Photocopy
of the so-called Suratul-wilaayah which the Shi'ites accuse the
Sunni Muslims of deleting it along with other suras from the original
text of the Holy Qur'an. It reads:
O' you who
believe, believe in the prophet and the wali, the two whom we
sent to guide you to the straight path. A prophet and wali who
are of each other. and celebrate the praise of your Lord, and
Ali is among the witnesses.
[fatwa
against companions]
Photocopy
of the original fatwa (religious verdict) encouraging the Shi'ite
masses to curse the two Caliphs Abu Bakr and `Umar. signed by
six of the contemporary Shi'ite scholars and clergy among them
Khomeini and Shariat Madari The trustworthy scholar Muhammad `Ali
Sa'oodi, chief consultant to the Egyptian Ministry of Justice,
and one of Sheikh Muhammad Abduh's special students, managed to
examine an Iranian manuscript copy of the Qur'an owned by the
orientalist Brown. He was able to make a photocopy of Surat-ul-Wilaayah
with its Persian translation. Its existence was affirmed by At-Tabarsi
in his book faslul-Khitaab, and by Muhsin Faani Al-ashmeeri in
his book Dabisan Madhaahib. This book, written in Persian, was
printed several times in Iran. The chapter (Surat-ul-Wilaayah)
which is falsely attributed to Allah's revelation, was also quoted
by the famous orientalist Noeldeke in his book History of the
Copies of the Qur'an(9). It also appeared in the Asian-French
Newspaper in 1842 C.E.
At-Tabarsi
also quoted a tradition from Al-Kaafi, which is to the Shi'ites
what Sahih-ul-Bukhari is to the Sunni Muslims. It reads:
A number of
our associates narrated by way of Sahl bin Ziyaad through Muhammad
bin Sulaiman that some of his friends reported Abul-Hasan Ath-Thaani
`Ali bin Mioosa Ar-Rida as saying `May I be your ransom! We hear
verses of the Qur'an different from those we have with us and
we are not capable of reading them according to your reading which
has reached us. Do we commit a sin thereby He replied, "No, read
the Qur'an as you have learned it; someone will come to you to
teach you."
Without a
doubt, this conversation is fabricated by the Shi'ites and is
falsely attributed to the Imam `Ali bin Moosa Ar-Rida; however,
the statement is taken by the Shi'ites as a legal ruling in this
matter. Its implication is that while one of them commits no sin
by reciting the Qur'an the way Muslims have learned according
to `Uthman's unanimously accepted text, the privileged class of
Shi'ite clergy and scholars will teach each other a version other
than the accepted one, a version which they claim came to their
Imams from AhlulBait.
It was the
urge to strike a comparison between the Shi'ite "Qur'an" (which
they secretly confide to one another, while hiding it from the
general public as an act of taqiyyah") and the known and officially
accepted `Uthmani Edition of the Qur'an, which motivated At-Tabarsi
to write his book faslul-Khitaab.
Although the
Shi'ites pretended to disown At-Tabarsi's book, as an act of taqiyyah,
the glaring fact that it includes hundreds of quotations from
the recognized works of their scholars clearly confirms their
adherence to the tenet of alteration of the Qur'an. Of course,
they do not want a clamor to be raised over this perverse article
of faith of theirs
The intended
result of their claim is to leave us with the impression that
there are two Qur'ans: one, the `Uthmani version accepted by the
Sunni Muslims; the other, the allegedly hidden version of the
Shi'ites, part of which is Surat-ul-Wilaayah. They are well aware
that they fabricated the statement they attributed to the Imam
`Ali bin Moosa Ar-Rida: "... read [the Qur'an] as you have learned
it; someone will come to you to teach you." The Shi'ites also
claim that a verse was deleted from the Qur'an from Surat-ul-lnshiraah.
The alleged deletion is "and we made `Ali your son-in-law." Have
they no shame in making such an allegation, when it is a well-known
fact that this particular surah was revealed in Mecca at a time
when `Ali was not yet the son-in-law of the Prophet, Allah's blessing
and peace be upon him. His only son-in-law a that time was Al-'Ass
Ibnur-Rabee'al-Ummawi. As for the fact that `Ali was a son-in-law
of the Prophet, it should be pointed out that Allah also made
`Uthman bin `Affaan the son-in-law of the Prophet through his
marriage to two of the Prophet's daughters. Upon the death of
the second of `Uthman's wives (the second of the two daughters),
the Prophet said to him, "If we had a third one, we would have
given her to you in marriage."
Another of
the Shi'ite scholars, Abu Mansoor Ahmad bin `Ali At-Tabarsi, in
his book Al-lhtijaaj `ala Ahlil-Lajaaj (Argumentation with the
Contentious Folk) claimed that `Ali said to one of the zanaadiqah,(10)whose
name At-Tabarsi neglected to mention, "As for your belligerent
disagreement with me(11), it shows your feigned ignorance
of Allah's statement, `And if you fear that you will not deal
justly with the orphans, then marry of the women who seem good
to you..."' At-Tabarsi then went on to say, by way of explanation
as to why this verse was quoted by `Ali in his argumentation with
his opponents:
Now doing
justice to orphans does not resemble the marrying of women, and
not all women are orphans; thus, this verse is an example of what
I have presented earlier in the book Al-Ihtijaaj; regarding the
deletion of parts of the Qur'an by the hypocrites',(12)
that deletion being between the statement about justice to orphans,
and that which follows it, about the marrying of women. This deletion
consists of addresses and stories, and amounts to more than a
third of the Qur'an.
8
SHI'ITE LIES, EVEN AGAINST `ALI
The foregoing
is an example of the Shi'ite lies which were at- tributed `Ali
may Allah be pleased with him). That it is A slanderous fabrication
is proven by the fact that `Ali never declared, during the whole
period of his caliphate, that a third of the Qur'an was missing
from the section mentioned above. He did not command the Muslims
to record this "missing" portion, nor to seek guidance from it,
nor to apply jurisprudential rulings derived from it.
9
REJOICING OF THE MISSIONARIES AND ORIENTALISTS
Upon the publication
of the book Faslul-Khitaab over eighty years ago, there was great
rejoicing amongst the enemies of Islam, in par- ticular, the missionaries
and orientalists. They liked the book so much that they decided
to translate it into their own languages. It is no wonder, since
it contained hundreds of lies such as those mentioned above, along
with slanderous fabrications against Allah and the choicest of
His creation, the Holy Prophet of Islam (upon whom be peace),
and against the venerable Companions (may Allah be pleased with
them all).(13)
There are
two clear texts from Al-Kaafi of Al-Kulaini, which elucidate the
Shi'ites' perverse position regarding the Qur'an. The first reads:
I heard Abu
Jafar (upon whom be peace) say: "None of the people has claimed
that he collected the Quran completely as it was revealed except
a liar. No one collected and memorized the Qur'an as it was revealed
except `Ali bin Abi Taalib and the Imams after him.(14)
Every Shi'ite
is required to believe in this text from Al-Kaafi as an article
of their faith. As for us, Ahlus-Sunnah, we say that in fact the
Shi'ites have false- ly attributed the above text to Al-Baaqir
Abu Ja'far. The proof of our position is that `Ali, during the
period of his caliphate in Kufah, never resorted to or applied
any version of the Qur'an other than that with which Allah had
favored the Caliph `Uthman by the distinction of its collection,
publication and popularization and by its legal application in
all Islamic lands for all time up to the Day of Judgment. If it
were true that `Ali had a different version of the Qur'an he surely
would have applied it in making legal rulings, and he would have
commanded the Muslims to abide by its injunctions and guidance.
Clearly, since he was the supreme ruler, none would have challenged
his authority to do this.
Furthermore,
if indeed `Ali had a different version of the Qur'an and concealed
it from the Muslims, then he would have betrayed Allah, His Messenger
and the religion of Islam by so doing. As for Jaabir Al-Ju'fi
who claims that he heard that blasphemous conversation from the
Imam Abi la'far Muhammad Al-Baaqir, it must be noted that although
the Shi'ites consider him a trustworthy narrator of traditions,
the fact is that he is well known in the Sunni schools of theology
as a liar and forger of traditions. Abu Yahya Al-Hammani reported
that he heard the Imam Abu Hanifa saying, "Ataa' is the best i.e.,
the most truthful and precise in reporting from amongst those
I have come across in the field of transmitting traditions, while
Jaabir Al-Ju'fi is the greatest liar I have come across amongst
them."(15)
The second
of the two texts from Al-Kaafi mentioned above, is attributed
to the son of Ja'far
As-Saadiq.
It reads:
It is related
that Abu Baser said: "I entered upon Abu `Abdullah [Ja'far As-Sadiq]...
[Who] said `Verily we have with us the Qur'an of Fatimah (upon
whom be peace).' I said: `What is the Qur'an of Fatimah?' He replied:
`It contains three times as much as this Qur'an of yours. By Allah,
it does not contain one single letter of your Qur'an' .(16)
These fabricated
Shi'ite texts which are falsely attributed to the Imams of Ahlul-Bait
are of fairly early date. They were recorded by Muhammed bin Ya'qoob
Al-Kulaini Ar-Razi in the book Al-Kaafi over a thousand years
ago, and they are from before his time, because they were narrated
on the authority of his ancestors, the master engineers of the
false foundations of Shi'ism. During the time when Spain was under
the reign of Arab Muslims, the Imam Abu Muhammad bin Hazam used
to debate with Spain's priests regarding the texts of their sacred
books. He used to bring forth proofs which established their having
been tampered with, and altered so much that their authentic origins
had been lost. Those priests used to argue with Ibn Hazam that
the Shi'ites had asserted that the Qur'an also had been altered.
Ibn Hazam refuted their argument by replying that the allegation
of the Shi'ites is not a proof against the Qur'an, nor against
the Muslims, because Shi'ites are not Muslims.(17)
10
SHI'ITE VIEWS ON THE MUSLIM RULERS
The attention
of the governments of all Muslim nations must be drawn to the
dangerous and distorted views of the (So-called) Shi'ite Twelve
Imams, or Ja'fari sect. It is their view that all governments
from the death of the Prophet-until now are illegitimate, except
for that of `Ali bin Abi Taalib. It is therefore not permissible
for any Shi'ite to be loyal to- those governments or sincere in
dealing with them. Indeed, they must engage in flattery and hypocrisy,
in accordance with their tenet of taqiyyah. They consider all
past, present, and future governments in the Muslim world to be
established by forcible seizure, and therefore illegal. According
to them, the only legitimate rulers are the Twelve Imams, whether
they ruled directly or indirectly, and all other rulers, from
the time of Abu Bakr and `Umar until the present time, are con-
sidered usurpers, and oppressors of the people. The Shi'ites tenaciously
hold this perverse view of the Muslim rulers regardless of the
great services they have rendered to the noble cause of Islam,
and to humanity in general.
11
MALICE AGAINST ABU BAKR AND `UMAR
The Shi'ites
curse Abu Bakr, `Umar and `Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them),
along with all the rulers of the Islamic Nation, with the exception
of `Ali. They fabricated a lie and attributed it to the Imam Abul
Hasan `Ali bin Muhammad bin `Ali bin Moosa, claiming that he approved
of his followers calling Abu Bakr and `Umar "Al-jibt wat- Taaghoot".(18)
This claim was made in one of their most extensive works on the
science of the ascertation of the veracity and competence of the
narrators of Prophetic Traditions, Tanqeehul-Maqaal fee Ahwaalir-
Rijaal, by a sheikh of the Ja'fari sect Allama Ath-Thani Ayatullah
Al- Mamqaani.'(19)
Al-Mamqaani
referred to the scholar Ash-Sheikh Muhammad bin Idrees Al-Hilli's
book As-Saraa'ir, in which Al-Hilli cited the work Massaa'ilur-aijaal
wa Mukaatabaatihim ila Mowlaana Abil-Hasan `Ali bin Muhammad bin
`Ali bin Moosa, the subject of which is questions and letters
directed to Abil Hasan `Ali bin Muhammad. Among them is a question
from Muhammad bin `Ali, who is quoted as saying:
I wrote to
him asking about ar-naasib [one who is hostile to Ahlil-Bait].
I asked him whether I needed proof of his hostility towards Ahlil-Bait
other than his recognition of Al-jibt wat-Taaghoot i.e. Abu Bakr
and `Umar] as the rightful holders of the office of imam [leader
of the Muslim community].
His reply
was that anyone whose condition was like that just described,
was adequately shown to be a naasib.
Thus, any
person would be counted as an enemy of the Prophet's family merely
by his giving precedence of rank to Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq and `Umar
Al-Farooq, and by his acknowledging their positions as imams.
The expression "Al-Jibt wat-Taaghoot" is used by the Shi'ites
in the prayer of imprecation which they call "Du'aa Sanamay Quraish"
(imprecation against the two idols of the Quraish). They mean
by these expressions, the two caliphs Abu Bakr and `Umar (may
Allah be pleased with them). This vicious Shi'ite prayer of imprecation
is mentioned in their book Miftahul-Jinaan; it reads: "O Allah,
bestow Your blessings upon the Holy Prophet Muhammad and upon
his family, and curse the two idols of the Quraish, their Al-Jibt
wat-Taaghoot, as well as their two daughters..." They are referring
to the two Mothers of the Believers, Aa'ishah and Hafsah, the
pure and noble wives of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with
them).
12
Shi'ites Exalt The Assassin Of The Caliph `Umar
The hatred
the Shi'ites have for the Caliph `Umar reached such a pitch that
they gave his murderer Abu Lu'lu'ah Al-Majoosi the title `'Baba
Shujaa'ud-Din" (the one who is brave in the cause of religion).
`Ali bin Mathahir,
a Shi'ite narrator of traditions, reported that Ahmad bin Ishaq
Al-Qummi Al-Ahwas, a sheikh of the Shi'ites, said: "Verily the
day ` Umar was murdered- is the greatest day of celebration, the
day of pride and honour, the day of the great purification and
the day of blessing and consolation."
In the history
of Islam there have been many great personalities, men like the
two Caliphs Abu Bakr and `Umar and the great warrior Salahuddin
Al-Ayyoobi, who ruled for the sake of Islam, and who conquered
various lands and peoples and brought them into the fold of Islam.
Yet these great men, and indeed all of the great rulers of Islam,
past and present, are believed by the Shi'ites to be overpowering
tyrants and illegal rulers and consequently, are considered to
be in habitants of Hell-Fire. Among the Shi'ites' most important
tenets is the belief that when their Twelfth Imam, the awaited
Mahdi, rises and comes forth after his long absence of over eleven
hundred years, and brings his revolution, then Allah will resurrect
for him and for his forefathers, the past and present Muslim rulers,
including the two noble Caliphs Abu Bakr and `Umar. Those Muslim
rulers will then be tried for having illegally seized the reins
of government from the Mahdi and his ancestors, the first eleven
Imams of the Shi'ite religion. This, as they believe, is because
government is the God-given right of the Shi'ites alone, from
the time of the Prophet Muhammad' death until the Final Hour!
After the
trial of those "tyrannous usurpers", this awaited Mahdi will awaken
himself by ordering their execution. Five hundred of them at a
time will be killed until their number reaches three thousand.
this; being the total of all who ruled during the various eras
of the history of Islam!
All of this
is supposed to occur just before the final revival of mankind
on the Day of Resurrection! It is a prelude, as it were, to that
final great gathering and resurrection, the result of which is
either Paradise or Hell-Fire; Paradise for Ahlul-Bait and the
Shi'ites, and the Fire for everyone who is not a Shi'ite!
The Shi'ites
call this resurrection of the Muslim rulers, and the subsequent
trial and execution, "Ar-Raj'ah" (the return). This belief is
one of the fundamental tenets of their faith, which no common
Shi'ite doubts at all. I have met a number of naive and simple-minded
people who claim that the Shi'ites have departed from such tenets
as these in recent times; however, this is a gross error on their
part as is evident from the actual state of affairs.
13
DESIRE FOR REVENGE AND DESTRUCTION
In Al-lrshaad
fee Taarikhi Hujajillahi `alal-'lbaad (Instruction in the History
of God's Proofs Against His Slaves), Abu `Abdullah Muham- mad
An-Nu'man, known to the Shi'ites by the title `'Ash-Sheikhul-
Mufeed'', quoted several of their "traditions" about "Ar-Raj'ah'':
Al Fadl bin Sha'thaan reported that Muhammad bin `Ali Al-Koofi
related that Wahab bin Hafs narrated through Abi Baseer that Abu
`Abdullah [Ja'far As-Saadiq] said: "The Mahdi will be called upon
on the Twenty-third night by the name `The Risen One' . He will
arise, and that rising up will be on the day of `ashooraa.(20)
It is as if I am there with him on that tenth day of the month
of Muharram. He is standing between the comer of the Ka'bah containing
the black stone, and the maqaam [place of prayer] of the Prophet
Abraham. The Angle Gabriel is standing to his right calling out,
`The pledge of allegiance to the Mahdi] is for the sake d Allah!'
Then the Shi'ites will march towards the Mahdi to give him the
pledge, from all corners of the earth. that having been made easy
for them to achieve. There has come lo us the report that the
Mahdi will ravel from Macca until he arrives al Koota and settles
in our [Shi'ite] holy city of Najaf. Then he will dispatch armies
from there to the various lands.''
It was also
reported, by Al-Hajjaal from Thlaha via Abu Bakr Al- Hadrami that
Abu Ja'far [Muhammad Al-Baaqir] said: "It-is as if I am with the
Risen One at the city of Najaf, in Al-Koofa
which he had
marched to from Mecca, in the company of five thousand angels,
with Gabriel on his right side, and Michael on his left, and the
believers in front of him, while he dispatches armies to the various
countries."
So too, it
is narrated that `Abdul-Kareem Al-Ju'fi reported: "I said to Abu
`Abdullah [Ja'far As-Saadiq]: `How long will the Risen One's reign
last?' ;Seven years,' he replied. He elaborated: `The days will
grow longer, till a year of his reign equals ten of your years.
His reign will last for seventy years of your reckoning.' Upon
this, Abu Baseer said to him [i.e., to Ja'far As-Saadiq]: `May
I be your ransom! How will Allah make the years longer?' The reply
was: `Allah will command the celestial spheres to decrease in
their speed of movement, and the days and years will consequently
become longer. When the time of his rising up arrives, rain will
fall during the last month of Jumada and for ten days of Rajab,
a rain which the world has never seen before. Allah shall cause
the flesh of believers and their bodies to come to life in their
graves. It is as if I am seeing the resurrected ones coming for-
ward, shaking the soil out of their hair."
`Abdullah
bin Al-Mugheera narrated that Abu `Abdullah [Ja'far As- Saadiq]
said: "If the awaited Mahdi from the family of Muhammad rises,
he will cause to be raised up five hundred members of Quraish,
and their necks would be struck by the sword. They would be follow-
ed by another set of five hundred, and yet another, until that
recurred six times." "Would they reach that great number?" I asked.
[His astonishment upon hearing that great number was due to the
fact that the rightly-guided Caliphs, the Umayyad rulers and those
of the Ab- basi era, along with all the Muslim rulers up until
the time of Ja'far As- Saadiq do not amount to a hundredth of
that number.] Ja'far As- Saadiq replied: "Yes; it includes the
rulers and their supporters."
And in another
narration: "Verily, our state is the last of the states. There
would be no dynasty but that which has had its turn before us,
so that there may be none to witness our reign and say: If we
were to rule we would follow their path."
Jaabir Al-Ju'fi
reported that Abu `Abdullah [Ja'far As-Saadiq] said: "When the
risen Mahdi from the family of Muhammad comes forth he will pitch
pavilions to teach therein the Qur'an just as it was revealed.(21)
It will be
most difficult then for the one who has memorized [that which
is memorized] today." [i.e., it would be difficult for the one
who memorized the official `Uthmani edition which was extant at
the time of Ja'far As-Saadiq, because it would differ from the
version which the Mahdi supposedly will bring.] Al-Mufaddal bin
`Umar narrated that Abu `Abdullah said: Along ,with the Risen
One shall come twenty-seven men from the people of the Prophet
Moses, seven from the people of the cave, and Joshua, Solomon
Abu Dujaanal Al-Ansaari, Al-Miqdaad and Maalik Al-Ashtar. These
will be in the company of the Mahdi as helpers and judges in his
service."
These fabricated
"traditions" from the book of "Ash-Sheikhul-Mufeed", have been
quoted meticulously, complete with their concocted chains of transmission.
They have been falsely attributed to the family of the Prophet,
whose greatest misfortune is to have such liars pretending to
be their only partisans.
Of course,
since the belief in Ar-Raj'ah and the trial of the Muslim rulers
is an important part of Shi'ite doctrine, it is commonly mentioned
in the works of Shi'ite scholars and clergy. One example is AI-Masail
An-Naasiriya, by As-Sawid Al-Murtadaa, in which is to be found
the following: "Verily Abu Bakr and `Umar shall be crucified upon
a tree in the time of Al-Mahdi... That tree would be green and
tender before the crucifixion and would turn parched after the
crucifixion."
14
SHI'ITES' WAY OF THINKING UNCHANGED
The Shi'ite
scholars and clergy throughout the span of Islamic history have
taken a disgraceful stand against the two Companions and appointed
ministers of Allah's Prophet, Abu Bakr and `Umar, and against
other great Islamic personalities such as the Caliphs, governors,
generals, and warriors in the sacred cause of Islam. Now we have
heard their propagandist, who was responsible for Darut-Taqreeb
(the centre for the promotion of "reconciliation" and a "coming
together" of Sunnis and Shi'ites), claiming before those who were
unable to critically study these issues themselves, that these
beliefs were held in the old days, and that the situation now
is different. This claim is plainly false and misleading, because
the books which are taught in all of their educational institutions
contain all of these tenets and hold them as essential and rudimentary
elements of their faith. Furthermore, the books presently being
published by the scholars of Iran, Najaf and Mount `Aamil are
even more evil than the older Shi'ite publications, and more detrimental
to the cause of reconciliation and mutual understanding.
To further
clarify this we mention as an example one person amongst them
who never ceases announcing day and night that he is a proponent
of unity and reconciliation, Muhammad bin Muhammad Mahdi Al-Khaalisi.
He is known to have many friends in Egypt and elsewhere who broadcast
the same call for taqreeb, and who work for it among the Ahlus-Sunnah.
This supposed advocate of "unity and understanding" goes so far
as to deny that Abu Bakr and `Umar possessed the grace of Iman
(faith). In his book Ihyaa'ush-Sharia fee Madhhabish-Shi'ah (Revival
of the Law in the Shi'ite School of Thought), he says:
Even if they
[Sunnis] argue that Abu Bakr and `Umar were among the people of
Bai'atur- Ridwan(22) with whom Allah was pleased, as
shown by the reference made to them in the Qur'an: "Verily Allah
was pleased with the believers when they swore allegiance to you
(Muhammad) beneath the tree",(23) we say that if Allah
had said: "Verily Allah was pleased with those who swore allegiance
to you beneath the tree", then the verse would indicate that Allah's
pleasure included everyone who made the pledge of allegiance.
Since the verse says: "Verily Allah was pleased with the believers
when they swore allegiance.. . ", there is therefore no proof
in this verse that Allah is pleased with anyone except those who
have acquired pure iman.
Al-Khaalisi
is insinuating by this that Abu Bakr and `Umar were of those who
had not acquired iman-and were excluded from the pleasure of Allah.(24)
15
DISTORTION OF HISTORICAL FACTS
Al-Murtadaa
and Al-Khaalisi are modern Shi'ite scholars who boldly claim to
belong to the echelon of those who are zealous in struggling for
the sake of Islam and Muslims, and who have the keenest interest
in upholding the rights of Muslims and maintaining their well-
being. Having seen, however, what they have written about Abu
Bakr and `Umar, who are among the best of Muslims next to the
Prophet, ordinary people like ourselves must wonder what hope
there can be of our reaching a common understanding and reconciliation
with people such as them.
While on the
one hand the Shi'ites shamelessly defame the Com-panions of the
Messenger of Allah, and those who followed them in piety, and
succeeded them as rulers, on the other hand we find them ascribing
to their Imams attributes of such extravagant description, that
the Imams themselves would wish to declare their innocence of
them.
Al-Kulaini
recorded in his book Al-Kaafi attributes and descrip- tions of
the Twelve Imams such as would imply their elevation from the
human level to that of the gods of the ancient Greek pagans. To
quote all such fables from Al-Kaafi and other books would require
a large volume. By way of illustration, it will suffice to list
some of the chapter headings from Al-Kaafi:
* "The Imams
possess all the knowledge granted to angels, prophets and messengers"(25)
* "The Imams know when they will die, and they do not die except
by their own choice"(26) * "The Imams have knowledge
of whatever occurred in the past and whatever will happen in the
future, and nothing is concealed from them"(27) * The
Imams have knowledge of all the revealed books, regardless of
the languages in which they were revealed"(28) * "No
one compiled the Qur'an completely except the Imams, and they
encompass all of its knowledge'(29) * "Signs of the
prophets are possessed by the Imams"(30) * "When the
Imams' time comes, they will rule in accordance with the ruling
of the Prophet David and his dynasty. These Imams will not need
to ask for presentation of evidence before passing their judgments"(31)
* "There is not a single truth possessed by a people save that
which originated with the Imams, and everything which did not
proceed from them is false" 35 * "All of the earth belongs to
the Imams"(32)
16
THE SHI'ITES PLACE THEIR IMAMS ABOVE THE MESSENGER
While the
Shi'ites claim for the Twelve Imams the superhuman power of knowledge
that encompasses the realm of the unseen, they deny the Prophet's
knowledge of unseen things granted him by Allah, things such as
the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the description
of Paradise and Hell-Fire.
This blasphemy
was stated in the magazine Risalatul-lslam (The Message of. Islam),
published by Darut-Taqreeb. In an article entitled Min Ijtihaadati
Shi'a Al-lmamia (Some Independent Shi'ite Opinions), the head
of the Shi'ite supreme court in Lebanon quoted the Mujtahid scholar
Muhammad Hasan Al-lshtiyani: If the Prophet made a stipulation
regarding the divine legal rulings on what invalidates ablution,
or the rulings pertaining to menstruation and post-natal bleeding,
it is imperative to believe him, and the application of these
rulings is binding upon us. But if the Prophet made a statement
regarding the unseen, for example on the creation of the heavens
and earth, or the virgins of Paradise and its palaces, then it
is not incumbent or binding upon one, even when it is known of
a surety that the statement has proceeded from the Prophet.
How strange,
that they should falsely attribute to their Imams knowledge of
the unseen, and that they should adhere to that falsehood although
they have not a single proof to establish its verity.
Meanwhile
they consider that they are not bound to accept the revela- tions
of the unseen mentioned in verses of the Qur'an and authentic
traditions, and thereby conclusively proven. Add to all this that
everything which has been verified to issue from the Prophet is
nothing other than "revelation revealed" to him; and truly the
Prophet does not speak from his own desires.
He who makes
a comparison between what the Shi'ites ascribe to their Imams
and what is authentically attributed to the Prophet regar- ding
matters of the unseen comes to the conclusion that what can be
verified to issue from the Prophet regarding the unseen, as mentioned
in the Qur'an and the authentic, authoritative traditions does
not even constitute a fraction of the multitude of fabricated
reports of knowledge of the unseen which are attributed to the
Twelve Imams; and this in spite of the indisputable fact that
divine revelation had totally ceased upon the death of the Prophet.
As for those
who attributed this knowledge of the unseen to the Twelve Imams,
it suffices to say that they are well known to the Sunni scholars
of hadith (prophetic traditions) as liars, and forgers of hadeth
literature. The Shi'ite partisans of those narrators are indifferent
to this, however, and blindly accept the accounts of the unseen
which are im- puted to their Imams. They also gladly accept the
claim that acceptance of what had been authentically attributed
to the Prophet with regard to the unseen is not binding upon them.
In fact, it pleases them to limit the scope of the mission of
the Messenger of Allah to matters of a secondary juristical nature,
such as those mentioned by Al-lshtiyani (see above).
Since they
elevate the status of their Imams, in regard to knowledge of the
unseen, above that of the Messenger of Allah (even though it was
he who received the revelation; their Imams did not claim it for
themselves), we do not know how there could develop, after such
blasphemy, any reconciliation between us and them.
17
SHI'ITE TREACHERY TOWARDS ISLAMIC GOVERNMENTS
The stance
of most Shi'ites, scholars and laymen alike, towards the Islamic
governments throughout history has been, if the govern- ment was
powerful and well-established, to honour its leaders in con- sonance
with their tenet of taqiyah, for the purpose of material gain.
If, however, the government is weak, or is under attack by enemies,
they side with its enemies against it. This is precisely what
they did during the last days of the Umayyad dynasty when the
Abbasids revolted, under the instigation of the Shi'ites of that
era. ln a later time, they took the same criminal stand against
the Abbasids who were threatened by the raids of Hulago and his
pagan Mongol followers against the Caliphate of Islam and its
glorious capital of science and civilization . An example of this
is seen in the behavior of the Shi'ite philosopher and scholar
An-Naseer At-Toosi. He composed poetry in praise of Al-Musta'sim,
the Abbasid Caliph, then in 65 A.H. executed a complete turn about,
instigating revolution against his patron, thereby hastening the
catastrophe which befell Islam in Baghdad, where he headed the
butcher Hulago's blood-letting procession. In fact he personally
supervised the slaughter of Muslims, sparing none, not even women,
children, or the aged. This same At-Toosi also approved of wholesale
dumping of valuable texts of Islamic literature in the Tigris
River; its waters ran black for days from the ink of the innumerable
manuscripts. Thus vanished a great treasure of the Islamic heritage
consisting of works in history, literature, language and poetry,
not to mention those in the Islamic religious sciences, which
had been pass- ed down from the pious of the first generation
of Muslims, and which could be found in abundance until that time
when they were destroyed in a cultural holocaust the like of which
had never been seen before.
18
THE TREACHERY OF AL-'ALQAMI AND IBN ABIL-HADEED
This sheikh
of the Shi'ites, An-Naseer At-Toosi, was assisted in this great
treachery by two of his cohorts, Muhammad bin Ahmad Al-'AI- qami,
a Shi'ite minister of state, and `Abdul-Hameed bin Abil-Hadeed,
a Mu'tazilite author and extremist Shi'ite.(33) He
was Al-'Alqami's right- hand man and proved to be a bitter enemy
of the Companions of he Messenger of Allah, as is evident from
his malicious commentary on the book Nahjul-Balaaha, which he
filled with lies in order to distort Islamic history.
Unfortunately,
a number of our distinguished figures and authors continue to
be deceived by such lies due to their ignorance of the essential
facts of Islamic history. Al-'Alqami responded to Caliph Al-Musta'sim's
kindness and generosity in making him his minister, with deception
and treachery. Shi'ites to this day maliciously rejoice at Hulago's
vicious campaign of slaughter and destruction, out of sheer animosity
towards Islam. Anyone who wishes can read about the life of An-Naseer
At-Toosi in any Shi'ite book of biographies, the latest of which
is Rowdaatul- lannaat by Al-Khuwansari. It is full of praise for
the treacherous murderers, and reflects the Shi'ites' malicious
rejoicing al that disastrous massacre of Muslim men, women and
children. It was a monstrous act which even the worst of enemies
and the most hard- hearted beasts would be ashamed to show pleasure
in.
19
AN IMPEDIMENT TO RECONCILIATION
The exposition
has become somewhat lengthy although great care has been taken
to restrict the subject matter wholly to quotations selected from
the Shi'ites' most authentic and dependable publications. We would
like to conclude with a quotation pertaining to the subject of
at-taqreeb (reconciliation of the followers of the various schools
and sects), in order to clarify for every Muslim what the actual
possibilities for success are regarding such an endeavor, especially
in regard to the Shi'ites who have expressed their own frank acknowledgment
of the impossibility of such an attempt at reconciliation.
In his book
Rowdaat lannaat, the Shi'ite historian Al- Khuwansari wrote of
the "elegant and truthful utterances" of An- Naseer At-Toosi,
"this source of truth and verification", and quoted his statement
identifying the one and only sect of the seventy-three Muslim
sects(34) that, according to prophecy, would achieve
salvation:
I have considered
all the sects and scrutinized them closely, only to find that
all, save the Imamers, subscribe to the same general conditions
of iman, while they differ only on some related issues. I discovered
that the Imamer sect differs from and is opposed to all the others.
If any sect other than the Imamers is considered "saved" then
they all must be so considered. This indicates to me that the
one sect which is to achieve salvation is none other than the
Imamers.
20
SALVATION CANNOT BE ATTAINED WITHOUT PLEDGING ALLEGIANCE AND GRANTING
SOVEREIGNTY TO AHLIL-BAIT
Al-Khuwansari
also related that As-Sayyid Ni'matullah Al- Moosawi said:
All of the
sects unanimously agree that bearing witness to one's faith by
recitation of the two articles of faith is the only way to salvation,
as proved by the statement of Allah's Messenger: `Whoever bears
witness that there is no God but Allah enters Paradise." But as
for the Imamer sect they unanimously agree that salvation is attained
only by granting allegiance and entrusting the government to Ahlil-Bait,
the last of whom is the Twelve Imam, and by disowning their enemies
[ie., Abu Bakr, `Umar and all non-Shi'ites, whether they were
rulers or subjects]. Thereby Shi'ites differ entirely from all
the other sects with regards to the nature and prerequisites of
iman, upon which the issue of salvation devolves.
21
SHI'ITES DIFFER WITH MUSLIMS IN FUNDAMENTALS, NOT ONLY IN THE
SECONDARY ISSUES
At-Toosi,
Al-Moosa and Al-Khuwansari have both told the truth, and lied.
They have told the truth in saying that all the Muslim sects are
close to each other in fundamentals while they differ on secondary
issues. Thus mutual understanding and a "coming together" are
possible among those sects which are fundamentally akin to each
other. On the other hand it is impossible to achieve such a mutual
understanding with the Shi'ite Imamers because they are in opposition
to the fundamentals of all other Muslims. They will never be pleased
with the Muslims unless they curse "Al-jibt wat-Taaghoot'' (Abu
Bakr and `Umar), and those who came after them up until the present
time.
Another condition
they would impose on Muslims is that they disown all non-Shi'ites,
and even those members of the family of the Prophet who were given
in marriage to them, such as the two daughters of the Prophet
who married the Caliph `Uthman bin `Affaan. They further stipulate
that Muslims must also disown the Imam Zaid, son of `Ali Zain-ul
`Abideen (the son of Al-Husain, son of `Ali bin Abi Taalib) along
with the rest of the family of the Prophet who did not enter the
ranks under the banner of the Rafidites(35) , and who
did not accept their deviated tenets. Amongst these perverse tenets
is their claim that the Qur'an has been tampered with, a doctrine
fanatically adhere-l to by all classes of the Shi'ite society
throughout the ages, as their own astute scholar At-Tabirsi has
so boldly recorded in his book hslul-Khitaabi fee Ithbatti Tahreefi
Kitaab Rabbil-Arbaab.
The Shi'ites
would like to force upon us as a precondition to reaching a mutual
understanding with them, and to please them, for the purpose of
"coming closer" to them, that we curse along with them the Companions
of Allah's Messenger, and that we disown everyone who does not
adhere to the doctrines of the Shi'ite faith. They even expect
us to disown the daughters of Allah's Messenger, and his blessed
descendants, the foremost of whom is Zaid bin Zain-ul `Abideen,
along with anyone who followed in his footsteps in rejecting the
abominations of the Rafidites.
The above
is the truthful part of what the Shi'ite spokesmen said, and no
Shi'ite would deny it, whether he openly practiced taqiyyah, or
concealed it.
As for the
false part of what they say, it is that non-Shi'ite Muslims agree
that upon simple utterance of the two Shahaadas(36)'
rests the issue of salvation in the Hereafter. If the Shi'ites
had the slightest sense or knowledge they would have known that
the two Shahaadas are to Sun ni Muslims the mere sign of entry
into Islam. If one uttered these two Shahaadas, even if he were
in the ranks of the enemy battling against Muslims, his life and
wealth would become inviolable. As for salvation in the Hereafter,
it is attained only by coupling the utterance of testification
with iman, and iman, according to the great and pious caliph `Umar
bin Abdul-'Azeez, consists of obligatory duties, and religious
rites, ordinances and practices. He who fulfills these com- pletes
the prerequisites of iman, and whosoever does not fulfill them
does not complete his iman. As for the Shi'ite belief in the existence
of their Twelfth Imam, it is not in any way a prerequisite of
iman. In fact, this Twelfth Imam is an imaginary character falsely
identified as the son of Al-Hasan Al-'Askari (who died without
offspring). His brother la'far settled and distributed the inheritance
left by Al-Hasan Al-'Askari on the basis that he left no children
to inherit.
The truth
of the matter is that when the Shi'ites came to know that Al-Hasan
Al-'Askari died leaving no male successor, and saw that this meant
the end of the chain of Imamer succession, they realized that
their sectarian school would cease to exist with the death of
Al-Hasan Al-'Askari. They would no longer be Imamers because there
was no Imam to succeed al-'Askari to the Imamate.
22
THE TALE OF THE DOOR AND THE TUNNEL
Upon this,
one of them, Muhammad bin Nusair, a protege of the tribe of Numair,
invented the idea that Al-Hasan had a son who was hidden in the
tunnels of his father's residence. The impetus for such a fabrication
came from his desire, and that of his accomplices, to deceive
the Shi'ite public, especially the affluent among them, to collect
zakaah(37) from them in the name of an existing Imam.
They also wished to continue claiming that they were sincere Imamers.
This Muhammad bin Nusair wanted himself to be the "door" to the
imaginary tunnel between the invented Imam and his followers,
in order to take charge of all zakaah funds. His accomplices disagreed
with him in this plot and insisted on appointing as the "door"
a grocer whose shop was adjacent to the entrance of Al-Hasan Al-'Askari's
house. Hasan's father and family used to purchase from this grocer
their household needs.
After this,
Muhammad Nusair broke away from his former com- rades and established
the Nusairiyyah sect, which takes its name and impetus from him(38).
In the meantime, his former accomplices were. devising a stratagem
whereby they could bring forth their supposed Imam; they wanted
him to marry and have sons who would succeed him to the office
of the Imamate. This in turn would ensure that their Imamer sect
would live on.
It became
evident, however, that his appearance would be denied by the heads
of the Alawi clans as well as their followers and their cousins,
the Abbasid rulers and royalty. They therefore alleged that the
Twelfth.lmam remained in the tunnel; that his minor absence was
followed by a major one; and so carried on with such fables as
were never heard before, even among the ancient Greeks. They expect
all Muslims, whom Allah blessed with the grace of sound reason,
to believe in such blatant lies in order that there may be a reconciliation
between them and the Shi'ites. This preposterous idea could only
be realized if the whole Islamic world were to turn into a Lunatic
asylum. Praise be to Allah for the gift of reason, for indeed
it is the faculty upon which the responsibility for one's actions
depends. It is the most precious and sublime of graces after that
of sound iman.
23
THE CONCEPT OF PLEDGING ALLEGIANCE ACCORDING TO THE MUSLIMS
Muslims entrust
the position of leadership and the government to any mu'min (believer)
with correct iman.--Thus they would pledge allegiance to all pious
members of Ahlil-Bait, without any restriction as to their number
or persons. Amongst the foremost of the believers to whom they
would entrust the reins of leadership were the ten Compa- nions
who were given the glad tidings of their abode in Paradise. If
there were no other factor by reason of which the Shi'ites acquired
the designation of kaafirs (disbelievers), then their contradiction
and denial of the Prophet's designation of those ten Companions
as inhabitants of Paradise would have sufficed.(39)
The Muslims
also would entrust the rest of the Companions with leadership,
and would grant them full support and allegiance, for it was these
noble personages upon whose shoulders was erected Islam and the
Islamic world, and truth and goodness sprang forth from the soil
of the Islamic nation which had been nourished by their precious
blood. These are the Companions whom the Shi'ites claimed were
enemies of `Ali and his sons, while actually they lived with `Ali
as loving, cooperative brothers and died as such. What could be
greater proof of this than the description Allah gives of them
in Suratul Fath, from His book which falsehood cannot approach
from before or behind He, the Almighty, said regarding the Companions,
that they are "severe with the disbelievers, merciful amongst
themselves." Allah also says about them, in Suratul Hadeed, "Unto
Allah belongs the inheritance of the heavens and the earth. Those
of your companions] who spent [For the sake of Allah] and fought
[in His cause] before the Victory are not on the same level [as
the rest of you. Such are greater in rank than those who spent
and fought afterwards. Unto each Allah has promised good."
And does Allah
ever break His promise? In Suratu Aali-lmraan Allah the Exalted
referred to the Companions as `the best of peoples raised up for
mankind", i.e., as an example to be followed.
24
Friendship And Affection Among The Rightly-Guided Caliphs
Due to the
love and respect which the commander of the Faithful Ali bin Abi
Taalib held for his three brethren caliphs, he named three of
his sons after them. He also gave his eldest daughter Umm Kulthoom
in marriage to `Umar Ibn-ul-Khattaab. In addition, we ses that
`Abdullah bin la'hr bin Abi Taalib ,('Ali's nephew) named one
of his sons Abu Bakr, and the other one Mu'aawiyah. Mu'aawiyah
bin `Abdullah named his son after Yazeed bin Mu'aawiyah bin Abu
Sufyaan, who was considered to be of good repute, according to
the testimony of Muhammad bin Al-Hanafiyyah bin `Ali bin Abu Taalib.
25
Why We Must Rid Ourselves Of Any Connection With The Shi'ites
If the repudiation
and denunciation which Shi'ites are now asking of us, as the price
for reconciliation between us and them, includes those whom they
have demanded it include (Abu Bakr, `Umar, etc.) then he whom
they consider to be their first Imam, `Ali bin Abi Taalib, should
be considered blameworthy by them, by virtue of his naming his
sons after Abu Bakr, `Umar and `Uthman, and by his giving his
daughters in marriage to `Umar and `Uthman. Furthermore, they
must consider Muhammad bin Al-Hanafiyyah a liar when he testified
to the good character of Yazeed, if they accept the claim of `Abdullah
bin Mutee, a supporter of Ibnuz-Zubair, that Yazeed drank liquor
and neglected prayer, and exceeded the bounds established by Allah's
Book. Muhammad bin Al-Hanafiyyah defended Yazeed, saying have
not witnessed what you mention. I visited him and stayed with
him. He was regular in observing prayers and in performing good
deeds, seeking religious knowledge and adhering to the sunnah."
Ibn Mutee and those accompanying him replied that Yazeed's behavior
was out of pretense in his presence. Muhammad bin Al-Hanafiyyah
re- joined: "What was it that he feared or hoped from me that
he should appear before me in such a state of piety and humility?"
He continued, "Did he confide in you that which you mention regarding
his drinking of wine If he did so then you are his accomplices.
And if he did not, then it is unlawful for you to bear witness
to that of which you have no knowledge." They replied that although
they did not see him drinking, yet "we believe that to be the
truth." Muhammad's reply to them was that Allah rejects this kind
of testimony from Muslims, for He says in His Book: "... except
those who bear witness to the truth and with full knowledge."(40)
Muhammad concluded, "Therefore, I have nothing to do with this
affair..."(41)
Since the
foregoing is what the son of `Ali bin Abi Taalib has testified
to in favor of Yazeed bin Mu'aawiyah, then where does his fit
in relation to the position the Shi'ites want us to adopt with
them against Yazeed's father, Mu'aawiyah, and against those who
are better than him and better than the whole creation(42),
that is, Abu Bakr, `Umar, `Uthman, Talha, Az-Zubair, Amr ubn ul-'Aws,
along with the rest of the great Companions who memorized and
preserved for us Allah's Book and the Sunnah of His Messenger,
and who were the architects of the Islamic world.
The price
demanded of us by the Shi'ites for a reconciliation with them
is exorbitant. We lose everything by agreeing to it, while we
gain nothing in return. It is only a fool who would deal with
someone whom he knows would expect him to accept a losing bargain!
The two concepts of walaayah (granting of allegiance) and baraa
(repudiation and denunciation) upon which the Shi'ite religion
is based, according to what has been affirmed by An-Naseer At-Toosi
and confirmed by Ni'matullah Al-Moosawi and Al-Khuwansari, mean
nothing except a complete alteration of the religion of Islam.
This complete change would require of us enmity towards those
upon whose shoulders was erected the very structure of Islam.
The Shi'ites
have lied when they said that their sect is the only one to be
granted salvation, the one whose condition and state differs from
all of the rest, by virtue of which they alone would be saved.
The fact is
that the impossibility of reconciliation between the Sunni sects
on one side and Shi'ites on the other is due to the latter's disagreement
with and contradiction of the rest of the Muslims in the very
fundamentals of faith, as we have seen from the declarations of
the Shi'ite scholars, and as can be seen from the beliefs and
practices of every Shi'ite. This was the state of affairs in the
past, and it is the state of affairs at the present time.
26
SHI'ITES PREFER PROPAGATION OF THEIR SECTARIAN TENETS TO TAQREEB
Without any
doubt the Shi'ite Imamers themselves do not want taqreeb, which
is why they have made many sacrifices and suffered great pains
in propagating the call for reconciliation and elimination of
differences in our Sunni countries, while forbidding that such
a call be raised, or allowed to proceed at all, in the Shi'ite
countries. Nor do we see a hint of the influence of such a call
on their educational institutions. In other words, the call to
reconciliation has been restricted to one side, and as a result,
every effort towards this cause will be futile, and a mere frivolous
mockery, unless and until the Shi'ites categorically refrain from
cursing and abusing Abu Bakr and `Umar; unless they cease repudiation
and denunciation of anyone who was not, or is no presently, a
Shi'ite partisan; and unless they rid themselves totally of their
perverse concept of raising the pious Imams of the Prophet's family
from the level of human beings to that of the gods of the pagan
Greeks.
All of this
is no less than an outrageous injustice against Islam and a diversion
of it from the path and the goal to which it was directed by the
Prophet to whom was entrusted the Islamic shari'ah (divinely revealed
law), and by his noble Companions amongst whom were `Ali bin Abi
Taalib and his offspring. If the Shi'ites do not totally abandon
such an outrage against Islam and its articles of faith, and its
history, then they are doomed to remain isolated from and rejected
by all of the Muslims(43)
27
THE INTRIGUE OF BAABISM AND BAHAISM AND THE ENSUING UPHEAVAL IN
IRAN
The upheaval
of Baabism and its offshoot, Bahaism, struck Iran over a hundred
years ago. Muhammad `Ali Ash-Shiraazi had begun by claiming that
he was the Baab (precursor) to the awaited Mahdi. He later claimed
that he himself was the Mahdi, and in time he gained a sizable
group of followers. The Iranian government chose to exile him
to Azerbaijan, the home of Sunnis of the Hanafi school of jurisprudence.
Being strict Sunnis, they were considered immune to the influence
of such fabulous nonsense. It was, however, only logical to fear
that Shi'ites would respond to Ash-Shiraazi's call, since his
invention was derived from Shi'ism. For that reason, he was not
exiled to a Shi'ite area, whose inhabitants would be only too
willing to accept such fables. In spite of such precautions, a
large number of shi'ites became Ash-Shiraazi's followers, and
thus there developed and ever-widening circle of commotion and
disorder.
28
FROM SHI'ISM TO COMMUNISM
Just as the
Shi'ite fables and myths were a factor in the appearance and spread
of Babism and Bahaism in the past century. So now they can be
seen to be a cause of the rejection of Shi'ism by some of the
educated Shi'ite youth, in favour of communism. They have awakened
to the realization that many Shi'ite beliefs are too ridiculous
to he credible, and as a result they have utterly rejected them.
Many were drawn to various communist organizations, with their
energetic propagandists, books in various languages, and efficiently
run centres. These young people were an easy prey, and fell readily
into the trap. Had they known the religion of Islam in its original
pure state, and acquired a proper knowledge of it, they would
have been protected from such a fate. Instead, we find that communism
has thrived, especially in lran and in the Shi'ite areas of Iraq.
More communists are to be found in those communities than can
be found in any other Muslim community.
This concludes
what circumstances have allowed me to present by way of fulfilling
the covenant which Allah has taken from the Muslims, by which
we pledge to give good counsel and a word of caution to all Muslims,
solely for the sake of Allah.
Allah protects
and preserves His religion, His nation of believers, and our great
Islamic identity and existence.
Footnotes:
1. Related
by Abu Dawood and others with an authentic chain of narrators.
2. The invocation
is called Du'aa Sanamay Quraish the invocation against the two
idols of Quraish, by which the Shi'ites mean the two caliphs of
Allah's Messenger, Abu Bakr and `Umar!.
3. Khomeini,
Al-Hukoomat ul-lslamiyyah, pp. 52-53.
4. What Khomeini
means here, is that he not only affirms and believes all that
is in the Shi'ite book Al-Kaafi, but he also sees it as obligatory
to adhere to it and put its rulings and directives into effect
in the Shi'ite state.
5. The two
terms `'Ahlus-Sunnah (Sunnis) and `'Shi'ah'' (Shi'ites) need to
be defined at this point. Ahlus-Sunnah means literally "people
of the established way or path". It refers to the majority of
Muslims, who follow the sunnah (way) of Muhammad, the Messenger
of Allah, the Almighty. The term Shi'ah is from the phrase shi'atul
`Ali (adherents to or company of `Ali), by which this sect is
known for reason of its attachment to the idea of the pre-eminence
of `Ali ibni Abi Taalib and his descendants.
6. The author's
reference to Azhar University's being in the beginning stage of
its "mission" requires some comment, as this treatise was written
over thirty years ago. Since that time, Al-Azhar has incorporated
the study of the Shi'ite "Twelve Imamers" school as a required
pan of its curriculum in Islamic Studies. This, along with its
call for reconciliation of the various sects and schools of thought,
might create the impression of acceptance of the misguided sects
such as the Shi'ite Twelve Imamers and the Ismailis. In fact,
the only legitimate reason for studying such sects and movements
is the hope that such a study will bring to light their real natures,
and that consequently, their false doc- trines and perverse ideology
may be refuted by reference to the authentic sources of Islam,
the Holy Qur'an, the authentic Sunnah, and the example of the
Companions of the Prophet (Allah's blessings and peace be upon
him).
7. This kind
of "favoritism" has been repeated throughout different eras. It
was due to the sending of propagandists claiming such lofty goals
of reconciliation that Iraq was converted from a Sunni country
containing a Shi'ite minority to a state which is predominantly
Shi'ite.
8. "Wali"
has several meanings, the relevant ones in this context being
"the closest friend and associate" and "the one upon whom has
been conferred legal authority to rule; vicegerent". The person
intended by this term in the quoted passage is obviously `Ali
(may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet's cousin and the
fourth caliph. By forging such a verse the Shi'ite are attempting
to give credence to their perverse view that the only legal caliph
was `Ali and that the right to the caliphate belongs to Ahlil-Bait
(the members of the Prophet's family) alone. This they tried to
do by claiming divine revelation as a source of this belief of
theirs, so it was expedient to forge a Qur'anic verse, in order
to support their false position.
9. Noeldeke,
History of Copies of the Qur'an, Vol. 2, p. 102.
10. Zanaadiq
is the plural of zindeeq. a Persian word meaning one who speaks
heresy, or who has deviated from the truth. It is also applied
to disbelievers or atheists or free-thinkers. (cf., Lisanul-Arab
Vol. 10. p. 147).
11. The meaning
of this statement, allegedly made by 'Ali in the course of an
argument with an unnamed zindeeq. is obscure, to say the least.
We may surmise from the context that a discussion or dispute had
been taking place between them, 'Ali having been attacked in repudiation
of his supposed insistence that he possessed that missing one
third of the Qur'an, which according to Shi'ite belief was deleted
by the Companions of the Prophet. This is a concoction of the
Shi'ites, falsely attributed to 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with
him), in order to bolster their attempt to prove the alteration
of the Qur'an. As for the verse cited as proof of deletion from
the Qur'an, there is unanimous agreement among the Sunni commentators
on the Qur'an that, after a careful analysis of the structure
of the verse and its context, it may be paraphrased as follows:
"If any of you has an orphan girl under his guardianship and he
fears that he may not do her justice by granting her an appropriate
dowry if he were to marry her, then let him marry other women
of his choice." For further details see Ibn Katheer Tafseerul
Qur'an al-'Adheem. Vol. 1, p. 449.
12. By the
'hypocrites", Abu Mansoor At-Tabarsi means the Companions of Allah's
Messenger (Allah's blessing and peace be upon him), for it was
they who collected the Qur'an, the 'Uthmani version which was
adhered to and applied by 'Ali during the period of his caliphate.
If the statement attributed to 'Ali in At-Tabarsi's Al-lhtijaaj
had really come from him, it would have been treachery against
Islam on his part, to possess and conceal some missing portion
of the Qur'an and not make it public, nor apply its principles,
nor, circulate it amongst his subjects during the period of his
caliphate. Clearly At-Tabarsi has insulted and defamed 'Ali, since
what he has written actually implies treachery and deception on
'Ali's part.
13. Muhammad
Mahdi Al-Asfahani Al-Kaathini, Ahsanul-Wadee'ah, Vol 2, p. 90.
14. Al-Kulaini,
Al-Kaafi, 1278 A.H., p. 54
15. Al Azhar
Maazine, 1372 A.H., p. 307.
16. Al-Kulaini,
Al-Kaafi, 1278 A.H., p. 75
17. Al-Hazarn,
Al Fisal fil Millal wan-Niha1, Vol. 2, p. 78 and Vol. 4, p. 182.
18. Jibt means
an idol or a sorcerer, or one who claims to tell the future. Taaghoot
is a name applied to any object or person worshipped apart from
the one God, Allah.
19. Al-Mamqaani,
lanqeehul-Maqaal fee Ahwaalir-Rijaal, 1352 A.H.,Vo. 1,p207.
20. The day
of 'Ashooraa is the tenth day of Muharram of the Muslim lunar
calendar. and it has Great significance for the Shi'ites. It is
the culmination of long days of bitter grieving and vicious self-inflicted
pain which they observe annually in commemoration of he death
of Imam Hussain, the grandson of the Prophet (saws). who was martyred
at Karbala in Iraq.
21. One naturally
questions here why his grandfather 'Ali bin Abi Taalib did not
do just that during the period of his rule. Is his twelfth generation
descendant more sincere than 'Ali in his service of the Qur'an
and Islam?
22. Bai'at
ur-Ridwaan is the pledge of allegiance and support by the Companions
to the Prophet, with which Allah was well pleased, as is clearly
indicated by the verse revealed regarding it. The pledge was given
to the Prophet by a group of approximately fourteen hundred Companions
(amongst them Abu Bakr and 'Umar) who had headed out with him
towards the Holy City of Mecca, unarmed and intending to perform
the rites of the minor pilgrimage to Allah's sacred house, the
Ka'bah, in the sixth year of the Hijrah (emigration of the Prophet
and his Companions from Mecca to Medina). When they arrived at
Hudaibia, a small village near Mecca, the tribe of Quraish forbade
them entrance to the city and news spread that they had slain
the emissary the Holy Prophet had sent to them. Upon this the
Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) took the
pledge of allegiance to his cause and for the defense of Islam
against the disbelievers in case war should have to be resorted
to. See t-Tabari's Tareekhur-Rasul wal-Mulook, Vol.
4, pp. 72-81.
23. Qur'an,
48:18.
24. Al-Khaalisi
has somehow reasoned that by using the word "believers" in this
verse, Allah is implying that some of those who swore allegiance
were not believers. Al- Khaalisi concludes from this that the
Sunnis are mistaken in using this verse to prove that all those
who gave the pledge were believers, and that Allah was pleased
with them. In fact, the only way Al-Khaalisi's interpretation
would be credible is if the text read: "... Allah was pleased
with the believers among them, when they swore allegiance to you..."
25. Al-Kulaini,
Al-Kaafi,
26. Ibid
27. Ibid
28. Ibid
29. Ibid
30. Ibid
31. Ibid
32. Ibid
33. The Mu'tazilaite
sect introduced speculative dogmatics into Islam
34. The concept
of the Muslim nation separating into seventy-three sects, is taken
from authentic traditions such as the following related by Abu
Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him): "The Messenger of Allah
said: 'The Jews separated into seventy-one sects, and the Christians
into seventy-two, and my nation will divide into seventy-three
sects." This was recorded in the compilations of Abi-Dawood, Al-Tirmidhi,
Ibn Majah and others, with an authentic chain of transmitters.
There is also narrated, in the compilations of Abi Dawood, Ad-Darimi,
Ahmad and others the statement: "Seventy-two [of the seventy-three
sects of the Muslim nation] will be in the fire, and one only
will be in Paradise; it is the Jama'ah [i.e. Ahlus-Sunnah wal
Jama'ah]." In yet another narration the, final statement is: "All
of these [sects] will be in the fire except one; it is the Jama'ah."
Finally, there is another narration which states: "The Companions
asked: 'Which sect will triumph [i.e., achieve salvation]?' The
Prophet replied: 'The sect which adheres to that [set of beliefs
and practices] which I and my Companions adhere to."' It should
be clear from these traditions that the one sect, out of the seventy-three,
which is to gain salvation, is the Ahlus-Sunnah, the only segment
of the Muslim community which strictly adheres to that which the
Holy Prophet and his noble Companions adhered to.
35. The name
"Rawaafid" (Rafidites, Rafida) is applied generally, to all the
various sects of the Shi'ites, the first of which appeared during
'Ali's time. Among them are the A-Saba'eeah who told 'Ali that
he was God, as a result of which he ordered them to be burned
to death. Others followed, amongst them the Zaidiah, the Imamiah,
and the Keesaaniah. They differ from each other greatly and often
we find one denying the iman of the other. The term rawaafid means
literally rejectors, and was first used when the followers of
Zaid son of 'Ali Zain-ul-'Abideen, the son of Al-Husain son of
'Ali bin Abi Taalib, demanded that he disown the two caliphs Abu
Bakr and 'Umar. Upon hearing their demand Zaid said: "They were
both ministers of my grandfather of the Prophet Muhammad], therefore
I will not disown them." Hearing this, the followers of Zaid rejected
him and parted from him, hence the name Rawaafid (rejectors).
It later came todenote all the Shi'ah, who claimed to be partisans
of the family of the Prophet Muhammad (Allah's blessings and peace
be upon him).
36. The two
shahaadas are the two testifications of faith which are as follows:
"I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and I bear witness
that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."
37. Zakaah
is the obligatory alms-tax assessed on accumulated wealth, and
distributed among the poor.
38. The Nusairis
(also known as 'Alawis) are a Shi'ite sect that has a particularly
fanatic devotion to 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). They
hold that Allah appears in the form of certain persons on the
earth, and since there were no persons after the Prophet of Allah
better than 'Ali and his sons, Allah manifested Himself in them
and spoke with their tongues.
39. Abdul
Qaahir Al-Baghdaadi states the Sunni position in Al-Farqu bainal-Firaq:
"They unanimously agreed that the ruling of disbelief must be
made regarding a person who has called a kaafir any of the ten
Companions whom the Prophet (may Allah's blessings and peace be
upon him) testified would be among the inhabitants of Paradise."
He also said that it is waajib (compulsory) to give a verdict
of kufr (heretical disbelief) in the case of anyone who considers
any of the Companions to be disbelievers.
40. Qur'an
43:86
41. Ibn Katheer.
Al-Bidaayah wan-Nihaayah Vol. 8. p. 233
42. The Companions
of Muhammad are considered the best of creation after the Prophets
and Messengers of Allah.
43. It is
a Shi'ite tradition that Taqiyyah is my faith and the faith of
my forefathers. They also say that whosoever does not practice
taqiyyah. he has no faith. ' Further. it is mentioned in Al-lslamu
Sabeelus-sa'aadah was-salaam that "If a person expected harm to
befall him or his wealth in the general public order. it is incumbent
upon him to abandon the order of enjoining the good and forbidding
the evil. This ruling is one of the peculiarities specific to
the Shi'ites, and is called at-taqiyyah." Clearly. if this were
to be followed to the letter, even Jihad (holy struggle for the
sake of Allah) could be abandoned. and this would be definitely
in contradiction to the command of Allah the Exalted.
