With this book the authors try to bridge the gap between Muslims by answering the most common questions that arise when Sunni and Shia debate. The answers provided have as resources the Holy Qur'an and tradition books of Ahlul Sunnah.
This book is dedicated to The Ahlul Bayt and The 12th Living Imam Muhammad Mahdi (as)
- The Shia-Sunni Debate: Answering the 50 Most Common Questions
- Preface
- Introduction
- Abbreviations and Glossary of Terms
- Chapter 1: Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (as)
- Question 1: Do Shias worship Ali ibn Abu Talib (as)?
- Question 2: Do Shias believe that Ali ibn Abu Talib (as) is superior to the Prophet (S)?
- Question 3: Where is the proof that Ali (as) was appointed by the Prophet (S)?
- Question 4: Why do Shias think Ali (as) is superior to the first three caliphs?
- Question 5: Why did Ali (as) not fight for the leader- ship if it was his God-given right?
- Question 6: Why do Shias refuse to accept that the Prophet (S) did not leave a successor?
- Question 7: Why is Ali’s (as) name not mentioned in the Holy Qur’an?
- Question 8: Why do you call yourselves “Shias”, or “Shias of Ali”, and not just Muslims?
- Question 9: Isn’t Shia’ism a product of Abdullah ibn Saba, a Jewish convert to Islam?
- Question 10: Why do you give such importance to the father of Ali (as), Abu Talib? Wasn’t he a non- believer?
- Chapter 2: The Ahlul Bayt
- Question 11: Doesn’t the Ahlul Bayt refer to the wives of the Prophet? Or at least include them?
- Question 12: The Prophet said “I leave two things - the Holy Qur’an and my Sunnah”. Why not follow them, rather than the Ahlul Bayt?
- Question 13: Where is the concept of Imamat, or Imams, mentioned in the Holy Qur’an?
- Question 14: Why should we believe in 12 Imams, as Shias do?
- Question 15: How do we know the 12 Imams are the 12 Shia Imams?
- Question 16: Who is this Imam Mahdi (as) that the Shias believe in and await?
- Question 17: How can a small child become an Imam?
- Question 18: How can Imam Mahdi (as), the 12th Shia Imam, still be alive today? How can he be more than 1,000 years old?
- Question 19: How can Shias believe in an Imam that you cannot see?
- Question 20: Why do Shias believe that the Prophet or the Imams are infallible and sinless?
- Chapter 3: The Companions and Miscellaneous Issues
- Question 21: Are Shias hostile to all the companions (the “sahabah”)?
- Question 22: Why don’t Shias follow all the companions? What about the “hadith of the stars”?
- Question 23: Why do the Shias criticise Aisha, wife of the Prophet?
- Question 24: Why don’t Shias respect Muawiya ibn Abu Sufyan?
- Question 25: Why don’t Shias accept Abu Hurayrah’s traditions?
- Question 26: Why don’t Shias accept Sahih Bukhari and the authentic Ahlul Sunnah collections of ahadith?
- Question 27: What is “taqiyah”? Is it not lying, deception and deceit?
- Question 28: What is “muta”? How can you justify such temporary marriages?
- Question 29: Why do Shias pay khums in addition to zakat?
- Question 30: What is this “taqlid”? Why do Shias follow “marjas” and “mujtahids”?
- Chapter 4: The Holy Qur’an and Prayers (Salah)
- Question 31: Do the Shias have another, different Holy Qur’an? Do you believe the Holy Qur’an is incomplete?
- Question 32: Why don’t Shias wash their feet in wudhu, as the Ahlul Sunnah do?
- Question 33: Why do Shias combine their prayers into three sittings?
- Question 34: Why do Shias include “Aliyun Waliyullah” in the kalima and adhan?
- Question 35: Why don’t Shias cross their arms during the prayers?
- Question 36: Why do Shias pray on a stone, on a piece of earth (a “sajdagaar” or “turbah”)?
- Question 37: Why do Shias say “Allahu Akbar” three times at the end of the prayer?
- Question 38: Why don’t Shias offer “tarawih” prayers in the month of Ramadhan?
- Question 39: How do Shias justify praying at graves?
- Question 40: What about intercession? Why do Shias pray to the Prophet and the Imams, and not to Allah?
- Chapter 5 Karbala and Majalis
- Question 41: Why do Shias wear black in Muharram?
- Question 42: Why do Shias cry so much in Muharram?
- Question 43: Why do Shias do “maatum” in Muharram?
- Question 44: Isn’t the display of an “alam” prohibited and a form of shirk?
- Question 45: Weren’t Shias responsible for killing Imam Husayn (as)?
- Question 46: Isn’t Ashura a day of fasting, not mourning?
- Question 47: How can Shias trust the Karbala story?
- Question 48: Wasn’t Imam Husayn (as) wrong to revolt against the ruler of his time, Yazid ibn Muawiya?
- Question 49: Don’t the Shias exaggerate how bad Yazid was?
- Question 50: Imam Husayn (as) lost the battle of Karbala, didn’t he?
- References
