A. INTRODUCTION
The name “Shī‘a” or “Shi‘ite” entered the Western
media’s common vocabulary during the Islamic Revolution of Iran, and it is being
frequently heard now in context of the war in Iraq when reporters or
commentators say that sixty to sixty-five percent of the Iraqis are “Shi‘ite” or
“Shī‘a Muslims”.
If you travel across the Middle East and Asia, you will
soon realize that besides the similarity and uniformity found among the Muslims
on basic issues, there is also a great diversity in the world of Islam. Not only
in the composition of its membership but also in thought and practice: there are
different theological sects and a variety of spiritual brotherhoods.
However, the most the important division in Islamic theology has placed the
Muslims into two main schools of thought: the Sunni and the Shī‘a. The Muslims
who believe that ‘Alī was the immediate successor and caliph of Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w.) are known as “Shī‘a”. The name “Shī‘a” is a short form of the Arabic
phrase: “Shī‘atu ‘Alī – a follower of ‘Alī.” ‘Alī, son of Abu Tălib, was the
cousin and the son-in-law of the Prophet of Islam. [see note 1 below]
Out of almost a billion Muslims in the world, about fifteen percent are Shī‘a
Muslims......
It is important to note that in most Muslim communities
and for most part of the their history, the Shī‘as have lived in peace and
harmony with the Sunni Muslims. Polemics in religious writings on both sides has
been part of our history, but that was limited to the learned and the educated
elite, and it never degenerated into physical violence against one
another. Unfortunately, in the last twenty years, the Shī‘a Muslims have been
persecuted on religious and political grounds in certain Muslim countries,
especially in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq. In Pakistan, by the Sipah-e Sahaba
group; in Afghanistan, by the former Taleban government; and in Iraq, by
Saddam’s former regime.
B. WHO IS A MUSLIM?
The Sunnis and the Shī‘as both are Muslims, so let us
first define a “Muslim”. A Muslim is one who believes in the following three
principles of Islam:
Monotheism (Tawhíd).
This is the belief that there is only One God who is the origin and creator of
the universe. This is the foundation stone of Islam and is reflected in the
famous sentence that says that, “I bear witness that there is no god but Allâh”.
Prophethood (Nubuwwa).
This is the belief that God sent thousands of prophets and messengers to guide
the human society. Some of the most important prophets of God in whom a Muslim
must believe are: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad (peace be upon
them all).
A Muslim must also believe that Prophet Muhammad was the last prophet and final
messenger of God. No prophet or messenger is to come after him. This is
reflected in the famous saying: “I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger
of God”.
Resurrection and Life Hereafter (Qiyâmat).
This is a belief that at the end of time, all human beings will be resurrected
by God and will be held accountable for their worldly life. The life in
hereafter will be an eternal life. However, whether it will be blissful or full
of sorrow depends on how we spend our present life.
All Muslims agree that the above three principles are the minimum requirement
for joining into the fold of Islam. Anyone who does not believe in all three of
the above principles cannot be called a Muslim.
All the Muslims —the Sunnis as well as the Shī‘as— also agree on the following
important issues:
The Qur’ăn is the Word of God revealed upon Prophet Muhammad, and that it is
unaltered, and the main source of Islamic views. For example, one of the
earliest Shī‘a scholar, Shaykh as-Sadűq (d. 381/991), said: “Our belief is that
the Qur’ăn, which Allăh revealed to His Prophet Muhammad (s) is the one between
the two covers. And it is that which is in the hands of the people, & is not
greater in extent than that… And he who asserts that we say that it is greater
in extent than this (the present text) is a liar.” Not only this most famous of
the early Shī‘a scholar believes in the integrity of the Qur’ăn, even the most
famous contemporary scholar of the Shī‘a world, the Grand Ayatullăh Sayyid Abul
Qăsim al-Khu’ī has written, al-Bayăn, in which he convincingly proves the
integrity of the Qur’ăn. (You may see its English translation published by the
Oxford University Press in 1998 under the title “The Prolegomena of the Qur’ăn”.)
The Sunna (sayings and deeds) of the Prophet of Islam is, after the Qur’ân, the
main source of guidance for the Muslims.
The Ka‘ba in Mecca is the symbolic House of God, and that Muslims face its
direction whenever they stand for their daily prayers.
The following famous tenets of Islam are accepted by both Muslims, the Sunni as
well as the Shī‘a:
* the five daily prayers (salât),
* the fasting during the month of Ramadhân (sawm),
* paying of religious charity and monetary dues (like zakât),
* the performing of pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj).
C. WHO IS A SHĪ‘A MUSLIM ?
A Shī‘a Muslim believes in all the issues mentioned
above. What makes a Shī‘ī different from a Sunnī are two main concepts:
leadership and justice.
(1) Leadership (imâmat):
Shī‘ī school of thought believes that Islam is a complete way of life, and
therefore it is inconceivable that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
would have ignored the issue of leadership after his death.
Shī‘as are of the opinion that the Prophet not only gave importance to the issue
of leadership and succession but also clearly appointed ‘Ali bin Abi Tâlib as
his successor and caliph, and also mentioned that the leadership of Islam will
continue in his family. We believe that whatever the Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) did was done in accordance with the will of God. The Sunni Muslims are
of the opinion that Prophet Muhammad set no guidelines for the institution of
leadership after his death, and that it was upon the Muslims themselves to come
up with a system of leadership. And, therefore, you see a variety of methods
were used for appointment of leaders and caliphs:
through a limited selection by a small group of people in Saqīfa as happened in
the case of the first caliph;
through a will written by the first caliph appointing the second;
through a committee of six people hand-picked by the second caliph as happened
in case of the third caliph;
through people’s power when the masses insisted on ‘Ali to become their ruler;
through military superiority as witnessed in case of Mu‘awiya; and also
through hereditary in case of the Umayyids and the ‘Abbasids.
Shī‘ism bases its arguments on the divine precedence in which God never left the
issue of leadership in the hands of the people; He appointed the prophets and
their successors. Professor Wilfred Madelung of the Oxford University makes an
interesting observation in his book, The Succession to Muhammad, published in
1997. He writes, “The Qur’ăn advises the faithful to settle some matters by
consultation, but not the succession to prophets. That, according to the Qur’ăn,
is settled by divine election, and God usually chooses their successors, whether
they become prophets or not, from their own kin.” (p. 17) The Prophet of Islam,
from the very first day of his mission started introducing ‘Ali bin Abi Tâlib as
his successor. He clarified that this was done by the will of God.
Names of the Shí‘a Imams (successors of the Prophet)
and their era of leadership:
1. ‘Ali bin Abi Talib 632-661
2. Hasan bin ‘Ali 661-669
3. Husayn bin ‘Ali 669-680
4. ‘Ali Zayn al-‘Abidin 680-712
5. Muhammad al-Băqir 712-735
6. Ja‘far as-Sădiq 735-765
7. Musa al-Kăzim 765-799
8. ‘Ali ar-Riza 799-818
9. Muhammad bin ‘Ali 818-835
10. ‘Ali an-Naqi 835-868
11. Hasan al-‘Askari 868-873
12. Muhammad al-Mahdi 873-Living in Occultation.
The Twelfth Shí‘a Imam (or successor of the Prophet) is believed to have gone
into occultation (that is, he is alive but is not known to anyone). This
occultation will last till the reappearance of the Twelfth Imam as the Saviour
who will establish the Kingdom of God on earth. The Shí‘as believe that the
Mahdi will be assisted in his mission by Jesus.
Appointment of ‘Ali by the Prophet:
From the very first day of his mission, Prophet Muhammad started introducing
‘Ali bin Abi Tâlib as his successor. Islam began when the Prophet Muhammad
became forty years old. Initially, the mission was kept a secret. Then three
years after the advent of Islam, the Prophet was ordered to commence the open
declaration of his message. This was the occasion when Almighty Allăh revealed
the verse “And warn thy nearest relations.” (26:214)
When this verse was revealed, the Prophet organized a feast that is known in
history as “Summoning the Family — Da‘wat dhu ’l-‘Ashīra”. The Prophet invited
around forty men from the Banu Hăshim and asked ‘Ali bin Abi Tălib to make
arrangements for the dinner. After having served his guests with food and
drinks, when the Prophet wanted to speak to them about Islam, Abu Lahab
forestalled him and said, “Your host has long since bewitched you.” All the
guests dispersed before the Prophet could present his message to them.
The Prophet then invited them the next day. After the feast, he spoke to them,
saying:
“O Sons of ‘Abdu ’l-Muttalib! By Allăh, I do not know of any person among the
Arabs who has come to his people with better than what I have brought to you. I
have brought to you the good of this world and the next, and I have been
commanded by the Lord to call you unto Him. Therefore, who amongst you will
support me in this matter so that he may be my brother (akhhí), my successor (wasiyyí)
and my caliph (khalifatí) among you?”
This was the first time that the Prophet openly and publicly called the
relations to accept him as the Messenger and Prophet of Allăh; he also uses the
words “akhí wa wasiyyí wa khalífatí— my brother, my successor, my caliph” for
the person who will aid him in this mission. No one answered him; they all held
back except the youngest of them — ‘Ali bin Abí Tălib. He stood up and said, “I
will be your helper, O Prophet of God.”
The Prophet put his hand on the back of ‘Ali’s neck and said:
“Inna hadhă akhhí wa wasiyyí wa khalífatí fíkum, fasma‘ű lahu wa atí‘ű — Verily
this is my brother, my successor, and my caliph amongst you; therefore, listen
to him and obey.” [3]
This was a very explicit statement because the audience understood the
appointment of ‘Ali very clearly. Some of them, including Abu Lahab, even joked
with Abu Tălib saying that your nephew, Muhammad, has ordered you to listen to
your son and obey him! At the least, this shows that the appointment of ‘Ali bin
Abí Tălib was clear and explicit, not just implied.
After that, the Prophet at various places emphasized the issue of loving his
Ahlul Bayt, seeking guidance from them, and drew the attention of the people to
the special status that they had in the eyes of God and His Messenger. (See
42:23)
Then the Formal Declaration:
Finally, just two months before his death, the Prophet clearly appointed ‘Ali in
Ghadir Khumm as the leader (religious as well as political) of the Muslims. He
said, “Whomsoever’s Master I am, this ‘Ali is his Master.” He also said, “I am
leaving two precious things behind, as long as you hold on to them both you will
never go astray: the Book of Allăh and my progeny.” [4]
Question: Why have many Western scholars ignored the event of Ghadir Khumm?
Since Western scholars mostly relied on anti-Shi‘a works, they naturally ignored
the event of Ghadir Khumm. L. Veccia Vaglieri, one of the contributors to the
second edition of the Encyclopaedia of Islam (1953), writes:
“Most of those sources which form the basis of our knowledge of the life of
Prophet (Ibn Hishăm, al-Tabari, Ibn Sa‘d, etc.) pass in silence over Muhammad’s
stop at Ghadir Khumm, or, if they mention it, say nothing of his discourse (the
writers evidently feared to attract the hostility of the Sunnis, who were in
power, by providing material for the polemic of the Shī‘is who used these words
to support their thesis of ‘Ali’s right to the caliphate). Consequently, the
western biographers of Muhammad, whose work is based on these sources, equally
make no reference to what happened at Ghadir Khumm.” [5]
Then she writes:
“It is, however, certain that Muhammad did speak in this place and utter the
famous sentence, for the account of this event has been preserved, either in a
concise form or in detail, not only by al-Ya‘kubi, whose sympathy for the ‘Alid
cause is well known, but also in the collection of traditions which are
considered canonical, especially in the Musnad of Ibn Hanbal; and the hadiths
are so numerous and so well attested by the different isnăds that it does not
seem possible to reject them.” Vaglieri continues, “Several of these hadiths are
cited in the bibliography, but it does not include the hadíth which, although
reporting the sentence, omit to name Ghadir Khumm, or those which state that the
sentence was pronounced at al-Hudaybiya. The complete documentation will be
facilitated when the Concordance of Wensinck have been completely published. In
order to have an idea of how numerous these hadiths are, it is enough to glance
at the pages in which Ibn Kathir has collected a great number of them with their
isnads.”
(2) Justice (`adl):
The Shī‘a school of Islamic thought values justice so highly that the belief in
justice has become its hallmark in theological books. The Shī‘as believe that
justice must prevail and exist at all stages of existence. They believe that God
is just in His dealing with mankind; that God does not compel anyone to believe
or to disbelieve in Him; that God does not compel human beings to do good or
evil — it is entirely left upon them to make the right choice in light of the
guidance provided by the prophets and messengers. This belief in importance of
justice permeates down to human level: the Shī‘as believe that the Prophet and
the Imams who succeeded him must also upheld highest standard of justice; that
even the religious leaders and prayer-leaders must be upright in their
character. Based on this emphasis of the concept of justice, Shī‘a Muslims are
not permitted to co-operate or work with an unjust and tyrant ruler, and they
are also expected to strive for a just social order in human society. This is
the underlying basis of the various Shī‘ī movements in history in which they
have risen against the rulers and governments of their own times.
C. SUMMARY OF SHĪ‘A BELIEFS
In conclusion, a Muslim is one who believes in the following three principles
Monotheism — Tawhíd.
Prophethood — Nubuwwa.
Life Hereafter — Qiyâmat.
A Shi‘a Muslim is the one who believes in the following five principles
Monotheism — Tawhíd.
Prophethood — Nubuwwa.
Life Hereafter — Qiyâmat.
Justice — `Adl.
Leadership — Imâmat.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
[1] Prophet Abraham has been described in the Qur’ăn by both names: “muslim –
one who submits to God” (3:67) as well as “shī‘a –follower (of Prophet Noah)”
(37:79-83)
[2] See Moojan Momen, An Introduction to Shi‘i Islam (London: Yale University
Press, 1985) p. 282 that is somewhat outdated now. Also see the figures given by
Yann Richard, Shi‘ite Islam, tr. Antonia Nevill (Oxford: Blackwell, 1995) p.
2-5. The figures in these two books have been modified with the information
given in the latest versions of various encyclopaedias.
[3] Most Muslim historians and commentators of the Qur’ăn have quoted this
event. See the following Sunni sources: at-Tabari, at-Ta’ríkh, vol. 1 (Leiden,
1980 offset of the 1789 edition) p. 171-173; Ibn al-Athír, al-Kămil, vol. 5
(Beirut, 1965) p. 62-63; Abu ’l-Fidă’, al-Mukhtasar fi Ta’ríkhi ’l-Bashar, vol.
1 (Beirut, n.d.) p. 116-117; al-Khăzin, at-Tafsír, vol. 4 (Cairo, 1955) p. 127;
al-Baghawi, at-Tafsír (Ma‘ălimu ’t-Tanzíl), vol. 6 (Riyadh: Dar Tayyiba, 1993)
p. 131; al-Bayhaqi, Dală’ilu ’n-Nubuwwa, vol. 1 (Cairo, 1969) p. 428-430; as-Suyuti,
ad-Durru ’l-Manthűr, vol. 5 (Beirut, n.d.) p. 97; and Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanzu
’l-‘Ummăl, vol. 15 (Hyderabad, 1968) pp. 100, 113, 115. For further references,
see ‘Abdu ’l-Husayn al-Aminí, al-Ghadír, vol. 2 (Beirut, 1967) pp. 278-289.
In English see, Rizvi, S. Saeed Akhtar, Imamate: the Vicegerency of the Prophet
(Tehran: WOFIS, 1985) pp. 57-60. For an elaborate discussion on the isnăd and
meaning of the Prophet’s hadíth in this event, and also the variations in the
early Sunni and Shi‘a sources, see Dr. Sayyid Tălib Husayn ar-Rifă‘í, Yawmu
’d-Dăr (Beirut: Dar al-Azwă’, 1986).
[4] For further discussion on the event of Ghadír Khumm, see the chapter “Ghadír
Khumm & the Orientalists” of my Shi'ism: Imamate & Wilayat.. For authenticity of
this version of the hadíth (that is, “Book of Allăh and my progeny” as opposed
to “Book of Allăh and my sunnah”), see the Sunni author, Hasan bin ‘Ali as-Saqqăf,
“The Book of Allăh and What Else?” The Right Path, vol. 6 (# 3 & 4 Oct-Dec 1997)
p. 44-49.
[5] EI2, p. 993 under “Ghadir Khumm”.
* * *
by Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi
In the name of Allăh, the Kind, Merciful.
All Praise is due to Allăh, the Lord of the Universe.
May God shower His blessings upon Prophet Muhammad & his progeny.
( the above article was sourced from www.jaffari.org/aibc )
The Truth withstands scrutiny
writen by Sheikh Ali Abu Talib
You can tell a vision from an illusion by close examination. "But the deeds of
those who cover their perception to shield ignorance from the ego-annihilating
effects of the Light of the Truth are like (a person moving towards) a mirage in
the Desert; the thirsty one supposes it to be water until he comes up to it and
finds that it is not." (Qur'an 24:39)
People thirsty for spiritual knowledge, wandering in the desert of worldliness,
selfishness, and nationalism (tribalism, racism, sexism, elitism, materialism,
intellectualism, ritualism, etc.) will run after an illusion and nearly (if not
actually) deify the person who pointed them in the direction of the mirage. Then
comes a person Allah sends who knows where the real oasis is. He or she tries to
get the pitifully misguided people to stop and realize that this thing they
think is real can be seen through. It lacks substance. It's illusionary.
Undeniable proof makes it obvious that he or she is correct. Yet, that God-sent
guide is often viewed with contempt and sometimes hostility, by mommy, daddy,
preachers, teachers, governors, and their own children, students, disciples, and
political constituents who have come to revere the illusion as unquestionable,
infallible truth.
The issue I wish to examine is the controversial issue of Imamah –
Divinely-Guided Leadership. I am not using this title, Imam (leader), generally.
I am talking about the extremely high office, right next to Prophethood that can
only be held by a man chosen by God, and His Messenger, and the Imam preceding
him, starting with Ali, son of Abu Talib (peace be upon him). I contest that
this is the office that preserved the real meaning of the Ummal Kitab (Mother of
the Book) and the infallible Muhammadan explanations. I thus call you to a
revolution of consciousness, conscience, and behavior.
No one can claim to believe in Allah and not believe in His Most High Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny). The Message would not be known
without this Most Truthful and Trustworthy Messenger, who never spoke without
Allah's Infallible Permission. So many times in the Qur'an does Allah say, "Obey
Allah, and His Messenger", "Obey Allah, and His Messenger", "Obey Allah and His
Messenger." It does not say, "Obey Allah, and His Book." When we obey what is in
the Book, we are obeying Allah. The Book is not Allah. But the Book is God's
Infallible Word. Prophet Muhammad did not compose the Book. Allah composed the
Book. And the Book commands us (I count 37 times) to obey Allah and His
Messenger.
The obvious question is, how do we obey Allah's Messenger? He died 1400 years
ago. We still greet him in prayers with salams, and he is the most revered man
on earth. We still feel his presence. But he is no longer with us in the
physical to guide by verbal orders or example. Does his death then abrogate
these 37 verses revealed in the Holy Qur'an? Prophet Muhammad allegedly said, "I
will leave you with two things that, if you follow them, you will not stray: The
Book of God and…."
Here is where the controversy enters. Most Muslims believe that the second of
the two things which the Prophet bequeathed to us is his traditions (Sunnah).
Great! If I obey what is in the Book, I obey Allah. And if I follow the
traditions of Prophet Muhammad, I obey the Messenger, continuing Divine guidance
after the Prophet's passing.
Problem! Which set of reports contain the most reliable traditions of the Holy
Prophet?
It is obvious. We simply cannot exclusively rely on the Qur'an without
Muhammad's Prophetic input. Allah Himself through the Qur'an testifies to that
fact. All of our questions and directions are not covered by the Qur'anic Text.
Qur'an commands us to offer our prayers. But the Qur'an does not tell us how to
offer the prayers. Do we hold our hands or drop them to the side? Can women lead
prayers? Can women and men stand side by side in prayers? What is Wajib
(compulsory)? What is forbidden? How can we know for sure?
Prayer is just one issue. There are also the issues of Zakat, Khums, private and
public property, Hajj, fasting, at least fifty menstruation issues, what
constitutes proof in prosecuting fornication, theft, rape, murder, etc.? When is
homicide justifiable? How do you perform the wedding rites, burial rites, birth
rites, etc.? The issues just go on, and on, and on. The Qur'an has no answer to
any of these questions. During Muhammad's time, there issues were decided by
him. His decisions were enshrined by Muslim scholars and clerics into books of
sacred traditions (Hadith). But political/economic/social forces broke
the original Muslim community into sects. There was only one Prophet, but there
are over 100 contradictory "traditions" reported on some of these issues! There
are over 200 variations of prayer in the four so-called "Sunni" schools of
Islamic law alone! Where did all these "traditions" come from?
Adult Muslims, men and women, need to acquire a fair degree (at least) of
political sophistication. The Muslim community was never, and is not now, a
monolithic Shangri-La. Problems with opportunists, ego-centric narrow minded
zealots, the spiritually weak, the gullible, and all kinds of criminals existed
during Prophet's time. Allah gave the Prophet's community power. Ambitions rose
like weeds in the hearts of the undeserving. The Muslim governments ceased being
ruled by saintly men very early on. For the most part, whoever controls the
government writes the history. In a theocracy, the party in charge builds the
Masajid (mosques), and ego controls the pulpit. So how did so many traditions
appear, contradicting one another?
Sultans, Shahs, kings, and other arrogant impotent potentates claimed to be the
heirs to Prophet Muhammad's authority. Since they often lacked knowledge of
Qur'an and Sunnah, they always made sure they tied the turban on somebody who
would not get too big for his britches. And if they did, they were executed.
Independent scholars who attracted a following were considered princely rivals
and killed quickly, without ceremony, record or remorse. Most Muslims never knew
the "go down". Loose ends were cut off and/or denied public access. Each one of
the Top Eleven descendants of Prophet Muhammad, who were considered the
Divinely-Chosen Imams (peace be upon them), was murdered!
Ali ibn Abu Talib was assassinated in the mosque during morning prayers in
Ramadan by a lunatic fanatic. His other ten top descendants met their deaths at
the hands of jealous Muslim rulers. Ali's son Hasan was assassinated by his own
wife, who was an agent of the governor of Syria, Muawiyah (son of the Prophet's
arch enemy Abu Sufyan). Muawiyah was Imam Ali's worst enemy. Muwayiah's son
brutally butchered Imam Hussain, Hasan's brother, and almost all the males in
his entire family! Yazid ibn Muawiyah ambushed Hussain's small entourage of 73
males and a few less females with a whole battalion (literally) of cavalry men.
They were detained in the desert during summer, for three days deprived of food
and water. They were then set upon and slaughtered. Seventy-two men, boys, and
infants were murdered. The other top-ranked eight descendants were all poisoned
in prison without fanfare, as most Muslim scholars who rise out of obscurity are
murdered today – without remorse, record, or legitimate reason. The deed is most
often done so quietly; it doesn't even make the papers.
In the meantime, "the monkeys" that the governments pay and train to become
religious scholars and clerics keep right on guessing about these issues. They
are not trained to know what the Prophetic Precedents. They are trained to lick
the hand that feeds them. So each one is jealous of the other one. The ones that
work in the Big Mosques are jealous of anyone who might compete for their fat
cat cushy job. And the ones who work in the little mosques are envious of the
fat cats and anyone who exhibits more brilliance than they do in Islamic
learning and understanding (which is not usually too difficult).
Therefore, petty, jealous, government-sponsored, pseudo-intellectual, wannabe
religious leaders are bogusly enshrined and continue to enshrine all kinds of
personal opinions and pseudo-religious government policies as Prophet Muhammad's
Sunnah. They suppress the people's natural curiosity and keep them ignorant and
Qur'anically illiterate. These mosques are operated without dynamic programs or
imaginative agencies designed to solve the people's problems of poverty,
ignorance, disunity, and the intrusion on Islamic populations by anti-Islamic
influences from both foreign and domestic sources.
In fact, the cleric caretakers of the Masjids act to opiate the people until the
sultans, kings, and presidents need them to whip the people up to get involved
in another "Jihad" to keep their profligate parties in power. Allah and His
Prophet did not entrust these people with the reins of leadership (Imamah) of
the Muslim community. They were usurped from their rightful owners by lovers of
power who never hesitate to use murder, intrigue, and nationalistic rhetoric to
accomplish their designs.
The Preservation of Prophet Muhammad's Traditions is the Most Important Function
of the Office of the Imamah
We strongly assert that this God-appointed office was given to none other than
Ali ibn Abu Talib. He in turn chose his successor (Imam Hasan ibn Ali) by God's
order, and Imam Hasan chose his successor, Imam Hussain. Imam Hussain chose his
successor, Imam Ali ibn Hussain, and so on, until the 12th Imam. Within these 12
houses, we find the Divine Light of the Prophetic Tradition. These men and their
top students preserved the Prophetic Tradition despite near relentless
government interference and brutal suppression. And today, since an Islamic
Revolution based on the principles taught by these twelve houses toppled one of
the world's oldest, richest, and most powerful, despotic monarchies on the
planet, the Shah of Iran, the Saudi royal propaganda machine has launched an
all-out attack on the Shias.
Five hundred thousand Shias lost their lives in Operation Desert Storm, and they
never touched Saddam. The whole thing was a set up and engineered by the filthy
oil "a-rich-a-crats," who saw themselves as next. So they staged a fictitious
threat and sic-ed their well-paid Kafir Super Jinns on the followers of the Imam
in southern Iraq. Kuwait was just bait. Saddam was never the target.
Saddam was an integral part of the set-up. Saddam and his elite forces who
terrorized their own people for decades were never touched. They did, however,
obliterate Saddam's Shia enemies on international television. The whole world
watched, and they still don't know what happened. Can you imagine the Prophet
Muhammad calling in the whole Kafir world to Arabia in order to defend himself
from anybody? Yet Muslim clerics all over Arabia produced Hadiths showing the
legitimacy of King Fat Head's action. The Muslims didn't even scratch their
heads. This episode of the Muslims being hoodwinked to back might rather than
right is just a continuation of what happened almost 1400 years ago.
After Imam Ali and Imam Hasan, the Muslim nation was ruled by the very same
family whom Prophet Muhammad struggled against in Mecca and Medina. I am
referring to none other than the infamous family of the arch statue worshiper
Abu Sufyan. This is the same Abu Sufyan whose wife chewed on the liver of
Prophet Muhammad's Uncle Hamza, whom she also had assassinated. This is the
mother and father of the first Muslim dynasty, the Omayyad. How they rose to
power, stepping over the corpses of the Prophet's family whom they murdered, is
a lesson in Machiavellian tyranny.
Then the Family of Abbas rose to revenge Al-Hussain and restore the reins of
power to the Holy Imam. Abbas was the youngest brother of Abu Talib. He
apparently did not support the Prophet but rather supported Abu Sufyan until
Mecca was conquered. He then became a Muslim. Opportunism? God knows.
All but two of the Omayyad chiefs were mercilessly executed. These two fled to
Africa. The Abbasid forces gave chase but lost the trail in Egypt. These Abbasid
forces founded the city of Cairo on the spot where they lost their escaped
fugitives. The fugitives escaped to North Africa. There they founded the Moorish
Omayyad Dynasty that ruled Spain for 800 years! A mosque was built on the spot
where the Abbasid warriors congregated for Salat. This masjid was called Al-Azhar,
after Prophet Muhammad's daughter Fatimah Zahra (peace be upon her).
Unfortunately, the Abbasids reneged on their intention to restore the reins of
power to the Imam. Though the Abbasids claimed to be Shia, the taste of power
corrupted them to their core. The Imam (Ja'far as-Sadiq – founder of Islamic
jurisprudence) was jailed and poisoned by his cousin, the Abbasid Commander. The
four (so-called) Sunni Imams, Abu Hanifa, Malik, Shafa'i, and Hanbal, were paid
to contest with the Imam in an attempt to diminish his almost universal
popularity. All four of these "Imams" were former students of the Imam!
Yes! It was the Imam-murdering, nepotistic Omayyads who paid a man from Bukhara
to collect "Hadiths" from their paid agents. The most famous of these most
often-quoted sources of Prophet's sayings and deeds was Abu Hurayra. Abu Hurayra,
whose association with Prophet did not begin until after the battle of Khayber,
was a fixture in the Omayyad palace in Syria. He was an active agent for
Muawiyah ibn Abu Sufyan, the governor of Syria and the arch enemy of Imam Ali
and Imam Hasan ibn Ali.
One needs to study the life of Abu Hurayra. Many of the narrations he rendered
and said he heard the Prophet say are true, but he could not have heard the
Prophet say these things, because he was not even Muslim, nor did he live in
Medina at the time! Many narrations he reports are flat out fiction to build up
his employers, the Banu Omayya and/or put down Banu Hashim or the family of Abu
Talib. Yet this man is the most often repeated source of "authentic" traditions!
In the meantime, wives of the Prophet like Umm Salamah, who was very close to
the Holy Prophet and lived a very long time, were practically overlooked. Fizza,
the Ethiopian companion of Fatimah, the greatest of all Hafizs (male or female),
was ignored. Fatimah was ignored. All the grandsons of Prophet and their sons
and daughters were ignored. All the Imams were ignored. All of their top
students, whose dissertations, supplications, essays, and poems are the basis of
classical Islamic culture, were ignored. With all these wells of wisdom ignored
while ignoramuses like Abu Hurayra were raised to the level of infallibility by
a government grateful for his "Uncle Tom" services, it is no wonder why
ignorance dominates the Muslim psyche. Muslims acted and continue to act like
Prophet never said:
"I am the City of Knowledge, and Ali is the Gateway to It."
It is very unwise to think that you are a Muslim who does not follow somebody's
account of Prophet Muhammad's traditions. And it is equally unwise to follow a
school of thought blindly, without knowledge of the pros and cons. Open your
eyes, and wake up. Do not be stubborn and arrogant. We are never too young or
too old to grow in knowledge. Only a fool refuses to face facts. Only a bigot
prefers the false status quo to the unveiled Truth of a matter. There is no
shame in not knowing. But there is great shame in not knowing because one has
covered up his or her perception, so ignorance is shielded from the
ego-annihilating effects of the Light of the Truth. It is big shame, and a
bigger sin.
"As for those who cover their perception to truth, I will chastise them," says
Allah. (Qur'an 3:56) "Cursed by the tongue of David were those from the Children
of Israel who cover their perception of truth." (5:78) "And a party of the
Children of Israel believed, and a party were those who cover their perception
to truth." (61:14)
The issue that faces us is the same issue that faced the mosaic dispensation of
Islam. Will we accept the Divinely-Guided Leadership of the Imams and their top
students' account of the Prophet's traditions, or will we wallow in racist,
tribal, nationalistic, cultural error, following lusts, rejecting curiosity and
reason, condemning scholarship, and empowering murderers?
When truth is applied, falsehood must flee the way darkness flees from light.
Only a Satan stands in defiance of the Evident Truth. And the Truth not only
will withstand scrutiny. It invites scrutiny.
(Shaikh Ali Abu Talib is a revert to Islam and a former student of Imam Mubarak
Hassan, Sayyid Masoom Abidi, and Ayatollah Murtadha Qazwini. He is the
co-founder and organizer of Jamaatul Muqeemoonas Salat, GrassRoots Calling, and
the QINA (Qur'anic Institute Of North America) Projects.)