% (a fifth) of their wealth at the end of every year. In addition, the grammatical usage of the word "Ghaneema" in Arabic, as the Shia translate it, means that certain things that a believer acquires by way of a profit from a legitimate business deal or otherwise, is considered a "Ghaneema," and becomes subject to the laws and regulations thereof. Of course there are exclusions. Actually, the Khums is only applicable in the following areas: First, ANYTHING extracted from the earth like gold, silver, metal, oil, and other natural elements is subject to the Khums. The minimum value of that which is extracted from the earth is 20 "dinars", and one "dinar" is equal to 3.45 grams gold in value. If that minimum is not met, then the Khums is not required. Second, ANYTHING by way of hidden treasures, if it meets the minimum value requirements, is also subject to the Khums. Third, ANYTHING extracted from the ocean like pearls, coral, etc..., if it meets the minimum value of 1 dinar, not 20, is also subject to the Khums. Fourth, any EXCESS wealth that has remained for one year untouched is also subject to the Khums. Exclusions to the Khums include, but are not limited to, gifts, prizes, inheritance, a woman's dowry, etc... The details of the Khums are *VERY* involved, and it is almost always necessary to seek the advice of a Mujtahid before the Khums is taken out. The Sunnis have rejected that, EVEN though it is in the Book of Allah (SWT). Furthermore, it is narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari, v2, pp 136-137 that the Prophet (PBUH&HF) stated that any wealth that was buried under the ground in the Days of Ignorance (Ayam al-Jahiliyah) is subject to al- Khums. Moreover, Ibn Abbas, THE most trusted narrator of hadith in the eyes of the Sunnis, said that pearls extracted from the ocean are subject to the Khums also. It is apparent, that the Khums is NOT restricted to a booty from a war, as the Sunnis claim; rather, it extends to all of the above issues. If a truly Sunni Islamic nation was to be established, it would fall short of fulfilling its financial obligations because it depends on the Zakat only, which is only 2.5% of one's wealth. Realistically speaking, can an Islamic nation, as the Sunnis contend, survive on 2.5% a year from the Muslim Ummah? Can it truly build an infrastructure that would support the masses? Can it build hospitals, schools, highways, etc...? No, it CANNOT, because 2.5% is NOT enough, not by ANY stretch of the imagination. The Khums also serves another VERY IMPORTANT purpose in the CURRENT Shiite community. It helps the Mujtahids maintain an independence and separation from the political implications which will happen if a religious scholar becomes dependent on the government for his bread and butter. That is EXTREMELY important. The Sunnis scholars in Muslim countries receive their salaries from the government, which means that they CANNOT utter a word of objection to the policies of the ruler because their source of income will be threatened. The Shiite scholars, on the other hand, receive NO funding from the government. This way, they are free to dedicate their lives to the pursuit of justice for the community. Now, for those wondering how the Shia treat the Zakat, then follow along. The Zakat, according to Shiite jurisprudence (Fiqh), is only applicable to the following categories: cattle (camels, cows, sheep, and goats), silver, gold, dates, raisins, wheat, and barley. It should be noted however that although Zakat is not mandatory on other items the same way that Khumus is, to the Shi'a it is still encouraged (mustahab) to give out Zakat on things other than the above mentioned items - in a similar way to how Sunnis apply Zakat (i.e. 2.5%). The details on Zakat are not as complicated as the Khums, but there are still details to be addressed. For example, was the land from whence the wheat was harvested, irrigated by rain water or regular water? In addition, there is a minimum bracket for the number of cattle that has to be met for the Zakat to be applicable. If you want details, let me know, I will be more than happy to provide them. There is also the Zakat al-Fitr, which is paid on the first day after the month of fasting, Ramadan, ends. In conclusion, I appeal to your sense of justice, objectivity, and fear of Allah (SWT) to recognize that the Shia are THE followers of Islam as it should be implemented. The Sunni legists have changed many aspects of the religion of Allah (SWT), and I am NOT here to trash them; but be fair and judge the Shia objectively. Don't we follow the Quran better than ANYBODY else? Don't we follow the custom of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) to the letter? Don't we use reason to explain our belief, rather than being blind followers? Don't we...........? Wassalam. *************************************************************************** ____________________________________ | | | || || | || | | o_,_7 _|| . _o_7 _|| 4_|_|| o_w_, | |( : / (_) / ( . | |____________________________________| Tawassul (Resorting to Intermediary) Some people claim that asking for help to other than god is polytheism. Such people should never go to doctor when they becomes sick because this is polytheism (shirk)! Their going to doctor is a type of seeking a help from a specialist even though they do not say by their tongue that they are getting help from the doctor. Acting shirk is enough. Also they should not ask any question from anyone or request anything from any one because all these are shirk. Furthermore, they shouldn't eat any food because they should not help themselves by any other than God! If they say that we do all these because Allah told us to do so, then based on their own doctrine Allah is also polytheist (Mushrik). Na'udhu Billah! Here is what they are missing: If we get help from any body, we do it with the understanding that he by his own can not help us. He can not benefit us unless Allah wishes to. If one calls Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF) or Imam Ali (AS) for help, he is, in fact, calling Allah for help through intermediary of the Prophet or the Imams, and he does that with the understanding that the Prophet or the Imams doe not have any independent power, but rather what they have (which many others lack) is that they have CREDIT in front of Allah and that Allah does not put down their requests if they pray to Allah on my behalf. Imam Ali and all the martyrs are alive as Quran clearly testifies, though they are not on the earth. So please do not treat them as dead. Allah states in Quran: Think not of those who are martyred in the way of Allah as dead. Nay! They are living, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord." (Quran 3:169) In fact all of our Imams except Imam Mahdi were martyred either by sword or by poison. Moreover, there are quite strong proofs in both Shia and Sunni that the Prophet himself was also poisoned by a Jew in the battle of Khaibar, and the poison slowly worked on his body till it finally killed him. I just bring two traditions from Sahih al-Bukhari: Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 5.551 Narrated Abu Huraira: When Khaibar was conquered, a (cooked) sheep containing poison, was given as a present to Allah's Apostle. Sahih Bukhari Hadith: 5.713 ... Narrated 'Aisha: The Prophet in his ailment in which he died, used to say, "O 'Aisha! I still feel the pain caused by the food I ate at Khaibar, and at this time, I feel as if my aorta is being cut from that poison." So they should not be called dead since they are alive according to Quran. Thus we can make Tawassul to them the same way that the Shia of Moses made Tawassul to Moses: "And he (Moses) went into the city at a time when people (of the city) were not watching, so he found therein two men fighting, one being of his Shia and the other being his enemy, and the one who was of his Shia cried out to him for help against the one who was of his ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ enemy" (Quran 28:15) Two things which distinguishes Tawassul and Shirk should be noted here. First, we do not believe that the Prophet and Imams have any independent power from Allah. Second, Allah is the one who assigned the intermediate. The idol worshipers used a wrong intermediate, and that was another reason why it was condemned. Moreover, the idol worshippers believed that the idols can cause harm or render a benefit. Muslims are monotheists and they know that only Allah can cause harm or render a benefit. But calling the Prophet and Imams with the understanding that they could only be an intermediary to Allah, is not polytheism. ALL Muslims agreed on this point from the time of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) up to the present day, except Wahhabis. They contradict all Muslims with their new creed and accused Muslims of blasphemy; they never let any body touch the blessed grave of Prophet (PBUH&HF). The Holy Quran further supports intermediary for approaching toward Allah where it states: "O' you who believe! Be mindful (of your duties) to Allah, and seek the means of approaching toward Him." (Quran 5:35) ^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^ : | || || | . : | | || | : : | | . T . ||| | | 4_|_,_w q_|| 4_,_|| |q_e_,_,|q 4_|_|| |q_o_, | |q_,_o| . _, ]_|||_8_,| |_, : / : / . / / / (_): : : Quran tells us that there exists a means of approaching "al-Wasilah" for us in each era, which is different than Allah and we should seek him if we want to approach toward Allah. In fact, both Tawassul and Wasilah are from the same root. When we make Tawassul, it means that we seek the Mercy of Allah by resorting to a connection who was more obedient toward Allah and, as a result, Allah answers his/her prayers faster than us. Allah may forgive us for the credit and the honor of that man/woman. It is true every where that doing a job (specially if it is asking for a big courtesy) without any connection is difficult or might be impossible. Approving such a courtesy needs credit, and the one without it should resort to the one who has the credit and the connection. This credit has been acquired by absolute obedience of Allah. Nonetheless, approving any intercession still depends on Allah: "Who can intercedes with Him except the cases that He permits?" (Quran 2:255) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "They (i.e., prophets and Imams) do not say anything until He orders, and they act (in all things) by His command. He knows what is before them and what is behind them and they (i.e., those saints) offer no intercession except for anyone whom Allah accepts, and they ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ are in awe and reverence of His (glory)." (Quran 21:27-28) As you see there are exceptions. Some specific people can intercede with Allah by His permission. But this is not granted to every people. Now, I would like to give also more references from Sunni Hadith collections in this regard. The first reference is on the Tawassul of Ibn Abbas (RA) to Imam Ali (AS). Please note that Ibn Abbas spoke the following words after the martyrdom of Imam Ali. Thus he did ask for intermediary of what you called a dead person. "When the death time of Abdullah Ibn Abbas (RA) approached, he said: `O Allah! I seek to approach toward you by means of Wilayah (accepting the mastery) of Ali Ibn Abi Talib.'" ^^^^^^^^^^^ Sunni references: - Fada'il al-Sahaba, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v2, p662, Tradition #1129 - al-Riyadh al-Nadhirah, by Muhibbuddin al-Tabari, v3, p167 - Manaqib Ahmad | || || : : | . || | | | || .. . | | o_8_|_|| : ||_o o |_9 q_|| w |_,_c . _,| 4_|_||]_,_c .__, ,_p_7 |_o_| ( (_| / (_/ . (_). . / ||| | | | : | | / || : : | . | .__,_||_D _,| . _,| _|_c 4_, |_|q_, (__)_,_|| .__, _o_, | _, | . (_S. (_). (_S : /. : . / (_S Please note that Ibn Abbas died in 68/687 which was 28 years after the martyrdom of Imam Ali (AS). If resorting (Tawassul) to a dead was considered association (shirk), then Ibn Abbas would not dare to say so, and Ahmad Ibn Hanbal would not have recorded it. As for resorting to alive, al-Bukhari reported that Umar used make Tawassul to al-Abbas for rain: Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 5.59 Narrated Anas: Whenever there was drought, 'Umar bin Al-Khattab used to ask Allah for rain through Al-'Abbas bin 'Abdul Muttalib, saying, "O Allah! We used ^^^^^^^ to request our Prophet to ask You for rain, and You would give us. Now we request the uncle of our Prophet to ask You for rain, so give us rain." And they would be given rain." Another related question is that: Is kissing the grave of the Prophet Shirk (association)? Is honoring the belongings of Prophet association? Sahih al-Bukhari tells us it is NOT Shirk: Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 1.373 Narrated Abu Juhaifa: I saw Allah's Apostle in a red leather tent and I saw Bilal taking the ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ remaining water with which the Prophet had performed ablution. I saw ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ the people taking the utilized water impatiently and whoever got some ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ of it rubbed it on his body and those who could not get any took the ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ moisture from the others' hands. Then I saw Bilal carrying an 'Anza (a ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ spear-headed stick) which he planted in the ground. The Prophet came out tucking up his red cloak, and led the people in prayer and offered two Rakat (facing the Ka'ba) taking 'Anza as a Sutra for his prayer. I saw the people and animals passing in front of him beyond the 'Anza. Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 7.750 Narrated Abu Juhaifa: I came to the Prophet while he was inside a red leather tent, and I saw Bilal taking the remaining water of the ablution of the Prophet, and the people were taking of that water and rubbing it on their ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ faces; and whoever could not get anything of it, would share the ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ moisture of the hand of his companion (and then rub it on his face). ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ As we see, the great companions were honoring the drop of water which had touched the Prophet (PBUH&HF). Sayyid Sharafuddin, a famous Shia scholar, went on pilgrimage to the House of Allah during the reign of King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud. He was one of those who were invited to the King's palace to celebrate the Eid of al- Adh'ha. When his turn came to shake the King's hand, he presented a leather bound Quran to the King. The King took the Quran and placed it on his forehead and then kissed it. Sayyid Sharafuddin said: "O' King! why do you kiss and glorify the cover which is made of a goat's skin?!" The king answered: "I meant to glorify the Holy Quran, not the goat's skin." Sayyid Sharafuddin said: "Well said O' King! We do the same when we kiss the window or the door of the Prophet's Chamber, we know that it is made of iron, and could not harm or render a benefit, but we mean what is behind the iron and wood, we mean to respect the Messenger of Allah in the same way as you meant with the Quran when you kissed its goat's skin cover." The audience was impressed by his speech and said: "You are right." The King was forced to allow the pilgrims to ask for blessings from the Prophet's relics, until the order was reversed by the successor of that King. The issue is not that they are afraid of people associating others with Allah, rather, it is a political issue based on antagonizing Muslims in order to consolidate their own power and authority over Muslims, and history is the witness to what they have done. ************************************************************************** ____________________________________ | | | || || | || | | o_,_7 _|| . _o_7 _|| 4_|_|| o_w_, | |( : / (_) / ( . | |____________________________________| Evidence for Tawassul by a Sunni Writer From: mas@cadence.com (Masud Khan) Date: 3 Jul 1994 22:55:34 GMT There has been a lot of discussion about intercession recently, and a few ill-informed people have issued "fatawa's" condeming the practice as "shirk". If, as some individuals say, tawassul is "shirk" then from from the evidence available it seems that The Prophet (pbuh) taught a man to commit "shirk" and so did the Rightly Guided Khalifa 'Uthman ibn Affan! (May Allah be our refuge from such thoughts). wa'asalaam Mas'ud Tawassul - Supplicating Allah through and Intermediary. ======================================================= Definition: Supplicating Allah by means of an intermediary, whether it be a living person, dead person, or a name or attribute of Allah Most High. Yusuf Rifa'i: I here want to convey the position, attested to by compelling legal evidence, of the orthodox majority of Sunni Muslim on the subject of supplicating Allah through an intermidiary (tawassul), and so I say (and Allah alone gives success) that since there is no disagreement among scholars that supplicating Allah through an intermediary is in principle legally valid, the discussion of it's details merely concerns derived rulings that involve interschool differences, unrelated to questions of belief or unbelief, monotheism or associating partners with Allah (shirk); the sphere of the question being limited to permissibility or impermissibility, and its ruling being that it is either lawful or unlawful. There is no difference among groups of Muslims in their consensus on the permissibilty of three types of supplicating Allah through an intermediary (tawassul): 1 tawassul through a living righteous person to Allah Most High, as in the Hadith of the blind man with the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) as we shall explain; 2 the tawassul of a living person to Allah Most High through his own good deeds, as in the hadith of the three people trapped in a cave by a great stone, a hadith related by Imam Bukhari in his Sahih [Ref: vol 3 no 418]; 3 and the tawassul of a person to Allah Most High through His entity (dhat), names, attributes, and so forth. Since the legality of these types is agreed upon there is no reason to set forth the evidence for them. The only area of disagreement is supplicating Allah (tawassul) through a righteous dead person. The majority of the orthodox Sunni community hold that it is lawful, and have supporting hadith evidence, of which we will content ourselves with the hadith of the Blind Man, since it is the central pivot upon which the discussion turns. The Hadith of the Blind Man =========================== Tirmidhi relates, through his chain of narrators from 'Uthman ibn Hunayf, that a blind man came to the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and said, "I've been afflicted in my eyesight, so please pray to Allah for me." The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "Go make ablution (wudu), perform two rak'as of prayer, and then say: " 'O Allah, I ask You and turn to You through my Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet of Mercy; O Muhammad [Ya Muhammad], I seek your intercession with my Lord for the return of my eyesight [and in another version: "for my need , that it may be fulfilled. O Allah, grant him intercession for me"].'" The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) added, "And if there is some need, do the same." Scholars of Sacred Law infer from this hadith the recommended character of the need, in which someone in need of something from Allah Most High performs such a prayer and then turns to Allah with this supplications together with other suitable supplications, traditional or otherwise, according to the need and how the person feels. The express content of the hadith proves the legal validity of tawassul through a living person (as the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was a alive at the time). It implicitly proves the validity of tawassul through a deceased one as well, since tawassul through a living or dead person is not through a physical body or through a life or death, but rather through the positive meaning (ma`na tayyib) attached to the person in both life and death. The body is but the vehicle that carries that significance, which requires that the person be respected whether alive or dead; for the words "O (Ya) Muhammad" are an address to someone physically absent - in which state the living and the dead are alike - an address to the meaning, dear to Allah, that is connected with his spirit, a meaning that is the ground of tawassul, be it through a living or a dead person. ============================= The Hadith of the Man in Need ============================= Moreover, Tabarani, in his al-Mu`jam al-saghir, reports a hadith from 'Uthman ibn Hanayf that a man repeatedly visited 'Uthman ibn 'Affan (Allah be well pleased with him) concerning something he needed, but 'Uthman paid no attention to him or his need. The man met Ibn Hunayf and complained to him about the matter - this being after the death of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and after the caliphates of Abu Bakr and 'Umar - so 'Uthman ibn Hunayf, who was one of the Companions who collected hadiths and were learned in the religion of Allah said: "Go to the place of ablution and perform ablution (wudu), then come to the mosque, perform two rak'as of prayer therein, and say, " 'O Allah, I ask You and turn to You through our Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet of Mercy; O Muhammad [Ya Muhammad], I turn through you to my Lord, that He may fulfill my need,' "and mention your need. Then come so that I can go with you [to the caliph 'Uthman]." So the man left and did as he had been told, then went to the door of 'Uthman ibn 'Affan (Allah be pleased with him), and the doorman came, took him by the hand, brought him to 'Uthman ibn 'Affan and seated him next to him on a cushion. 'Uthman asked, "What do you need?" and the man mentioned what he wanted, and 'Uthman accomplished it for him and then said, "I hadn't remembered your need until just now," adding, "Whenever you need something, just mention it." Then the man departed, met 'Uthman ibn Hunayf, and said to him, "May Allah reward you! He didn't see to my need or pay any attention to me until you spoke with him." 'Uthman ibn Hunayf replied, "By Allah, I didn't speak to him, but I have seen a blind man come to the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and complain to him of the loss of his eyesight. The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, 'Can you not bear it?' and the man replied, 'O messenger of Allah, I do not have anyone to lead me around, and it is great hardship for me.' The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) told him, 'Go to the place of ablution and perform ablution (wudu), then pray two rak'as of prayer and make these supplications.' " Ibn Hunafy went on, "By Allah, we didn't part company or speak long before the man returned to us as if nothing had ever been wrong with him." This is an explicit, unequivocal text from a prophetic Companion proving the legal validity of tawassul through the dead. The account has been classed as rigorously authenticated (SAHIH) by Bayhaqi, Mundhiri, and Haytami. (Muhammad Hamid - a leading Hanafi scholar of this century:) As for calling upon (nida') the righteous [when they are physically absent, as in the words "O (Ya) Muhammad" in the above hadiths], tawassul to Allah Most High through them is permissable, the supplication (du'a) being to Allah Most Glorious, and there is much evidence for its permissibility. Those who call on them intending tawassul cannot be blamed. As for someone who believes that those called upon can cause effects, benefit, or harm, which they create or cause to exist as Allah does, such a person is an idolator who has left Islam - Allah be our refuge! This then,and a certain person has written an article that tawassul to Allah Most High through the righteous is unlawful, while the overwhelming majority of scholars hold it permissable, and the evidence that the writer uses to corroborate his view point is devoid of anything that demonstrates what he is trying to prove. In declaring tawassul permissable, we are not hovering on the brink of idolatory (shirk) or coming anywhere near it, for the conviction that Allah Most High alone has influence over anything, outwardly, is a conviction that flows through us like our very lifeblood. If tawassul were idolatory (shirk), or if there were any suspicion of idolatory in it, the Prophet (Allah Most High bless him and give him peace) would not have taught it to the blind man when the latter asked him to supplicate Allah for him, though in fact he did teach him to make tawassul to Allah through him. And the notion that tawassul was permissible only during the lifetime of the person through whom it is done but not after his death is unsupported by any viable foundation from Sacred Law (Rudud 'ala abatil wa rasa'il al- Shaykh Muhammad al-Hamid). Mostly taken from "Reliance of the Traveller" (Umdat as-Salik) by Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misri [b. 702/1302 d. 769/1368] translated by Noah Ha Mim Keller. *************************************************************************** ____________________________________ | | | || || | || | | o_,_7 _|| . _o_7 _|| 4_|_|| o_w_, | |( : / (_) / ( . | |____________________________________| Did Muhammad Receive Revelation by Mistake?! The following article is adopted from the "Shi'ites Under Attack" by Muhammad Jawad Chirri with some modification. ====================================================== Do the Shi'ite Muslims Say that the Revelation Came to Muhammad by Mistake, and that it Was Intended for Ali? ====================================================== This [false accusation is] widely spread in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab countries in order to discredit the followers of the members of the House of the Prophet. This accusation was made during periods of oppression against the Shiites. The rulers of the periods of the Omayads and Abbasids used to consider every follower of the Members of the House of the Prophet revolutionary and dangerous. They conspired against these Shiites and accused them of heresy and disbelief in order to encourage the Muslims to shed their blood and usurp their rights and wealth. The centuries of oppression passed with all their injustices and terrors. It was expected that during the new period of freedom, the mistakes of the past would be corrected. It was hoped that Muslim scholars would make a serious study in order to see if there is any justification for such terrible accusations. It is very easy to know the truth. There are hundreds of books written by Shiite scholars about their beliefs. Had the Sunni scholars read any of these books, they would have found that the Shiite beliefs are in full agreement with the Book of God and the well- known statements of the Prophet. We are living in the era of speed and easy movement. It is easy for Muslim scholars to have conferences, discuss problems, and find solutions. The simplest principle of justice is to follow the commandment of the Holy Qur'an: "Oh you who believe, if a transgressor comes to you with news, try to verify it, lest you inflict damage on people unwittingly; then you may consequently regret your hasty action" (ch. 49, v.6) The Almighty commanded us to try to find out whether an accusation is true or false, and that we ought not to try people and convict them without questioning them. We do not know of any court in the world in which the judge convicts a person before interviewing him, provided the accused is available and honors the summons. In spite of the ease with which one can find the correct information nowadays, we find that those who accuse and spread hatred among Muslims do not take one single step in order to find the truth which may unite the Muslim world. While writing these words, I recollect that the Egyptian government during the fifties sent the late Dr. Mohammad Bisar to Washington, D.C., as director of the Islamic Center there. I went to visit him and he received me kindly and informed me of the knowledge that he had acquired concerning American Muslims. He initiated a dialogue between us, saying: "Some of the Muslims in this country asked me about the various Islamic sects. I declared to them that all Muslim sects are good except the Shiite Ithnashari." I immediately realized that R. Bisar did not know the meaning of Shiite Ithnashari. Otherwise, he would not have been rude enough to say that to me while I am a Shiite Ithnashari (meaning The Twelvers). Thus, we had the following dialogue: Chirri: What is wrong with the Ithnashari? Bisar: They believe in things opposed to Islam. Chirri: Give us an example of their wrong belief. Bisar: They say the revelation came to Mohammad by mistake, and that Ali Ibn Abu Talib was supposed to receive the revelation. Chirri: How did you learn that? Bisar: I read it in the book of al-milal and al-nihal by al-Shahristani. Chirri: Have you asked any Shiite scholar about this subject? Bisar: No, I have not. Chirri: Then you have convicted millions of Muslims and considered them "kafir" without asking any of them about this serious accusation. Did the Almighty command you to do that? And did Egypt send you to propagate such [an unjust] message? A year after our meeting in Washington, I met Dr. Bisar in Philadelphia at an Islamic conference. He informed me that he re-examined the book of al- milal and al-nihal by al-Shihristani and found that what was attributed to Shiites, that the revelation came to Mohammad by mistake, was not the belief of the Ithnashari Shiite school of thought. It was rather, a sect which existed and disappeared hundreds of years ago. Hearing that from him, I accepted his apology. Yet, I was amazed that it took him a whole year to re-read the book and discover the truth. I spent years studying hadith and Islamic history in books which were written by Sunni and Ithnashari scholars. I NEVER FOUND IN ANY SHIITE BOOK A HADITH OR A HISTORICAL REPORT INDICATING THAT ALI IBN ABU TALIB WAS HIGHER THAN OR EQUAL TO MOHAMMAD. As a matter of fact, I found only the opposite. The Shittes consider Ali to be the best man after the Messenger because he was the most obedient to him. One of the hadith which the Shiites pride themselves upon is a hadith attributed to the Messenger of God: The Prophet (PBUH&HF) said to the tribe of Wolai-ah: "Bani Wolai-ah, you must change your attitude, or I shall send to you a man who is from me to punish you severely." Some of the people who were present asked the Prophet "Who is the man you are going to send to them?" The Prophet replied: "He is the man who was patching the sole of my shoes." They looked around and found Ali patching the sole of the Prophet's shoes. Sunni references: - Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v5, p634 - Fada'il al-Sahaba, by Ahmad Hanbal, v2, p571, Tradition #966 - al-Riyad al-Nadirah, by al-Muhib al-Tabari, v3, p152 - Tabaqat, by Ibn Sa'd, v1, p349 - Matalib al-'Aliyah, v4, p56 - Majma' al-Zawa'id, by al-Haythami, v9, p163 It is inconceivable that the Shiites can be proud of the fact that Ali was the patcher of the Prophet Mohammad's shoes and claim that the Imam is higher than or equal to the Prophet. Therefore, I do not find any justification for directing such an accusation at the Shiites who glorify the Prophet the most. The Shiites say that the highest honor that Imam Ali acquired is that he was chosen by the Prophet to be his brother. When the Prophet commanded every two Muslims to become brothers, he held Ali's hand and said, "This is my brother." Thus, the Messenger of God, the highest Messenger, the Imam of all righteous people, the one who had no equal among the servants of God, made Ali his brother. (Al-Seerah Al-Nabawiyah, by Ibn Hisham, part 1, p505). ============= Side Comments ============= A Wahhabi mentioned that: There was a sect that claimed Gibreel (Alaihi Alsalam) erred in delivering the message. This sect were called the "Sheeah Ghurabiah". They might no longer exist by that name -- and they are a different sect than the Twelvers sect. ... Dear friend, the Ghurabiyyah and similar sects are fictitious sects created by some story tellers such as al-Shahrastani and Abdul-Qahir Ibn Tahir al- Baghdadi, etc. Nonetheless, we do not deny that there existed some extremist sects (al- Ghulat) who departed from the body of Shia, who believed Ali is God, or those who believed in incarnation (Hulool). The reason was that they found so many virtues in Imam Ali, and by their narrow-minded-brain, they could not believe that a human can possess all such virtues. As a result of that, they believed in the deity of Ali. Surely they have gone astray. Thanks to God that they have perished in the course of History in a great deal. However the leaders of such extremist groups and other deviated groups from Shia (whose leaders falsely claimed to be Imams) were not as simple minded as their followers. Those leaders were agents of the tyrranical rullers and their activities were purely political. The Imams of Ahlul-Bayt and their followers disassociated themselves from these groups who were being established by the governments of each era to deviate the followers of Ahlul-Bayt and to destroy their path by keeping them away from the Imams and moving them toward the puppets of governments. But these groups were melting down few months after their appearance, since people soon recognized the falsehood and ignorance of their leaders and their connection with the rulers, and thus people did not subscribe to these groups. A group without followers can not live for long, and its leader becomes out of business shortly after. Allah, Exalted He is, said in Quran: "... and in this way, Allah strikes the examples of truth and falsehood. Then, as for the bubbles, it passes away (like disappearance of scum/foam upon the banks), while that which is for the good of mankind, remains in the earth..." (Quran 13:17) What remained from these artificial groups was just a history written by those officials (who created those groups in the first place) which also includes fictitious stories. We do not call such bankrupt groups Shia. From the demise of Prophet till today, the followers of Imam Ali (AS) are The Twelver Shi'ites. There are however few Zaydis and Ismailis around the world. Although the majority of scholars believe that they are Muslims (except those of them who abandoned the Islamic practices), yet we consider them out of the circle of Ahlul- Bayt. All other groups such as Alavi (or Nudhayri), etc. are NOT Shia for sure, and their emergance did not have anything to do with the Shia. To be a Shia one should meet all the following specifications: 1. Believing in all the articles of faith. These are comon amongst Muslims. 2. Believing that Imam Ali is the immediate successor/executor of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF), appointed by Allah. 3. Believing that one should follow the genuine Sunnah of Prophet, and this Sunnah is transmitted by Ahlul-Bayt who are pure and sinless according to Quran. Furthermore, the instructions of the twelve Imams of Ahlul-Bayt are binding since they are in fact the instructions of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). 4. Believing that Imam Mahdi (AS), the son of the 11th Imam is the Imam of our time and is living (contrary to the majority of Sunnis who believe he will be born later). If any of the above conditions is missing for a person, he is not considered to be a Shia. Also in contrary to the rumors, to curse any of the companions is not a part of our belief. The wahhabi contributor further mentioned: The muslims who say one of the beliefs of shia is the above are not wrong; therefore, because the Ghurabi sect is a part of the shiaah herecy throught the history - but to attribute this claim to the Ithnaasharis "official" beleifs is not just to say the least. It is interesting to see that the above writer forgot that many deviant groups departed from the body of Sunnis such as Nation of Islam who believe God was a human, yet I haven't heard of any Shia to say: The muslims who say one of the beliefs of Sunni is the above are not wrong, because the Nation of Islam parted from the Sunnis - but to attribute this claim to the "official" beleifs of Sunnis is not just to say the least. You may replace the "nation of Islam" with "Ahmadis", "Qadianis", ... and the followers of Muhammad Ibn Abdil Wahhab, and you can see how silly the above statement is going to be. Thanks to God that Shia do not attribute such things to the four Sunni schools. *************************************************************************** ____________________________________ | | | || || | || | | o_,_7 _|| . _o_7 _|| 4_|_|| o_w_, | |( : / (_) / ( . | |____________________________________| Imamat vs. Prophethood (Part I) The Shia believe that the rank of Imamat (the position of a divinely- appointed leader) is higher than that of prophethood and messengership. Note that here we are comparing the rank of positions and not the rank of persons. As such, two divinely appointed Imams which both have the highest possible position from Allah, may have different ranks. For instance, out of the twelve Imams of Ahlul-Bayt, Imam Ali (AS) is the most virtuous. Also Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF) is more virtuous than Imam Ali (AS) thought they were both appointed by Allah as leaders. In other words, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF) is has the highest rank among mankind, and is the most virtuous creature of God and the most honored before Allah. The above belief does not undermine his position since Prophet Muhammad was an Imam during his time as well! However, comparing the * duty * of prophet and Imam is like comparing apples and oranges or is like comparing the duty of a physician and an engineer. Imamat and prophethood are totally different functions though they may gather in one person such as Prophet Muhammad or Prophet Abraham, peace be upon them. =================== Evidence from Quran =================== People who are familiar with Quran to some extent, know that this belief is not a weird-thing. In fact, Quran testifies that the position of Imamat is higher than the position of prophethood and messengership. Allah, to whom belong Might and Majesty, said: "And when Abraham was tested by his Lord with certain commands and he fulfilled them. Then He said: Lo! I appoint you an Imam for mankind." (Quran 2:124). : | . .. | | / | | |: | . | . _8_o_, |_9 .__,|_o_|_)_, 4_, o_,_8 | _,| _|_,_,| > | q (_) . . / ( : /. (_S . / | | | |. | / | | . | | | : |_o |_o | w |_,_| ,__)_|_c |_7 _, | | |_o (_/ . (_S (_| As we can see, Prophet Abraham was further tested by Allah during his prophethood, and when he successfully passed the tests (which were the test on his life, leaving his wife, sacrificing his son), he was granted the position of Imamat. This shows position of Imamat is higher in degree than prophethood which has been given to him later after acquiring more qualifications. Degrees are always granted in ascending order. We have not seen any person who got his Ph.D. degree first, and then gets his highschool diploma. At least in the administration of God there is no such mess! The first degree of Abraham, may the blessing of Allah be upon him, was becoming a servant of Allah ('Abd), then he became Prophet (Nabi), then he became Messenger (Rasul), then he became a Confident (Khalil), and then he finally became Imam. BTW, the above verse of Quran (2:124) proves that Allah assigns Imam, and the designation of Imam is not the business of people. Below is the Sunni commentary of Yusuf Ali on the above verse (2:124): Kalimat, literally "words", here used in the mystic sense of God's Will or Decree or Purpose. This verse may be taken to be the sum of the verses following. In everything Abraham fulfilled God's wish: he purified God's house; he built the sacred refuge of the Kaba; he submitted his will to God's (referring to sacrifice of his son) He was promised the leadership of the world; he pleaded for his progeny, and his prayer was granted, with the limitation that if his progeny was false to God, God's promise did not reach the people who proved themselves false. As we see, Quran clearly justifies the Shi'ite point of view in this matter. But again, since Prophet Abraham, Prophet Muhammad, and few others were also Imams, such belief (i.e., Imamat higher than prophethood) does not undermine their position. Imam means a person who is appointed by God as a leader and as a guide (see Quran 21:73 and 32:24) to whom obedience is due, and whom people should follow. Messengers are Warners and Imams are Guides (13:7). Imams are the Stars of Guidance (6:97). Muhammad (PBUH&HF) was a Prophet, a Messenger, and an Imam. By His death the door of prophethood and messengership was closed for ever. But the door of Imamat (leadership) remained open because he had successors (Caliphs; deputies). Successor means a person who succeeds the position of the previous one. It is the obvious that successors of Prophet Muhammad did not share anything about his position of prophethood and messengership. What remained for them was Imamat (leadership). And the number of these Imams are twelve as the Prophet himself testified. Also note that Quran clearly says that Imam and Caliph is assigned by God and this designation has nothing to do with people. For more evidence in the assignment of Imam by Allah, see the following verses of Quran: 38:20 (about David), 2:124 (about Abraham), 2:30 (about Adam), and 7:142, 20:29-36, 25:35 (about Aaron). A Wahhabi contributor implied that the Shia are non-Muslims because they believe the above thing (Imamat higher than Messengership) while he did not present any single evidence from Quran and authentic Hadith against it. But I have presented a proof from Quran, and as such, better better be their own judge as to whether you are a Muslims or not. As for Angels, Muslims agree that the level of the prophets are higher than that of angels. Quran states that all angels prostrated Adam. This is enough to prove that the rank of the prophets is higher than that of angels. And based on the previous conclusion that the position of Imamat is higher than that of prophethood, the position of Imamat will be higher than the rank of angels as well. ============================================= Evidence from Sunni Collections of Traditions ============================================= The Shia further believe that the twelve Imams of the House of Prophet Muhammad have the rank higher than that of ALL the messengers (be Imam or not) except Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF). In other words, the Status of the successors of the Seal of the Prophets is higher than that of the successors of all the previous prophets. (Note that the sucessors of the previous Prophets were themselves prophets). Need Sunni reference? Here are some: - Imam Ali (AS) having the highest virtues of the early great Messengers: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said: "He who wants to see Noah (AS) in his determination, Adam (AS) in his knowledge, Abraham (AS) in his clemency, Moses (AS) in his intelligence and Jesus (AS) in his religious devotion should look at Ali Ibn Abi Talib (AS)." Sunni references: - Sahih al-Bayhaqi - Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, as quoted in - Sharh Ibn Abi al-Hadid, v2, p449 - Tafsir al-Kabir, by Fakhruddin al-Razi, under the commentary of the Verse of Impreciation (Mubilah), v2 p288. He wrote this tradition has been accpeted as all genuine. - Ibn Batah has recorded it as a tradition related by Ibn Abbas as is stated in the book "Fat'h al-Mulk al-Ali bi Sihah Hadith-e-Bab-e- Madinat al-Ilm", p34, by Ahmed Ibn Muhammad Ibn Siddiq al-Hasani al- Maghribi. - Among those who have admitted that Imam Ali (AS) is the store house of the secrets of all the Prophets is the Chief of Gnostics, Muhi al- Din al-Arabi, from whom al-Arif al-Sha'arni has copied it in his al- Yuwaqit wa al-Jawahir (p172, topic 32). - The Light (Noor) of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) and Ali (AS) preceded the creation of Adam (AS): Salman al-Farsi (RA) narrated that: I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) saying: "I myself, and Ali were one light in the hands of Allah fourteen thousand years (14,000) before He created Adam (AS). When Allah created Adam (AS) He divided that light into two parts, one part is me and one part Ali." Sunni References: - Mizan Al-Ei'tidal, by al-Dhahabi, v1, p235 - Fada'il al-Sahaba, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v2, p663, Tradition #1130 - al-Riyadh al-Nadhirah, by al-Muhib al-Tabari, v2, p164, v3, p154 - History of Ibn Asakir Remark: "hand of Allah" means His power. The phrase "within the hands of Allah" means in His presence, domain, realm, kingdom. This clearly shows that the rank of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF) and Imam Ali (AS) are better than any human being ever created by Allah. - No one crosses the Path except by a passport from Ali (AS): Anas Ibn Malik narrated: "When Abu Bakr neared death,..., Abu Bakr said that he heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) saying: That there is an obstacle on the Path which no one crosses unless with a passport (permission) from Ali Ibn Abi Talib (AS). And I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) saying: "I am the seal of the prophets and you, Ali, the seal of the Awliyaa." Sunni references: - Tarikh, by al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi, v10, p356 - al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 9, subheading 2, p195 Imam Ali (AS) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said: When Allah gathers the first-ones and the last-ones on the Day of Judgment, and the Path has been erected on the bridge of Hell, no one can cross it unless he had along proof of allegiance (Wilaya) to Ali Ibn Abi Talib." Sunni reference: al-Riyadh al-Nadhirah, by Muhibbuddin al-Tabari, v2, p172 - Ali (AS) is the divider of People to Paradise and Hell: "The prophet (PBUH&HF) said to Ali (AS): You are the divider of Paradise and Hell on the Day of Judgment, you say to Hell: This one for me and that one for you." Sunni reference: al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar, Ch. 9, subheading 2, p195 "Ali (AS) said: I am the alloter/divider of Hell." Sunni references: - Kanzul Ummal, by al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, v6, p402 - Radd al-Shams, by Shathan Al-Fudhaily "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) has said: Ali is the divider of Hell." Sunni reference: Kunooz Al-Haqa'iq, by Abdul Raouf al-Manawi, p92 And here is a poem from al-Shafi'i (one of the four Sunni Imams): "Ali will judge mankind and allot them either paradise or hell. He was the leader of men and Jinns, the true Testator of the Holy Prophet. If the followers of Ali are 'Rafidhi' verily I am one of that sect. Ali at the time of breaking of the symbols in the Ka'ba put his feet on that shoulder where God had put his hand on the 'Night of Mi'raj' and verily Ali was that into whose eyes shone the light of God." Do I need to comment?! Now look at what your master Umar said on the virtue of Imam Ali (AS): Umar Ibn al-Khattab said: "If all the seven planets, and the all the seven heavens are put in one scale of balance and the faith of Ali in the other, Ali's pan will turn the scales." Sunni References: - al-Riyadh al-Nadhirah, by Muhibbuddin al-Tabari - Izalat al-Khifa Maqsad - Ali (AS) the best of people after Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF): "...Jabir said: The messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said: Ali is the best of humanity (after me), so whoever has doubt is a Kafir." Sunni references: - Kinooz Al-Haqa'iq, by Abdul Raouf al-Manawi, p92 - Tarikh, by al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi, v7, p421 Here is another one: ...Zar quoting Abdullah, quoting Ali (AS), that the Prophet (PBUH&HF) said: "Whoever does not say that Ali is the best in my people, is a Kafir." Sunni references: - Tarikh, by al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi, v3, p19 - Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, v9, p419 also Barida narrated: The messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said to Fatimah (AS) that: "I gave you in marriage to the best in my Ummah, the most knowledgeable in them, the best in patience in them, and the first Muslim among them." Sunni reference: Kanz al-Ummal, by al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, v6, p398 Now, let us now look at a future episode on the appearance of Imam Mahdi (AS) (the last Imam of the House of the Prophet(PBUH&HF)). Sunnis have narrated in their authentic books that when Imam Mahdi (AS) comes, Prophet Jesus (AS) will descent and will pray behind him. This clearly shows that the rank of Imam Mahdi (AS) is higher than that of Prophet Jesus who was one of the five greatest messengers of Allah. It is narrated in Sahih Muslim that: Jabir Ibn Abdillah al-Ansari (RA) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying: "A group of my Ummah will fight for the truth until near the day of judgment when Jesus, the son of Marry, will descend, and the leader of them will ask him to lead the prayer, but Jesus declines, saying: "No, Verily, among you Allah has made leaders for others and He has bestowed his bounty upon them." Sunni reference: - Sahih Muslim, Arabic, part 2, p193 - Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v3, pp 45,384 - Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, p251 - Nuzool Isa Ibn Maryam Akhir al-Zaman, by Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, p57 - Musnad, by Abu Ya'ala which provides another version of the tradition with more clear words on the authority of Jabir that the Messenger of Allah said: "A group among my Ummah will continue to fight for the truth until Jesus, the son of Marry, will descend, and the Imam of them will ask him to lead the prayer, but Jesus replies: "You have more right to it ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ and verily Allah has hnonored some of you over others in this Ummah." Ibn Abu Shaybah, another Sunni traditionist, and the mentor of al-Bukhari and Muslim, has reported several traditions about Imam al-Mahdi (AS). He has also reported that the Imam of the Muslims who will lead Prophet Jesus in prayer is Imam al-Mahdi himself. Jalaluddin al-Suyuti mentioned that: "I have heard some of the deniers of (truth) deny what has been conveyed about Jesus that when he descends will pray the Fajr prayer behind al-Mahdi. They say, Jesus has higher status ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ than to pray behind a non-Prophet. This is a bizarre opinion since the ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ issue of prayer of Jesus behind al-Mahdi has been proven strongly via numerous authentic traditions from the Messenger of Allah, who is the most truthful." And then al-Suyuti goes on narrating some of the traditions in this regard. (See Nuzool Isa Ibn Maryam Akhir al-Zaman, by Jalaluddin al- Suyuti, p56). Also al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani mentioned that: "The Mahdi is of this Ummah, and that Jesus (PBUH&HF) will come down and pray behind him." Sunni reference: Fat'h al-Bari, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, v5, p362 This is also mentioned by another scholar, Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, who wrote: "The Ahlul-Bayt are like the stars through whom we are guided in the right direction, and if the starts are taken away (or hidden) we would come face to face with the signs of the Almighty as promised (i.e., the Day of Resurrection). This will happen when the Mahdi will come, as mentioned in the traditions, and the Prophet Jesus will say his ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ prayers behind him, the Dajjal will be slain, and then the signs of ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ the Almighty will appear one after another." Sunni reference: Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch 11, p91 All these clearly show that the rank of Imam Mahdi (AS) is higher than that of Prophet Jesus (AS) who was one of the five greatest messengers of Allah. ====================== Are the Imams Inspired ====================== There is no doubt that when the verse: "Today I have perfected your religion and completed my bounty upon you, and I was satisfied that Islam be your religion." (Quran 5:3) the religion completed. Allah revealed Quran as well as the Shari'ah (Divine law) ONLY to the Prophet (PBUH&HF), and non of such things was revealed to Imam Ali (AS). If Imam Ali was inspired (ILHAM) it had nothing to do with religious commandments; it was rather about what happened and what will happen. There are many methods that Allah may inform His servants of something. One way is revelation (WAHY). The other way is inspiration (ILHAM). By inspiration, Allah induces the knowledge into the heart of His servant. This is unanimously held by the all the Islamic Schools. But do you really think revelation (WAHY) is only for the prophets and the messengers? If yes, then you have contradicted Quran, for Quran confirms that Allah sent revelation (WAHY) to the mother of Moses. The mother of Moses was neither a prophet nor a messenger. Agreed? Allah revealed to her to leave her son in the river so that Pharaoh's soldier could take it to the Palace: And We REVEALED to the mother of Moses: Suckle (thy child) but when ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ thou hast fears about him cast him into the river but fear not nor grieve: for We shall restore him to thee and We shall make him one of Our apostles. (Quran 28:7) | || |. | _w q_o o | _|| |_,_,_7q | q (_S / ( (_S : / / Notice that Quran straightforwardly uses the word WAHY (revelation). Here, Yusuf Ali has translated the word WAHY into inspiration. But Quran uses WAHY (revelation), and not ILHAM (inspiration). WAHY and ILHAM are two different things. However one thing which is clear is that the revelations to those who were neither prophet nor messenger, did NOT have anything to do with Shari'ah (divine law). It did NOT have anything to do with religious practices etc. Rather, It was an order to what way to choose at the time of confusion and/or informing what has happened or what will happen. So we can conclude that even revelation has different types. Only the revelation to Prophets and messengers is related to Shari'ah (divine law) and new religious practices, while others do NOT receive this type of revelation. Remark: Quran also uses the word WAHY for non-human beings, but I am not concerned about that. I was focusing on different types of WAHY for human being only. About our Imams: There are twelve Imams (Guides) after Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF). Prophet mentioned that the number of his successors are twelve, and al-Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Ahmad, ... recorded that. The first of them, Imam Ali, got his knowledge of religion and the Divine Laws from Prophet Muhammad DIRECTLY. Later Imams got it from the preceding Imams. There was NO revelation of Divine Law (concerning oneself or people) after Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF). Allah may inform something to his appointed Imam, but the information is NOT any how related to Divine Law since the religion is complete. The information is only related to what happened and what will happen. ==================== Do Imams Meet Angels ==================== Also, according to Quran, talking to angels is NOT exclusive to prophets and messengers. Allah mentioned in Quran that Mary (the mother of Jesus) talked to angels, and angels talked to him. Look at Quran, to see the conversation of Mary and the angels: "Behold! the angels said "O Mary! Allah gives you glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus the son of Mary held in honor in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah. (Quran 3:45)" There is a whole conversation between Mary and the angel. See a couple of verses before and after the above verse. Mary (AS) was neither a prophet nor a messenger, yet she talked to angels. However the communication of Mary with angels had nothing to do with Shari'ah (Divine Law). It did not have anything to do with religious practices. Rather it was a news to what is about to happen, and instructions of what to do. In this connection, also see verses 11:69-73 where angels talked to the wife of Abraham and gave her the glad tiding that she is pregnant of prophet Isaac (AS). Even Sunnis claim that Imran Ibn al-Husayn al-Khuza'i (d. 52/672) who was one of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF), was VISITED by angels, greeted by angels, SHOOK HANDS with angels and saw them, only being left by them for a short period after which the angels returned to him till the end of his life. Sunni references: (1) Sahih Muslim, V4, pp 47-48 (2) Also commentaries of Sahih Muslim by al-Nabawi, V8, P206, and by al-Abi and al-Sanusi, V3, P361. (3) Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, V4, PP 427-428 (4) Sunan Darimi, V2, P305 (5) al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, V3, P472 (6) Tabaqat, by Ib Sa'd, V7, part 1, P6 (7) al-Isti'ab, by Ibn Abd al-Barr, V3, P1208 (8) Usdul Ghabah, by Ibn Athir, V4, P138 (9) Jami'ul Usul, by Ibn Athir, V7, P551 (10) al-Isabah, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, V3, PP 26-27 (11) Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, V8, P126 (12) Fathul al-Bari, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, V12, P261 (13) Sharh al-Mawahib, by al-Qastalani, V7, P133 There is no shadow of doubt that Imam Ali (AS) was "Muhaddath" which means "a person who has been spoken to". Not only him, but also, all the twelve Imams as well as Lady Fatimah (AS) were Muhaddath/Muhaddathah. Based on the authentic Sunni traditions, it is narrated by Abu Huraira and Aisha that: Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 4.675 (Arabic-English Version) Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "Amongst the people preceding you there used to be 'Muhaddathun' (i.e. persons who can guess things that come true later on, like those persons have been inspired by a divine power), and if there are any such persons amongst my followers, it is ..." Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 5.38 (Arabic-English Version) Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "Among the nations before you there used to be people who were inspired (though they were not prophets). And if there is any of such a persons amongst my followers, it is ..." Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "Among the nation of Bani Israel who lived before you, there were men who used to be inspired with guidance though they were not prophets, and if there is any of such persons amongst my followers, it is ..." Also: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said: "Verily among the nations before your time there have been Muhaddathoon (those who have been spoken to), and if there is one among my people it is ..." Also the Messenger of Allah said: "Verily among the Children of Israel before your time there have been men who have been spoken to (rijalun yukallamoon) who were NOT prophets and if there is one among my people it is ..." Sunni reference: - Sahih al-Bukhari, Arabic version, v4, p211, v5, p15, and also its commentaries: - Fat'h al-Bari, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, v7, p324, v8, pp 49-51 - Umdatul Qari, by al-Ayni, v16, pp 55,198-199 - Irshad al-Sari, by Qastalani, v6, p103 - Sahih Muslim, Arabic version, part 7, p115, and its commentaries: - Sharh Nawawi (sahih Muslim), part 15, p166 - Sharh al-Abi, part 6, pp 203-205 - Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v5, p622, and its commentaries: - Aridah al-Ahwadhi, by Ibn al-Arabi, v13, pp 149-150 - Tuhfah al-Ahwadhi, by al-Mubarak Furi, v10, pp 182-183 - Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v6, p55 NOTE: I have deleted the name of the companion of the Prophet mentioned in the above traditions since his being Muhaddath is not confirmed by the Shia. Concerning the opinion of the Shia see al-Ghadir, by al-Amini, v5, pp 42-54, v8, pp 90-91. It is mentioned in the above Sunni commentaries that the meaning of Muhaddath here is a person who is divinely inspired, who meets the angels and is spoken to by them, and who is informed of the news of Ghayb (not to be confused with the knowledge of Ghayb which belongs to Allah only) which is the information about the present time and the future, and that the companions who are mentioned in those traditions had these attributes!!! The conclusion is that the existence of Muhaddathoon (those who are spoken to) is a matter attested by ALL Muslims and that it is not something contrary to the fundamentals of Islam. The above Sunni documents also give evidence to the fact that Muhaddathoon are NOT prophets and they did NOT bring Shari'ah (divine law) from Allah to people. Here are the defenitions of messenger, prophet, and Imam: 1. A Prophet (Nabi) is a person to whom the Divine Law (Shari'ah) descends; this divine law may be concerned with beliefs (`aqa-id) or with practical activities (Ibadat, like prayer). This Divine Law either deals with the Nabi's OWN life or with that of his community; or both. This is the fundamental definition of prophethood, though the prophet may also be informed of other things. The descent of the Divine Law (Shari'ah) may be direct, or through an intermediary like an angel. 2. A Human Messenger/Apostle (Rasool) is a Prophet who receives a Divine Law that concerns himself AND people other than himself. 3. Imam means a person who is appointed by God as a leader and as a guide (see Quran 21:73 and 32:24) to whom obedience is due, and whom people should follow. Messengers are Warners and Imams are Guides (13:7). Imams are the Stars of Guidance (6:97). It is also interesting to remark about the time when the verse of the completeness of religion was revealed. It should be quite surprising that many Sunni scholars of Tafsir have confirmed that the verse: "Today I have completed your religion and my bounty upon you, and I was satisfied that Islam be your religion." (Quran 5:3) Was revealed in Ghadir Khum when the Messenger of Allah declared his successor. Some of Sunni references which mentioned the revelation of the above verse of Quran in Ghadir Khum after the speech of the Prophet: (1) al-Durr al-Manthur, by al-Hafiz Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, v3, p19 (2) Tarikh, by Khatib al-Baghdadi, v8, pp 290,596 from Abu Hurayra (3) Manaqaib, by Ibn Maghazali, p19 (4) History of Damascus, Ibn Asakir, v2, p75 (5) al-Itqan, by al-Suyuti, v1, p13 (6) Manaqib, by Khawarazmi al-Hanfi, p80 (7) al-Bidayah wal-Nihayah, by Ibn Kathir, v3, p213 (8) Yanabi' al-Mawaddah, by al-Qudoozi al-Hanafi, p115 (9) Nuzul al-Quran, by al-Hafiz Abu Nu'aym narrated on the authority Abu Sa'id Khudri. ... and more. The above verse clearly indicates that Islam without announcing the leadership of Imam Ali was not complete, and perfection of religion was due to announcement of the Prophet's immediate successor. End of Part 1 of 2 *************************************************************************** ____________________________________ | | | || || | || | | o_,_7 _|| . _o_7 _|| 4_|_|| o_w_, | |( : / (_) / ( . | |____________________________________| Imamat vs. Prophethood (Part II) ================================== Difference between Nabi and Rasool ================================== In Arabic there are no separate words for Messenger and Apostle. The distinction is between Nabi (Prophet) and Rasool (Messenger or Apostle). 1- Nabi (=Prophet) 2- Rasool (=Messenger=Apostle) Note that the degree of prophethood is lower than the degree of messengership/apostleship. By definition: 1. A Prophet (Nabi) is a person to whom the Divine Law (Shari'ah) descends; this divine law may be concerned with beliefs (`aqa-id) or with practical activities (Ibadat, like prayer). This Divine Law either deals with the Nabi's OWN life or with that of his community; or both. This is the fundamental definition of prophethood, though the prophet may also be informed of other things. The descent of the Divine Law (Shari'ah) may be direct, or through an intermediary like an angel. 2. A Human Messenger/Apostle (Rasool) is a Prophet who receives a Divine Law that concerns himself and people other than himself. So every (human) Rasool is Nabi, while the reverse is not true. Also every Nabi whom Quran has mentioned along with a community (Umma), is consequently a Rasool. Thus when Quran states that Mohammad (PBUH&HF) is the last Prophet (33:40), then by the above definition, he is the last Messenger/Apostle also. Note that the word "Human" is important in the definition of Rasool because the Quran uses the term "Rasool" also for angels who issue a command at the will of Allah (SWT): "Allah chooses Messengers from ANGELS and from men, for Allah is He Who hears and sees (all things). [22:75]" "There came Our Messengers to Abraham with glad tidings. They said, "Peace!" he answered, "Peace!" and hastened to entertain them with a roasted calf. [11:69]" "When Our Messengers came to Lut, he was grieved on their account and felt himself powerless (to protect) them. He said: This is a distressful day. [11:77]" "(The Messengers) said: O Lut! we are Messengers from thy Lord!...[11:81]" ----Also see: 7:37, 15:57, 15:61, 19:19, 29:31, 29:33. However, a Nabi is only a human being -- no angel can be called a Nabi. So every (human) Rasool is a Nabi, while every human Nabi is not necessarily a Rasool. The number of Messengers (Rusul) is LESS than the number of Prophets (Nabiyoon); and EVERY Rasool received a book, while SOME Nabees received a book. In addition, since he has to convince his people to accept a NEW religion with new practices, a Rasool's work is much harder than that of a Nabi. This is on top of the fact that people's needs, minds, and abilities have changed; and accepting a new religion is not an easy task. This is while a Nabi's NEW religious instructions are for himself (unless he is a Rasool). Surely a Nabi invites people toward Allah (SWT); however, he does not set any new practices for the people. So, in essence, if a Nabi is NOT a Rasool, the people that he invites to Allah (SWT) would be ordered to follow the custom and practices of a previous Rasool. Among Rasools, however, there are five individuals who are higher than the others. As you might know, the only difference between those five and other rasools is that they are assigned universally (for the whole mankind at their time), while the rest of rasools were locally (just for one city or area). My recollection is that the word 'Alameen and/or Jamee'an has been used in Quran for Prophet Jesus (AS) supporting this idea. Once a Bahai claimed that Rasools (who came before Bab!) were only those five who had book. But the rest were Nabi. This is not correct since Quran states that Dawood had Zaboor and yet he is not counted among those five great Messengers. So he is Rasool because he brought a book for people. ============== Imam/Muhaddath ============== Imam means a person who is appointed by God as a leader and as a guide (see Quran 21:73 and 32:24) to whom obedience is due, and whom people should follow. Messengers are Warners and Imams are Guides (13:7). Imams are the Stars of Guidance (6:97). Imam does not receive divine revelation about Sharia (divine law). He does not receive any commands concerning new religous paractices, and so on. However, he may be informed of the events about the past and future. Another difference between Rasool and Nabi and Muhaddath (i.e., Imam) is on how they communicate with the angels, and is given in Usul Kafi, kitabul Hujjah usder verse 22:52: Rasool sees and hears the angel in awakness and sleep. Nabi hears the angel and sees him while asleep, but does not see him while awake though hears the speech. Imam (muhaddith) is the one who hears the angel in awakness while does not see him in awakness or sleep. In the previous part we quoted from Quran that Mary (AS) had communication with angels. If according to Sahih al-Bukhari, Fatimah (AS) was the best of ladies in this world and in hereafter, then why can't she communicate with the angels? Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 4.819 Narrated 'Aisha: The Messenger of Allah said to Fatimah (who was crying at her father's deathbed): "Are you not satisfied that you are the chief of all the ladies of Paradise or the chief of all the believing women?" : . || | | | . : /: | . : | | 4_,_7_|| |_8 | _@ |_w_, o ]_,_w . q_)_, . | . _,,_p _, |_o | . (_| : (_) / (_) (_): / . || | . | ? . _,_,_o q_o_|| _@ |_w_, q | (_): / / Furthermore, Ibn Abbas (RA) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said: Four women are the mistress of the worlds: Mary, Asiya (the wife of Pharaoh), Khadija, and Fatimah. And the most excellent one among them in the world is Fatimah." ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Sunni references: Ibn Asakir, as quoted in Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthoor For those who love Sahih al-Bukhari, I will quote this book once more which confirms that Lady Fatimah (AS) had, indeed, communication with Gabriel: Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 5.739 Narrated Anas: When the ailment of the Prophet (PBUH) got aggravated, he became unconscious whereupon Fatima said, "Oh, how distressed my father is!" He said, "Your father will have no more distress after today." When he expired, she said, "O Father! Who has responded to the call of the Lord Who has invited him! O Father, whose dwelling place is the Garden of Paradise (i.e. al-Firdaus)! O Father! We convey this news (of your ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ death) to Gabriel." When he was buried, Fatima said, "O Anas! Do you ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ feel pleased to throw earth over Allah's Apostle?" Not only that, but also Sunnis reported that Imam Hasan Ibn Ali has said that Gabriel used to descend to Ahlul-Bayt. It is reported that Imam al- Hasan Ibn Ali (AS) said the following in a discourse which he delivered on the martyrdom of Imam Ali: "I am from the Ahlul-Bayt that Gabriel used to descend on us and ascend (back to heavens) from among us." | | / . || .. || | | |. | |_, _,_7 . |_) ]_|| .__,_,_,_|| |_8 | . _o |_, | (_|: /. . (_) (_S : . (_| (_) |. . |. || | .. |_, ]_,_c . _o ]_e,_p_, q |_,_,_|| | _,_, (_) : / : (_| / : Sunni reference: al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, "Chapter of understanding the virtues of companions," v3, p172 Now, when Imam Hasan uses the word "us", it means that it was not just prophet who used to received Gabriel. Surely Gabriel did NOT reveal anything of Quran to Imam Hasan. But, the above Sunni tradition shows that, they could communicate with the Gabriel. Mushaf (book) of Fatimah (AS) was also of this type. Some booklets of hatred and lie published by anti-Shi'i groups allege that based on Usul Kafi, Shia believe there is a Quran called "Quran of Fatimah"! This is a false accusation. There is no tradition in Usul Kafi saying "Quran of Fatimah". There are however, very few traditions in one chapter of Usul Kafi which assert that Fatimah (AS) wrote a book (mushaf). The tradition states "The book of Fatimah". Surely Quran is a book (mushaf), but any book is NOT Quran. This allegation is as silly as saying "Quran of al-Bukhari" instead of "book of al-Bukhari"! Also those few traditions in al-Kafi clearly state that there is NO single verse of Quran in the Book of Fatimah. This shows that the book of Fatimah is TOTALLY different than Quran. Of course, it was three time bigger than Quran in length. In one tradition it said that Lady Fatimah (AS), after the Prophet (PBUH&HF) passed away, used to write what she was told that would happen to her descendants and stories about other rulers to come (up to the day of resurrection). It was the sayings of Gabriel about what will happen. As I mentioned and proved by Quran and Hadith, talking to angels is not exclussive to the prophets and messengers. Fatimah (AS) recorded (or asked Imam Ali to record) those information, which was kept in her family of Imams, and was called "The Book (Mushaf) of Fatimah". A tradition which follows this one clearly states that what is referred to by "The Book of Fatimah" is not a part of Quran and has NOTHING to do with Allah's commandments/halals/harams. It does NOT have anything to do with Shari'ah (divine law) and the religious practices. Let me give you some of those traditions: Abu Abdillah (AS) said: "... We have with us the Book of Fatimah, but I do not claim that anything of the Quran is in it." (Usul al-Kafi, Tradition #637) Abu Abdillah (AS) also said about the book of Fatimah: "There is nothing of what is permitted and what is forbidden (al-Halal and al- Haram) in this; but in it is the knowledge of what will happen." (Usul Kafi, Tradition #636) Abdul Malik Ibn Ayan said to Abu Abdillah (AS): "The Zaydiyyah and the Mu'tazilah have gathered around Muhammad Ibn Abdillah (Ibn al-Hasan, the second). Will have they any rule?" He (AS) said: "By Allah there are two books in my possession in which every prophet and every ruler who rules on this earth (from the beginning of the earth till the day of Judgment) has been named. No, by Allah, Muhammad Ibn Abdillah is not one of them." (Usul Kafi, Tradition #641) "Mushaf" refers to a collection of "Sahifa" which is singular for "page". The literal meaning of Mushaf is "The manuscript bound between two boards". In those days they used to write on leather and other materials. They either rolled the writings -- what is known as scroll in English. Or they kept the separable sheets and bound them together, in what could be called as "Mushaf", a book in today's terms. The equivalent to the word book "Kitab" used to (and still is) refer to either a letter (e.g. of correspondence) or to an document that was written down or recorded. The Arabic word for wrote "Kataba" is a derivative of the same word. Although the Quran is commonly called a "Mushaf" today, perhaps referring to its "collection" after it was dispersed. Quran is a Mushaf (book), but any Mushaf (book) is not necessarily the Quran! There is no Quran of Fatimah! As the above and many other traditions suggest, The book of Fatimah has absolutely no connection with Quran. This concept is commonly pulled out of context and published by anti-Shi'i groups due to their hatred toward the Followers of the Members of the House of Prophet (PBUH&HF). I have seen it mentioned in a book printed by the government of Saudi Arabia. What is also very important to recognize and understand is that belief in Mushaf Fatimah is NOT a requirement of BELIEF to the Shia. It is just very few traditions which report such a thing. It is nothing crucial for us as the followers, nor any Shia (except Imam Mahdi) has access to it. ================== Some Side Comments ================== A Wahhabi mentioned that the Shia believe: > * The Imams know when they will die, and they do not die execpt with > their choice. Well, this is also granted to the prophets. So consequently I don't see why Imam should not have it. Here are the two traditions in Sahih al-Bukhari which confirms such claim for Moses: Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: 2.423 and 4.619 Narrated Abu Huraira: The angel of death was sent to Moses and when he went to him, Moses slapped him severely, spoiling one of his eyes. The angel went back to his Lord, and said, "You sent me to a slave who does not want to die." Allah restored his eye and said, "Go back and tell him (i.e. Moses) to place his hand over the back of an ox, for he will be allowed to live for a number of years equal to the number of hairs coming under his hand." (So the angel came to him and told him the same). Then Moses asked, "O my Lord! What will be then?" He said, "Death will be then." He said, "Let it be now." He asked Allah that He bring him near the Sacred Land at a distance of a stone's throw. Allah's Apostle (PBUH) said, "Were I there I would show you the grave of Moses by the way near the red sand hill." Sahih Al Bukhari Arabic English Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan v2, p236 ( 2.423 reference ) Chapter : Whoever desired to be buried in the Sacred Land ..... Sahih Al Bukhari Arabic English Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan v4, p409 ( 4.619 reference ) Chapter : The death Of Moses and his rememberance after his death. According to the above tradition in Sahih al-Bukhari, Moses alleged to resist against death, and then was told by Allah when he would die (the number of hairs). Again Moses asked God to change that decision to be now. The mockery tone of the above tradition by al-Bukhari is questionable for us, but since you call it authentic, then you should agree that prophets may know their death time. So why not Imam? Here I should mention that according to Islamic teaching, Allah didn't/doesn't relinquish His authority to prophets and Imams. The authority of prophets and Imams is not independent of God. This authority is GIVEN to them by Allah and is controlled by Allah too. If they disobey Allah, such authority will be taken away immediately. So if Moses or other prophets and Imams died in their choice, we should keep in mind that such sinless people do not desire anything that Allah does not desire. So their wish about the time of their death is exactly what Allah wished, since they are absolutely obedient toward Allah. Actually what I just said here is somehow contradicting the report of Abu Huraira given by al-Bukhari (saying that Moses resisted). But since you believe in al-Bukhari, then you actually go further than the claim written in al-Kafi. In other words, the above tradition of al-Bukhari suggests that a prophet can resist and change the order of God and even knock out the angel of death. (May Allah protect us from such evil words). > > * All of the Earth belongs to the Imams. (p.407) > Allah, to whom belong Might and Majesty said: "The earth is Allah's. He gives it as a heritage to whom He will, and the good end is for the righteous servants." (Quran 7:128). | | ^ | ^ | | . | || | o > |_,_c . _o _@ |_w_, . _o |_8_, q_, 4_|_| _p |_|| . | . (_) : (_) / /: (_/ / (_) :: | | : : | || . _,_o_,_o_|_| 4_,_o |_e_|| q (_): . / > > May Allah guide those who have such beliefs to the True Islam. > And make this net and its members a cause to that. May Allah help all of us to understand the above Quranic verses, and may Allah let us understand the traditions mentioned above which are from authentic Sunni books and let us not die in ignorance. AMEN > > Their is no denying that Ali was one of the most knowledgeable of the > sahaba. Even if we do accept that Ali is the most knowledgeable, what > then? Would that mean no one else had any knowledge? No. It means others had much less knowledge. This implies those who chose other inferior people in knowledge to lead the community for their own desires, are responsible for the Misfortune of all Muslims throughout the history. Shiats say that Imam must possess above all such qualities as knowledge, bravery, justice, wisdom, piety, love of God etc., in order to assure the prosperity of the Islamic community. >> Is Quran correct that Imamat is a degree higher than prophethood and >> messengership? > > There are different levels of imamat. The imamat of the Prophets > is higher than any other imamat. Certainly, an imam of a masjid > is by no means higher than a Prophet or Messenger. Certainly you did not answer my question. I was not talking about the degrees of Imamat. Please read the question again. As for Imam of Masjid, this shows you did not read the definition that I gave for the Imam in my original article. I said: Imam means a person who is appointed by God as a leader and as a guide to whom obedience is due, and whom people should follow. Does the above definition fit to Imam of Masjid?! Allah said that Prophet Muhammad is a warner, and for every community (generation) there exists a guide (Imam). (Quran 13:7). It is clear that there is no prophet after Prophet Muhammad. So those guides who are for every generation are not prophets. > because even the best pious person can only be pious if he believes > in all the Prophets, how then can he become better than one in whom he > must believe in order to be considered pious? Prophet Mohammad believed in all prophets before him, but his position is higher than all of them. Agreed? End of Part 2 of 2 *************************************************************************** ____________________________________ | | | || || | || | | o_,_7 _|| . _o_7 _|| 4_|_|| o_w_, | |( : / (_) / ( . | |____________________________________| Finality of the Prophethood ============ Introduction ============ The following article is a response to an individual questioning whether or not the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF) is indeed the Final Messenger sent by Allah (SWT) to mankind. He cited some verses from the Quran, and questioned if they do in fact refer to a Prophet and/or Messenger AFTER the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF). In response to the following verses, I render MY OWN, RELATIVE understanding of the verses. I am NOT a scholar in Islam, and VERY FEW people are; as such, I take full responsibility for what I say here, and I emphasize that MY ANSWER is NOT to be TAKEN as EXHAUSTIVE, DEFINITIVE, OR ABSOLUTE. I was NOT able to access books of Tafsir (Quranic Commentaries) to ascertain some meanings, but my assurance to you is that there is NO MESSENGER after the FINAL MESSENGER, Muhammad (PBUH & His Family), as WILL be demonstrated, Allah (SWT) Willing. Again, I restate that the following is MY OWN UNDERSTANDING. It should NOT be taken as a perfect representation of the Islamic belief and/or Shi'i ideology. > Here are some of the perplexing verses: > > 33. O children of Adam! there shall come to you Apostles from among > > yourselves, rehearsing my signs to you; and whoso shall fear God and do > good works, no fear shall be upon them, neither shall they be put to > grief. (The Heights (al-Araf) The verse you quote is numbered incorrectly; the correct number is [7:35]. The verse does NOT suggest another Messenger at all. The way I understand it is that Allah (SWT) is making a statement about the Messengers which He (SWT) sends to His (SWT) creation. As such, the warning to the people is that if a Messenger, like Moses, Jesus, or Muhammad (PBUH&HF), among others, should emerge from amongst you, then follow him. For those who follow him, they shall not grieve, but those that don't, shall indeed suffer. The verse is really saying that throughout the ages, there shall come Messengers sent by Allah (SWT) as a Mercy to His (SWT) creation; whosoever follows these Messengers and abides by the message which they (the Messengers) bring, shall grieve not, nor fear nothing. Let me elaborate some more. In Arabic, ONE WORD can have MANY, MANY meanings that sometimes SEEM totally conflicting. As such, ANY translation of the Quran is NOT acceptable as the platform whence an argument concerning a verse is to be launched. We MUST return to the Arabic original. I will surrender to your postulate that Prima Facie (superficially) the verse does suggest that a Messenger shall emerge, but deep in the inner meaning of the verse, it is NOT so. If we MOMENTARILY disregard the LITERAL RELIGIOUS meaning of Rasool, we can forward the statement that if a friend of yours is a believing individual, and he approaches you in a sincere fashion advising you to do righteous deeds and to avoid wicked acts, then that friend of yours is a Rasool. Moreover, keep in mind that in Arabic, ANY individual sent with a message to someone else is also called a RASOOL (Messenger). Here is how the American Heritage Dictionary defines "Messenger:" meszsenzger n. 1. One that carries messages or performs errands, as: a. A person employed to carry telegrams, letters, or parcels. b. A military or official courier. c. An envoy to another person, party, or government. 2. A bearer of news. 3. A forerunner; a harbinger. 4. A prophet. 5. Nautical. A chain or rope used for hauling in a cable. In this sense, also called messenger line. -- meszsenzger tr.v. meszsenzgered, meszsenzgerzing, meszsenzgers. To send by messenger. Given the above definition, we can contend that any "carrier" from a king to another king is also called a Messenger or a Rasool (in Arabic). This, I believe, clarifies the verse for you. Let us examine some other verses: "Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the SEAL OF THE PROPHETS: And Allah has full knowledge of all things. [33:40]" It is clear from the above verse that Muhammad (PBUH&HF) is the SEAL of the Prophets. Notice that if we abide by the meaning of a Prophet (Nabi), and understand that a Nabi's status is lower than that of a Rasool (Messenger), we can discern that Muhammad (PBUH&HF), by virtue of the what the verse states, is the Seal of both the Prophets and the Messengers. By stating that he (PBUH&HF) is the Seal of the Prophets, Allah (SWT) has made it evident that NOT even a Prophet (Nabi) will come after Muhammad (PBUH&HF). That is, if Allah (SWT) had said that Muhammad was the Seal of *Messengers*, He (SWT) would leave the door open for people to say that Muhammad (PBUH&HF) is NOT the seal of the prophets then -- because a Prophet is a step below a Messenger. But by stating that he (Muhammad) (PBUH&HF) is the seal from the bottom up, Allah (SWT) has clarified the point that NOBODY will come after Muhammad (PBUH&HF). "We have not sent thee but as a (Messenger) to ALL MANKIND, giving them glad tidings, and warning them (against sin), but most men know not. [34:28]" Again, we may forward the contention by Allah (SWT) that Muhammad was sent as a Messenger to ALL MANKIND. Why then would Allah (SWT) send anyone after him (PBUH&HF) as a new Messenger? "For me, I have been commanded to serve the Lord of this City, Him Who has sanctified it and to Whom (belong) all things: And I am commanded to be of those who bow in Islam to Allah's Will, -- and to rehearse the Quran: And if any accept guidance, they do it for the good of their souls, and if any stray, say: I am only a Warner. [27:91]" Again, listen to what the above verse concludes with: "And if any accept guidance, they do it for the good of their souls, and if any stray, say: I am only a Warner. [27:91]" This is in conformity with my statement at the beginning of this article: You are AT LIBERTY to accept or to reject faith and guidance; however, you may reject it at the expense of injury to your soul, or you may accept it and reap its benefits. "It is He who has sent His Messenger with Guidance and the Religion of Truth. That HE MAKE IT PREVAIL OVER ALL RELIGION, even though the pagans may detest (it). [61:9]" The clear assertion by Allah (SWT), in the above verse, that He (SWT) "...make it prevail over all religion..." indicates that this is the FINAL and complete religion. This is also in conformity with the statement that Islam is the Truth without form, it is THE primordial religion of mankind, which will NEVER change: "So set thou thy face truly to the religion being upright, the NATURE in which Allah has made mankind: NO CHANGE (there is) in the work (wrought) by Allah: that is the TRUE RELIGION: But most among mankind know not. [30:30]" "...For Allah hath indeed sent down to you a Message,-- A Messenger, who rehearses to you the Signs of Allah containing clear explanations, that he may lead forth those who believe and do righteous deeds from the depths of Darkness into Light. [65:11]" The above verse, although not directly related to the topic of a final messenger, it, nonetheless, outlines the mission of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF); and asserts that he (PBUH&HF) is a guide sent to "...lead forth those who believe and do righteous deeds from the depths of Darkness into Light." > Perhaps ALL REVELATIONS have a fixed time, we read: > 32. Every nation hath its set time. And when their time is come, they > > shall not retard it an hour; and they shall not advance it. (The Heights > (al-Araf)) Again, the correct number for the verse is [7:34], not 32. (Which translation are you using?) I don't know how you interpreted the above verse to allude to a Fixed Revelation. Unless your claim is that a revelation is valid only for a limited time, AND that there are NO timeless truths, I fail to see your point. Moreover, if we assume that a revelation is indeed fixed, then it must be that we are now waiting for a New Revelation to come. Obviously, that would DIRECTLY and UNDOUBTEDLY contradict the Islamic Belief System. Now, let's the examine the verse in detail: "To every people is a term appointed: when their term is reached, not an hour can they cause delay, nor (an hour) can they advance (it in anticipation). [7:34]" The verse is dealing with the dimension of time that engulfs every nation or generation. In that frame of time, they are supposed to achieve whatever good they can; if they do so, they shall not grieve, otherwise they shall suffer the consequences. For example, you as a person, will exist only for a FIXED TIME on this Earth, then you shall perish. In that time, if you strive to perform good deeds, then you have nothing to worry about in the hereafter; otherwise you shall account for your actions. Now, your existence on Earth is FIXED: you came into being at a certain time (which you had NO choice in), and you will leave at a certain time; there is nothing you can do to change that. If you add suicide to the formula, the meaning of the verse would change to: when the necessary conditions for death are gathered, then no delay or advancement can there be. That is, if the NECESSARY CONDITIONS or factors that cause death have been met, then the individual who is trying to commit suicide will SURELY die, there is NOTHING he can do after those conditions have been met, nor can he change his mind and return to life. Again, keep in mind that Time moves ONLY in ONE direction. Another explanation is that offered by Abdullah Yusuf Ali in his translation of the Quran: "I do not know whether "generation" would not be more appropriate here. If so, it would refer to the Time-Spirit, for it affects a whole number of people living contemporaneously, and while we deal grammatically with a group, we really have in mind the individual's composing the group. Anyway, the lesson is what is suggested in the following verses. There is only a limited time for an individual or for a group of people. If they do not make good during that time of probation, the chance is lost, and it cannot come again. We cannot retard or advance the march of time by a single hour or minute. ("Hour" in the text expresses an indefinite but short period of time.)" > To each age its Book. (The Thunder (al-Rad)) The above verse is misquoted, here's the exact verse: "We did send messengers before thee, and appointed for them wives and children: And it was never the part of a messenger to bring a Sign except as Allah permitted (or commanded). For each period is an APPOINTMENT. [13:38]" Now, the verse in Arabic does indeed mention "Kitab -- Book," but the translation of MEANING is NOT a literal BOOK. Remember that I said a word in Arabic may have MANY meanings; as such, one of the meanings of the word Kitab means the collection and gathering of conditions to cause or form something. For example "Kitab-al-Mowt --- The Book of Death" means the collection and gathering of all the conditions and factors that cause death. Just like a normal book is a collection of ideas, so is this symbolic book, referred to above, a collection of conditions that cause an event to occur. As such, we find that the word APPOINTMENT is a better word for the TRANSLATION OF MEANING. > 45. Neither too soon, nor too late, shall a people reach > its appointed time - (The Believers (al-Muminun)) The correct verse is: "No people can hasten their term, nor can they delay (it.) [23:43]" The verse has the exact meaning as the verse: "To every people is a term appointed: when their term is reached, not an hour can they cause delay, nor (an hour) can they advance (it in anticipation). [7:34]" I have already explained that verse above -- please consult that aforementioned part for elaboration. > "And to you there came Joseph in times gone by, with Clear Signs, but ye > ceased not to doubt of the (mission) for which he had come: at length, > when he died, ye said: `No apostle will God send after him.' Thus doth > God leave to stray such as transgress and live in doubt (Quran Surah > 40:34) If you are trying to state that people are mislead in believing that there are NO more Messengers and/or Prophets after Muhammad (PBUH&HF), then I ASSURE you that you are wrong. The verse is talking about the FIXED Time- Frame of Joseph's (AS) existence and what was to come immediately after him. It is NOT that Allah (SWT) has told the people of Joseph (AS) that NO Messenger will come after Joseph (AS) and then changed His (SWT) mind, and sent a Messenger! In the case of Islam and Muhammad (PBUH&HF), we are CLEARLY told that NO MORE MESSENGERS will be sent by He (SWT) Who created the Universe and Sustains it. There is a clear distinction here: the people of Joseph (AS) said that there will not come a prophet or messenger after Joseph (AS), whereas Allah (SWT) NEVER said such a thing! It was the concoction of the people to say that Allah (SWT) will NOT send another messenger. Now, in the case of Muhammad (PBUH&HF), the people have been NOTIFIED by Allah (SWT) that there shall come NO Messenger after Muhammad (PBUH&HF). Therein lies the distinction in this verse. Another point worthy of mentioning is that: why do we wait until the Messenger dies to rethink our existence and actions? Why does remorse begin AFTER a Messenger's death? Why can't we follow that Messenger when he was alive? The lesson clearly stated here is that we shouldn't wait until the milk is spilled and then weep and cry over it, we should prevent the milk from being spilled in the first place (if you know what I mean!?). Again, the verse alludes to Allah's (SWT) Mercy in that even if a Messenger dies, Allah (SWT) is still merciful enough to send another one. However, in the case of Muhammad (PBUH&HF), the WARNING is LOUD and CLEAR that Muhammad (PBUH&HF) is the FINAL Mercy to mankind from Allah (SWT). > Ah! alas for (My) servants! There comes not an apostle to them but they > mock Him! (Quran Surah 36:30) What do you intend by quoting this verse? The meaning is abundantly clear, unless your intention is that there has come to us an apostle after Muhammad (PBUH&HF) and we mocked him!!! Now, I question if you really meant that? The verse is clear, but let me make it a bit clearer: Obviously, the verse states that the Messengers of Allah (SWT) are indeed mocked by ignorant men, and that Allah (SWT) has indeed sent messengers to mankind, but mankind has transgressed and mocked these men. Now, let me add something else: Muhammad (PBUH&HF) was sent as a Messenger, and it is CLEAR that his (PBUH&HF) message contained the affirmation that he (PBUH&HF) is the FINAL Messenger; if we state that there may come a messenger after him (PBUH&HF), then we are MOCKING him (PBUH&HF), and, as a result, mocking Allah (SWT)! Such is the concept of mockery referred to in the above verse. Also, as I said above, ANY person that calls people to the righteous path is considered a Rasool (within the confines of the definition of a messenger (rasool) as a "carrier" or a "caller to righteousness" as stated above. He is NOT, however, an inspired individual sent by Allah (SWT)). As such, if people mock him, then they have also mocked a messenger, as the above verse suggests. ========== Conclusion ========== In conclusion, I hope that these answers clarify many points, and I repeat my apology for the late response. Let me also state that an answer to your references of a possible prophet after Muhammad (PBUH&HF) requires that we examine creation from several facets: sociological, evolutionary, political, historical, scientific, religious, and philosophical, among others. This, clearly, is beyond the scope of this paper. Nonetheless, Islamically, that contention is NULL and VOID. Let me also add that all the above is MY OWN explanation of the verses. Nonetheless, certain Truths are integral to Islam, and CANNOT be compromised (like the FACT that Muhammad (PBUH&HF) is the Final Messenger of Allah (SWT)). ======================== Side Comments to a Bahai ======================== A Baha'i contributor presented Baha'i views about the Seal of Prophets quoting from Islamic sources. Here I mainly focus on Shi'i point of view in this matter. He wrote in his article that: > > Clearly, the concept of no Nabi, or prophet, appearing after Muhammad ^^^^^^^ > must have been associated with His immediate successorship, and had > nothing to do with coming of future Messengers from God. Otherwise, It is not clear to me though. You are using induction which is logically incorrect. If Quran wanted to say that "Mohammad is the last Nabi among his children," he could say so! When such thing is not specified and nothing is exempted, then it covers every human being. There is no Prophet after Mohammad (PBUH&HF). More over, your Logic is convoluted. Here you are saying that There will be no prophet from the household of Mohammad (PBUH&HF). In another place, you say that Mahdi is from the Family of Prophet (which is actually the belief of ALL Muslims who have the knowledge of their own books). In another place you say that "the Bab" was the promised Mahdi. In the other place you say that Bab was a messenger. The conclusion from the above sentences is that according to you, Mahdi who was the descendant of Mohammad, was a messenger. This *contradicts* what you just said above, that the verse (33:40) is saying Mohammad was the last Prophet among his family!!! How nice is the verse 4:82 of Quran which describes that one can find many contradictions in something that is not from Allah (i.e., a man-made religion). A British-made religion is not any better. > > Many of the Shi'ah commentators believe in a literal meaning of the > term Khatam-u-Nabieen (Seal of the Prophets, after Whom no other > Messengers of God shall come), however, there are other commentators > ^^^^^^^^^^^ > who believe differently: I did not see anything differently from the following tradition! > > Ibn-i Babuyih known as Sheikh Sadoogh, another highly respected Shi'ah > scholar/theologian argues in his book, Ekmaal-ud-Din vol I: > > "All the Messengers of God who appeared prior to Muhammad, were > succeeded by a Nabi (i.e. a prophet). Adam was a Rasool (Messenger of > God), and His successor was Shais the Nabi (Seth the prophet). Noah > was a Messenger of God and His successor was Saam the Nabi (Shem the > prophet). Abraham, Moses, Jesus and David (peace be upon Them!), were > also God's Messengers, Whose successors were Isaac, Jashua, Simon (St. > Peter) and Solomon Who were all prophets. However, the successors of > Muhammad, Rasool-Allah (the Messenger of God), were not called Nabis > (prophets). They were referred to as Imams. Therefore, Ali was not a > Nabi, Hasan was not a Nabi, Hossein was not a Nabi, etc...., since, > with the Manifestation of Muhammad, the usage of the term Nabi was > abandoned (i.e. He was Khatam-u-Nabieen), and ended. As you can see, Shaykh Sadooq is confirming that there will be neither prophet nor messenger after Mohammad (PBUH&HF). How could he explain more simple than that?! > Allamih Majlesi in Bahar'ul-Anvar Vol 13, p.323 mentions one of the > discourses of Imam Ali. In that discourse Ali says: > > "I am the Commander of the faithful. I am the King among the > pious..... I am the Khatam'u-Vasieen [which can be either taken as > "The Seal of the guardians and successors", or, as "The Ornament of > the Guardians and successors".] and the heir of the prophets and the > representative of the God of the worlds." > > This Hadith is referd to as the Hadith Nuraniah as is reported by > several people such as Ibn Babyih (Sheikh Sadooq) in "Uyoon'ul-Akhbar > Ar-Rida". > > This tradition of Imam Ali is a very interesting. One must be fair in > one's judgment. If we are to take, in this tradition, the term > "Khatam" as "the Seal", "the ender", "one who completes", then one is > obliged to accept that Ali was "the seal of the guardians, and > successors", after Muhammad, Who is the Seal of the prophets. Yet, > Shi'ahs believe that after Muhammad there was supposed to be twelve > Imams, only the first of Whom was Ali. So, assuming that the term > Khatam in Khatam'u-Vasieen must have a similar meaning to the term > Khatam in Khatam'u- Nabieen, then one is to question why were there > more Imams after Ali. How are we to reconcile the existence of the > other Imams, Who came after Ali, based on this interpretation? Let > this be food for thought for the possessors of pure heart and open > mind. > > NOTE: I hope Shi'ah friends contemplate on the meaning of this > quotation and its theological implication. > Good question. First I should say that in most of the traditions in this regard, the term "Sayyid al-Wasiyyin" (the master of executors) has been used for Imam Ali, and not the above phrase (the ender of executors). Every Prophet had an executor. Prophet Mohammad was the master of all other Prophets. Naturally his executor (wasi) is the master of all other executors (of previous prophets). However there is no contradiction in the above tradition. Out of twelve Imams, only Imam Ali (AS) was the executor (wasi) of prophet (PBUH&HF). Because each person can only have one immediate executor (wasi). Prophet Mohammad was the last Messenger, thus his executor is the last executor among the executors of prophets. This is because there shall not come any prophet after Prophet Mohammad. Imam Hasan (AS), the second Imam, was the immediate executor (wasi) of Imam Ali. However we could say Imam Hasan (AS) was indirect executor of Prophet too. The third Imam was immediate executor of the second Imam and so on. Thus in this sense, Imam Ali was the last immediate executor among the executors of prophets. I hope this is enough "food for thought for the possessors of pure heart and open mind". > > "O children of Adam, verily apostles from among you shall come unto you, > 2^^^^^^^^3^^^^^^^^^^^^^^4^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > who shall expound my signs unto you: whosoever therefore shall fear > God and amend, there shall come no fear on them, neither shall they > be grieved." > Qur'an 7:35 > > 2) Appearance of future Apostles of God is explicitly mentioned here. > > 3) These Apostles (more that one Apostle -i.e. Mahdi and Isaa bin > Maryam) must come from among the Muslim ummah. > > 4) These Apostles SHALL COME in the future. > You got it wrong my friend. You are quoting Quran out of context. Please read the verses before the above verse (7:11-35). Particularly see verses 11, 19, 26 and 27. All of them are the commands of Allah to Prophet Adam (AS) who was the first Prophet. Allah is saying O' sons of Prophet Adam, there shall come many prophets after Prophet Adam (a total of 123999 prophets after Prophet Adam). About Jesus (AS): He was a Prophet and came BEFORE prophet Mohammad (PBUH&HF). Prophet Jesus will return but he is not a new Prophet for he is older than Prophet Mohammad. Prophet Jesus also does not bring any new law for people. Christianity was expired when Prophet Mohammad came. Prophet Jesus will come as a follower of Imam Mahdi and will be his assistant. He will pray behind him. So Jesus (AS) is not a new prophet. He is an old one who has lived long. Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his relief) is going to establish a world-wide government and all people throughout the world will live peacefully under his Government. Bahais believe that "the Bab" (Mirza Ali-Muhammad) was the Imam Mahdi who claimed as such in May 1844 A.D. (1260 AH). He was executed in Iran shortly after (in July 1850 AD). The above paragraph is enough for an elementary-school-age child to reject the Bahais. Because if he was really Imam Mahdi, then when did he establish the world-wide government in all corners of the world? "The Bab" could not even govern the city in which he was living! He was executed by people for his blasphemy six years later. Imam Mahdi brings neither new religion nor new religious law. He does not cancel any regulations set by Prophet Mohammad. However there are some authentic traditions which state that although Imam Mahdi does not bring any new law when he comes, some people say: he is bringing a new religion. Those traditions further explain that it is as a result of many innovations set by pseudo-scholars into to the religion of Islam. Imam Mahdi comes to reject any innovations and to revive the Sunnah of Prophet Mohammad which was corrupted by people after him. As a result of ignorance of people to the true Sunnah of Prophet, they think he is bringing a new religion. **************************************************************************