Saturday, September 19, 2009
Imam Zainul Abideen (as) Warning To The Ummavis Tyrants
Imam Zainul Abideen (as) says:
I warn you o people from the duniya, this is a land that changes so quickly and you will move.
It will take its people from one place to another (rich will become poor, strong will become weak). If it was ever lasting for those before you, then you wouldn't have got it. It has destroyed the corrupt centuries before you, the snakes and the worms in the graves have eaten them up, as if they have never inhabited this earth. It made them from looking beautiful to looking scary (in their graves). Do you think you will not die? You will always follow their suits.
Change this lifespan you have into good deeds so that you can take something with you to the akhira.
Shia Scholar Says "Namaz is not counted if you don't Khums"
The 12r shia pay 20% of their saving to their scholars every year. The Scholar then takes that money and decides how to divide it. Most of the money is spent toward religious services. Here is a shia scholar who says that that its a big sin to not pay khumms. He gives an example saying that even if you don't pay khumms for the turbah that you purchase from Iran/Iraq then your namaz becomes invalid.
One of the main reasons the 12r shias sect is powerful is because of khums. Just listen to lecture from the 5:00 min mark.
The only problem I have this is its made compulsory on 12r shia fiqh, and according to them it invalidates the namaz. I know many shias who refuse to pay khums. In fact one of my shia friends just died and he left a wife and his kids behind. The local majalis is asking the family to pay khums from his inheritance. Instead the shia family adopted the sunni belief when it comes this case. I can understand 2.5 for Zakat but 22.5% ? Now that's too much.
One of the main reasons the 12r shias sect is powerful is because of khums. Just listen to lecture from the 5:00 min mark.
The only problem I have this is its made compulsory on 12r shia fiqh, and according to them it invalidates the namaz. I know many shias who refuse to pay khums. In fact one of my shia friends just died and he left a wife and his kids behind. The local majalis is asking the family to pay khums from his inheritance. Instead the shia family adopted the sunni belief when it comes this case. I can understand 2.5 for Zakat but 22.5% ? Now that's too much.
Are Sunnis Following the Enemies of the Ahlul Bayt ?
A 12rs told me that I was the following of the enemies of the Ahlul Bayt, since I was a non-shia. Then I told him to watch his mouth. Then the 12r replied by telling me that I should get offended because there is a possibility that even he can be following the enemies of Ahlul bayt. He added that I should research and discover the truth, and find out who stands where.
Here is his exact quote. He edited the first reply, but I still manged to store his second reply.
bro i have told u before and i will say again please please please follow The Holy Quran and dont assume bad things about your fellow brothers or sisters.
firstly i will not be the one debating bcz its been a long time since my research and ive gotten rusty takes a few months to get back all that information and i found someone more capable also bro i did see more than one lecture however i refused to look into the details and review it.
secondly what i said goes both ways we could be the ones following the enemies of Allah (AW) there is no "agenda" what u see is what u get with me.
However, what the 12r shia failed to reliaze, just like any other average 12rs is that I have been around shia for a long time. Therefore, the material the 12rs present me from answering ansaar, al-islam.org, pesharwar nights and Tijani's books will not shock me. It might world for a laymen sunni, but these sources fail on sunnis who are educated about the shia sect. After the shia posted the line where he stated "what i said goes both ways we could be the ones following the enemies of Allah," I told him that he may have a point.
After doing a little research I managed to find a clip where a shia scholar admits that a group of Shia will prepare for the Mahdi like how the Jews prepared for RasoolAllah (sawas). The Jews when the time came they themselves became the enemies of RasoolAllah(sawas). Likewise the shia scholar says a group of shias too will become the enemies of Imam Mahdi (as) as well.
Translation:
Inshallah ! The Imam will come with the most advanced technology. According to a narration, at the time of his appearance knowledge will be leveled at 23 different stages. The Imam (as) will have knowledge of all 23 stages and the enemy will have the knowledge of only two stages out of the 23 stages of knowledge. Therefore, with all this knowledge that the Imam has he will eliminate all his enemies. For us shias instead of looking toward at military power and weapon technology, there is another aspect that we have to focus on. That aspect is our to duty to increase our level of imaan, our belief in the imam, our aqeeda, and the most important one to focus on is how we are going to guard ourselves from sinning. These are the requirement that will make us the true shia/soldiers of Imam Mahdi (as). Our weapons and technology power will not impress the imam to believe that we are his supporters, but what is important for our imam to see is that we have purified souls. If your soul is purified then you will be able to get close to the Imam (as). Today, our souls have been polluted, so we have opened up ports to our spirituality which allow Shayataan to whisper his evil messages toward our hearts and minds. Therefore, with this negative status we will only end up going against the imam. For example the Jews, they made preparations for RasoolAllah (sawas) for centuries and millenniums, and when the Prophet (sawas) appeared they instead started opposing him. The Jews of Khaybar originally settled there and made bases to prepare for the coming of the Prophet (sawas). On the contrary, those preparations ended working against RasoolAllah (sawas). The reason for that is the Jews did not purify their souls, and they didn't prepare their children to become faithful believers. The result of their preparation became inevitable, and the Jews began to oppose the Prophet (sawas). The same downfall will occur during the time of the Imam (as). Shia will present themselves as shias but they will lack imaan, not follow what is binding on them, not have purified souls, and as a result shias themselves will end up becoming the Imaam's enemies. So the real preparation is to strengthen your imaan, and not worry about which weapon's technology which will exist at the time. The military power and weapon's technology is the secondary stage and not the primary preparation for the imam.
My advise to the sunnis is not to waste time with such closed minded shias. They are only online to insult you and your madhab. As for shias, if you think by using this type of lip service is contribution to Islam, then you are wrong. Please review the aklaaq of Ahlul Bayt (as).
Here is his exact quote. He edited the first reply, but I still manged to store his second reply.
bro i have told u before and i will say again please please please follow The Holy Quran and dont assume bad things about your fellow brothers or sisters.
firstly i will not be the one debating bcz its been a long time since my research and ive gotten rusty takes a few months to get back all that information and i found someone more capable also bro i did see more than one lecture however i refused to look into the details and review it.
secondly what i said goes both ways we could be the ones following the enemies of Allah (AW) there is no "agenda" what u see is what u get with me.
However, what the 12r shia failed to reliaze, just like any other average 12rs is that I have been around shia for a long time. Therefore, the material the 12rs present me from answering ansaar, al-islam.org, pesharwar nights and Tijani's books will not shock me. It might world for a laymen sunni, but these sources fail on sunnis who are educated about the shia sect. After the shia posted the line where he stated "what i said goes both ways we could be the ones following the enemies of Allah," I told him that he may have a point.
After doing a little research I managed to find a clip where a shia scholar admits that a group of Shia will prepare for the Mahdi like how the Jews prepared for RasoolAllah (sawas). The Jews when the time came they themselves became the enemies of RasoolAllah(sawas). Likewise the shia scholar says a group of shias too will become the enemies of Imam Mahdi (as) as well.
Translation:
Inshallah ! The Imam will come with the most advanced technology. According to a narration, at the time of his appearance knowledge will be leveled at 23 different stages. The Imam (as) will have knowledge of all 23 stages and the enemy will have the knowledge of only two stages out of the 23 stages of knowledge. Therefore, with all this knowledge that the Imam has he will eliminate all his enemies. For us shias instead of looking toward at military power and weapon technology, there is another aspect that we have to focus on. That aspect is our to duty to increase our level of imaan, our belief in the imam, our aqeeda, and the most important one to focus on is how we are going to guard ourselves from sinning. These are the requirement that will make us the true shia/soldiers of Imam Mahdi (as). Our weapons and technology power will not impress the imam to believe that we are his supporters, but what is important for our imam to see is that we have purified souls. If your soul is purified then you will be able to get close to the Imam (as). Today, our souls have been polluted, so we have opened up ports to our spirituality which allow Shayataan to whisper his evil messages toward our hearts and minds. Therefore, with this negative status we will only end up going against the imam. For example the Jews, they made preparations for RasoolAllah (sawas) for centuries and millenniums, and when the Prophet (sawas) appeared they instead started opposing him. The Jews of Khaybar originally settled there and made bases to prepare for the coming of the Prophet (sawas). On the contrary, those preparations ended working against RasoolAllah (sawas). The reason for that is the Jews did not purify their souls, and they didn't prepare their children to become faithful believers. The result of their preparation became inevitable, and the Jews began to oppose the Prophet (sawas). The same downfall will occur during the time of the Imam (as). Shia will present themselves as shias but they will lack imaan, not follow what is binding on them, not have purified souls, and as a result shias themselves will end up becoming the Imaam's enemies. So the real preparation is to strengthen your imaan, and not worry about which weapon's technology which will exist at the time. The military power and weapon's technology is the secondary stage and not the primary preparation for the imam.
My advise to the sunnis is not to waste time with such closed minded shias. They are only online to insult you and your madhab. As for shias, if you think by using this type of lip service is contribution to Islam, then you are wrong. Please review the aklaaq of Ahlul Bayt (as).
Friday, September 18, 2009
Hadhrat Abdur Rahman bin Abu Bakr (ra) refuses to Accept Wealth From Muawiyah
The Incident with Hadhrat Muawiya (RAD) Hadhrat Abdul Azeez bin Hadhrat Abdur Rahman bin Auf (RAD) narrates that Hadhrat Muawiya (RAD) once sent a hundred thousand dirham’s to Hadhrat Abdur Rahman bin Abu Bakr (RAD) after he refused to pledge allegiance to Yazid who was the son of Hadhrat Muawiya (RAD). Hadhrat Abdur Rahman (RAD) refused to accept the money saying, “Should I sell my deen for my worldly gain?” He then proceeded to Makkah where he passed away (1)
1. Hakim (vol.3 Pg. 476) Zubayr bin Bakkar has reported a similar narration, as quoted in isabah (vol 2 pg 408)
1. Hakim (vol.3 Pg. 476) Zubayr bin Bakkar has reported a similar narration, as quoted in isabah (vol 2 pg 408)
Tabarra (Character Assissination) Against Imam Ali (as) and the Fatimids (children of Bibi Fatima)
Q. Please enlighten us more on the topic of Hadrat Muawiya (rad). Is it true that the Ummayyads ‘manufactured consent’ by spreading forged ahadith in his praise (Hadrat Muawiya) and is it true that the descendents of Fatima Zahra (radi allahu ta’ala anha) were openly insulted during the Ummayyad reign, and that ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (radhi allahu anhu) was openly rebuked and abused during their reign?
A. Yes, unfortunately, during the reign of the Ummayyads, which commenced with Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan, the descendents of the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) were openly insulted and their father, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (radiallahu ta’ala anhu) was openly and officially condemned, abused and rebuked from the pulpits every Jum'ah for a period of 90 years.
Here is a quote from a reliable neutral source on the subject, Allamah Shibli Nu'mani's book Sirat-An-Nabi, Vol. 1, p. 60
"Traditions were first formed in book form in the days of Ummayads, who, for about 90 years, throughout their vast dominions stretching from the Indus in India to Asia Minor and Spain, insulted the descendents of Fatima and got Ali openly censured* in Friday sermons at the mosques. They had hundreds of saying coined to eulogize Amir Muawiya…
Today, we find none of this rubbish in the Hadith literature”
Source: Sirat-An-Nabi (The Life of the Prophet), by Allamah Shibli Nu'mani, rendered into English by M. Tayyib Budayuni. Rightway Publications, New Delhi, India. From Vol 1. p.60
“Censured” means to vehemently disapprove, an official reprimand, to reproach in a harsh or vehement manner, and is synonymous to rebuke, condemn, abuse and chide. May Allah save us!
And Allah Knows Best!
Ahmed Amiruddin
10th of Muharram, 1429 Hijri
http://www.alsunnahfoundation.org/rbk.html
A. Yes, unfortunately, during the reign of the Ummayyads, which commenced with Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan, the descendents of the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) were openly insulted and their father, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (radiallahu ta’ala anhu) was openly and officially condemned, abused and rebuked from the pulpits every Jum'ah for a period of 90 years.
Here is a quote from a reliable neutral source on the subject, Allamah Shibli Nu'mani's book Sirat-An-Nabi, Vol. 1, p. 60
"Traditions were first formed in book form in the days of Ummayads, who, for about 90 years, throughout their vast dominions stretching from the Indus in India to Asia Minor and Spain, insulted the descendents of Fatima and got Ali openly censured* in Friday sermons at the mosques. They had hundreds of saying coined to eulogize Amir Muawiya…
Today, we find none of this rubbish in the Hadith literature”
Source: Sirat-An-Nabi (The Life of the Prophet), by Allamah Shibli Nu'mani, rendered into English by M. Tayyib Budayuni. Rightway Publications, New Delhi, India. From Vol 1. p.60
“Censured” means to vehemently disapprove, an official reprimand, to reproach in a harsh or vehement manner, and is synonymous to rebuke, condemn, abuse and chide. May Allah save us!
And Allah Knows Best!
Ahmed Amiruddin
10th of Muharram, 1429 Hijri
http://www.alsunnahfoundation.org/rbk.html
Parents of The Holy Prophet (sawas)
Q. What do you say regarding the religion of the parents of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)?
A. "But honor belongs to Allah and His Messenger, and to the Believers; but the Hypocrites know not"(al Munafiqoon 63:8)
It is our belief that the Prophet's parents (Hadrat Abdullah and Hadrat Amina) were both true Believers, and they were granted the greatest of honors, in that they were the parents of the Master of Both Worlds (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).
The proof of their Iman this is found in the following verse of the Holy Quran:
"Wa tawakkal `ala al-`azizi-r-rahim al-ladhi yaraka hina taqum wa taqallubaka fi-s-sajidin"
"And rely on the Almighty, the Merciful, Who sees you when you rise up, and your descending (lit. "taking turns") among those who fall prostrate in worship." (al-Shu`araa 26:217-219)
The author of Tafsir Uthmani comments:
"Some of the earlier writers have said that in this verse 'sajidin' represents the fathers [ancestors] of the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), that is, the translation [i.e. transmission] of the Light of the Last Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) from one prophet to the other prophet culminating in the external appearance of the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) in this world of matter. The scholars said by this verse the Iman of both of the Prophet's parents is confirmed." 1
May Allah bless Muhammad, and the family of Muhammad!
Ahmed Amiruddin
1. Allama Shabbir Ahmad Uthmani, Tafsir Uthmani, trans. Muhammad Ashfaq Ahmad (Bombay: Taj Publishers, 1992) vol. 2, p. 1657.http://www.alsunnahfoundation.org/parents1.html
Hadrat Abu Talib was a Momin
Q. What is the true position regarding the religion of Abu Talib, the uncle of the Messenger of Allah and the father of Ali?
A. The author of the well renowned book Sirat-An-Nabi, Allamah Shibli Nu'mani believed that Hadrat Abu Talib was a Believer and he recited the Kalima at the time of his death in presence of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) into the ears of Al Abbas.
He also disregarded the narrations of Muslim and Bukhari as being unreliable because their narrator was not only a Kafir himself at the time when he allegedly witnessed this event, but states that he was actually not even present in the room with the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Abu Talib and the Prophet’s uncles and therefore, this tradition is "not worth taking as reliable".
Here is the excerpt from Allamah Shibli Nu'mani's book Sirat-An-Nabi, from Vol 1. "Death of Khadija and Abu Talib" P. 223-224:
“The Prophet asked Abu Talib to recite the credo of Islam La illa ha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah, so that he might bear witness to his faith in the presence of Allah (SWT). Abu Jahil and Ibn Umayya expostulated with Abu Talib and asked if he was going to turn away from the religion of Abd al-Muttalib. In the end, Abu Talib said he was dying with his belief in the religion of Abd al Muttalib. Then he turned to the Prophet (S) and said that he would have recited that creed, but he feared lest the Quraish should accuse him of the fear of death. The Prophet (S) said that he would be praying to Allah for him till He forbade. This is the version of Al Bukhari and Muslim. Ibn Ishaq says that while dying Abu Talib's lips were in motion. Abbas, (the Prophet's uncle)...put his ears to his lips and said to the Prophet (S) that he was reciting the KALIMA the Prophet (S) had wanted of him. It is on account of these conflicting reports that there is such a difference of opinion regarding the Islam of Abu Talib. But as the version of Al Bukhari is generally considered to be more trustworthy, the traditionalists hold him to have died an unbeliever.
But from a traditionalist point of view, this report of Al Bukhari is not worth taking as reliable because the last narrator is Musaiyyab who embraced Islam after the fall of Mecca and was not himself present at the time of Abu Talib's death. It is on this account that Al Aini, in his commentary has remarked that this tradition is mursal.” (Nu’mani, Sirat-An-Nabi, Vol.1 p.224)
And Allah Knows Best!
Ahmed Amiruddin
Source:
Tafsir Uthmani, Allama Shabbir Ahmad Uthmani, trans. Muhammad Ashfaq Ahmad (Bombay: Taj Publishers, 1992) vol. 2, p. 1657.
http://www.alsunnahfoundation.org/Abu_Talib.html
Al-Khidr is Alive
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH,
THE MERCIFUL, THE COMPASSIONATE
And from Him do we seek help
The First Letter
By Said Nursi
In His Name, be He glorified!
And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise.
[This consists of the brief answers to four questions]
FIRST QUESTION
Is Hazrat Khidr alive? If he is alive, why do some important religious scholars not accept this?
T h e A n s w e r : He is alive, but there are five degrees of life. He is at the second degree. It is because of this that some religious scholars have been doubtful about it.
The First Level of Life is that of our life, which is very restricted.
The Second Level of Life is that of the lives of Khidr and Ilyas (May Allah grant them peace), which is free to an extent. That is to say, they can be present in numerous places at the same time. They are not permanently restricted by the requirements of humanity like us. They can eat and drink like us when they want to, but are not compelled to like us. The saints are those who uncover and witness the realities of creation, and the reports of their adventures with Khidr are unanimous and elucidate and prove this level of life. There is even one degree of sainthood which is called ‘the degree of Khidr.’ A saint who reaches this degree receives instruction from Khidr and meets with him. But sometimes the one at that degree is mistakenly thought to be Khidr himself.
The Third Level of Life is that of Idris and Jesus (May Allah grant them peace) which, being removed from the requirements of humanity, enters an angelic life and acquires a luminous fineness. Quite simply, Idris and Jesus are present in the heavens with their earthly bodies, which have the subtlety of bodies from the World of Similitudes and the luminosity of star-like bodies. The Hadith the meaning of which is, “At the end of time, Jesus (Upon whom be peace) will come and will act in accordance with the Shari’a of Muhammed (PBUH),” indicates that at the end of time the religion of Christianity will be purified and divest itself of superstition in the face of the current of unbelief and atheism born of Naturalist philosophy, and will be transformed into Islam. At this point, just as the collective personality of Christianity will kill the fearsome collective personality of irreligion with the sword of heavenly Revelation, so too, representing the collective personality of Christianity, Jesus (Upon whom be peace) will kill the Dajjal, who represents the collective personality of irreligion, that is, he will kill atheistic thought.
The Fourth Level of Life is that of the martyrs. According to the Qur’an, the martyrs have a level of life higher than that of the other dead in their graves. Since the martyrs sacrificed their worldly lives in the way of truth, in His perfect munificence, Almighty Allah bestows on them in the Intermediate Realm a life resembling earthly life, but without the sorrow and hardship. They do not know themselves to be dead, thinking only that they have gone to a better world. They enjoy themselves in perfect happiness and do not suffer the pains of separation that accompany death. For sure the spirits of the dead are immortal, but they know themselves to be dead. The happiness and pleasure they experience in the Intermediate World are not equal to that of the martyrs. Like if two men in their dreams enter a beautiful palace resembling Paradise; one knows that he is dreaming and the pleasure and enjoyment he receives are deficient. He thinks: “If I wake up, all this enjoyment will disappear.” While the other man does not know he is dreaming, and he experiences true happiness and pleasure.
The way the martyrs and other dead benefit from life in the Intermediate Realm is thus different. It has been established by innumerable incidents and narrations and it is certain that the martyrs manifest life in that way and think that they are alive. Indeed, this level of life has been illuminated and proved on repeated occasions by many occurrences like Hamza (May Allah be pleased with him) - the lord of the martyrs - protecting those that have recourse to him and performing and making performed matters in this world. I myself, even, had a nephew and student called Ubeyd. He was killed at my side and in my place and became a martyr. Then, when I was being held as a prisoner-of-war at a place three months’ distance away, I entered his grave in a true dream, which was in the form of a dwelling-place under the earth, although I did not know where he was buried. I saw him living the level of life of martyrs. He evidently thought that I was dead, and said that he had wept much for me. He thought that he was alive, but having retreated from the Russian invasion, had made himself a good home under the ground. Thus, through a number of conditions and indications, this unimportant dream afforded the conviction as certain as witnessing it concerning the above-mentioned truth.
The Fifth Level of Life is that of the life of the spirits of the dead in their graves. Yes, death is a change of residence, the liberation of the spirit, a discharge from duties; it is not annihilation, non-existence, and a going to nothingness. Many evidences like innumerable occurrences of the spirits of the saints assuming forms and appearing to those who uncover the realities, and the other dead having relations with us while awake or sleeping and their telling us of things that are conformable with reality, - evidences like these illuminate and prove this level of life. In fact, the Twenty-Ninth Word about the immortality of man’s spirit demonstrates this level of life with incontrovertible proofs.
Who is Elia in the bible ? Is it Imam Ali (as) ?
This shia scholar says its Imam Ali (as). He is wrong. The Ahle Sunnah concludes its Prophet Ilyas (as), and the Jews here were looking for him here. Prophet Ilyas (as) is believed to be still alive in both shia and sunni sources, and this is why the Jews were looking for him.
Now just because I am in a disagreement here it doesn't mean I am denying the merits of Imam Ali (as). In fact in the sunni book Hazrat Qadhi Ayyadh Maliki says in his famous book "as-shifa" that:
Rasul Allah(s) said that on Mi'raj He(Sallallaho alaihi wa aalihi wassallam) saw written on the Arsh 'There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, I(swt) helped Him(S) with Ali(A).
We don't need to rely on speculations when it comes to Imam Ali (as) merits. Imam Ali (as) in reality has uncountable merits.
12 Princes from Prophet Ismail (as)
The 12r shias claim that the 12 Princes mentioned in the bible are the 12 imams of the Ummah ? Are they correct ? No! The 12 princes here refer to another set of descendants that descended from Prophet Ismail (as)
The Definition of 'Arabs' and The Twelve Tribes of Ishmael
By Sayyid Ahmed Amiruddin
The Definition of 'Arabs' and The Twelve Tribes of Ishmael
By Sayyid Ahmed Amiruddin
Q. Who is an 'Arab', and how would you define 'Arab' according to the religion of Islam?
A. Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem.
“Allah did choose Adam and Noah, the House of Abraham, and the House of 'Imran above all people, Offspring, one of the other: And Allah heareth and knoweth all things." (Holy Quran, Sura 3, V. 33-34) and,
"Or do they envy mankind for what Allah hath given them of his bounty? But We had already given the House of Abraham the Book and Wisdom, and conferred upon them a Mighty Kingdom" (Holy Quran, Sura 4, V.54)
The correct definition for 'Arab' is, those persons who descend from the bloodline of the House of Abraham, through his eldest son Ishmael. This was also the correct view of the renowned Arab genealogist Hisham ibn Muhammad al-Kalbi (A.D. 737-819), known as Ibn al Kalbi, who established a genealogical link between Ishmael (alahi salam) and the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and wrote that the people known as 'Arabs' were specifically and only the descendants of Ishmael, from his twelve sons, who formed The 12 Tribes of Ishmael.
The Bible gives us the following record of these tribes:
"But as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: behold I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation." Genesis 17:20
"And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth, and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, Hadad and Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedmah. These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns and by their encampments; twelve princes according to their nations." Genesis 25:12-16
According to Islamic traditions, the names of the twelve sons of Ishmael (alaihi salam) are, Qedar, Fidmah, Bana Buth, 'Awil, Taqes, Masma', Taima, Jasham, Hadu, Duma, Yatur, and Massa . Madinah the Illuminated was inhabited by the descendents of Taima and Yemen by the descendents of Massa.
Allah's Apostle (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) descends from Qedar (Kedar) the son of Ishmael (alaihi salam). The Kedarites were a mighty tribe whose historical importance may be noted from the fact that they were mentioned in the pages of the Torah, Assyrian Tablets, and ancient Greek history. Aryan, Ptolemy and Pliny give clear mention of their existence in the Hijaz province of Arabia. (Forester, 'Arab Geography', Vol. 1, p.248)
And Allah Knows Best!
Sayyid Ahmed Amiruddin
http://www.alsunnahfoundation.org/Ishmaelites.htm
Imame Azam Abu Hanifa and Behlol Majzoob (ra)
Dr Tahir Ul Qadri talks about Imam Abu Hanifa (ra) being the student of Hz Behlol(ra) in Tasawuuf. He further states that Imam Abu Hanifa (ra) was the student of Ahlul Bayt imams such as Imam Zayd bin Ali (as), Imam Hassana Muthanna (as), Imam Abdullah bin Hassan (as), Imam Muhammad Al Baqir (as) and Imam Jafar as Sadiq (as).
The 12r shia myth about Abu Hanifa & Behlol Majzoob
The 12r shia usually quote this fabricated tradition to mock the status of Imam Abu Hanifa.
"Can pain be seen?"
Bahlool replied, "You yourself say that every present thing can be seen and you criticize Imam Jafar Sadiq by saying how is it possible that Allah is present, but invisible. Secondly, you wrongly claim that the clod of earth pains your head; because the clod of earth is made of mud and you were also created from mud. Then how can one kind of thing hurt the same type of substance? Thirdly, you yourself said that all acts are done by Allah. Then how can you say that I am guilty, present me to the Khalifa, complain about me, and demand punishment for me!"
Abu Hanifa listened to Bahlool's intelligent answers and shamefully left Haroun's court.
Notice it the end of this tradition it says Imam Abu Hanifa (ra) left Haroun Rashid court. Well the reality is Abu Hanifa (ra) did not live during the time of Haroon Rasheed rule.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) and Imam Abu Hanifa (ra)
It is reported in the esteemed Ahle sunnah scholar Shaykh Abu Zahra al Misiri's book on Imam Abu Hanifa (ra) that Imam Abu Hanifa (ra) stated that if he 'hadn't spent two years of his life with Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (as), he would have been destroyed' (Imam Abu Hanifa, Abu Zahra).
Also in the 12r shias book there is a narration where Imam Abu Hanifa's (ra) acknowledges that Imam Jafar as Sadiq (as) was the most exalted imam of the time.
Abu Hanifa acknowledges al-Sadiq's authority
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Umar al-Je'abi reported to me from Abu al-Abbas Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Saeed al-Hamadani, who reported from Ahmad b. Yahya Zakariyya; and Muhammad b. Abdullah b. Muhammad b. Salim among the latter ones, both of whom reported from Abdullah b. Salim, who reported from Hisham b. Mehran, who reported from his maternal uncle Muhammad b. Zayd al-Attar, who was among the prominent companions of A'armash, reporting from Muhammad b. Ahmad b. al-Hasan, reported from Munzir b. Jayfar, reporting from Muhammad b.Yezid Albani, who said:
I was present at Ja'far b. Muhammad's (AS), when Umar b. Qays al-Masir and Abu Hanifa and Umar b. Dharr, together with a group of their companions, called upon him. Then they asked him about faith (al-Iman). He said: The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "An adulterer (and a fornicator) does not commit that sin at the same time being a Mo'min, and a thief does not steal at the same time being a Mo'min, and one does not drink liquor (intoxicant) while being a Mo'min."
We started looking at each other, then Umar b. Dharr said: "What shall we call them?"
He, peace be upon him, said: "Call them the way Allah has called them because of their deeds. Allah in Qur'an says: 'And for a male thief and a female thief, cut off their hands' (al-Maedah V:38) and 'As for the fornicatress and the fornicator, flog each of them a hundred stripes.' (al-Noor V:2)." Hearing this, they stared at each other.
Muhammad b. Yazid says: Bishr b. Umar b. Dharr, who was with them, reported to me that: When we left, Umar b. Dharr said to Abu Hanifa: "Why did you not ask him who had reported from the Prophet?" He (Abu Hanifa) said: "What can I say to a man who (authoritatively) says: The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said."
(Al Amali, Mufid)
Dirar bin Damrah describes Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (as)
During Ali's caliphate, Ibn At-Tayyah once came to him and said, "O Leader of the Believers, the Muslim Treasury is filled with gold and silver."
"Allah is the greatest," was Ali's reply. He (ra) then ordered Ibn At-Tayyah to gather the people of Kufah. When everyone was present, Ali began distributing the wealth, all the while saying, "O yellow (gold) and white (silver), deceive someone other than me."
When all was said and done, Ali (ra) had finished distributing all of the wealth that was in the treasury. He then ordered for the inside of the treasury to be cleaned; and after this task was performed, Ali (ra)entered inside and performed two units of prayer.
After Ali (ra) died, Muawiyah bin Abu Sufyan (ra) said to Dirar bin Damrah," Describe Ali to me."
"Will you not excuse me from answering you," said Dirar.
"No, describe him," insisted Muawiyah (ra).
"Please, excuse me from doing so," said Dirar.
"I will not," said Muawiyah.
"I will do so, then," said Dirar with a sigh. "By Allah, he was (far-sighted) and very strong. He spoke with a truthful finality, so that, through him, truht became distinguished from falsehood. He ruled justly, and knowledge gushed forth from him, as did wisdom. He felt an aversion to the world and its (pleasures). By Allah, he would cry profusely (from the fear of Allah); long durations would he spend in contemplation, during which time he would converse with his soul. "
" He showed a liking ( for religious reasons, of course; to train his soul to be patient and abstemious) to coarse garments and lower quality food. By Allah, it was as if - in his humbleness - he was one of us: when we asked him a question, he would answer us; when we would go to him, he would initiate (the greetings of peace); and when we would invite him (to our homes), he would come to us. Yet, in spite of his closeness to us, we would not speak (freely) with him, because of the dignity and honour that he exuded if he smiled, he revealed the likes of straight and regular pearls (i.e. his teeth). He honoured religious people and loved the poor. The strong person could not hope to gain favours from him through falsehood. And the weak person never lost hope of his justness. I swear, by Allah, that on certain occasions, I saw him in his place of prayer when the night was dark and few stars could be seen; he would be holding his beard and crying the way a very sad person cries; and I would hear him saying, "O world, O world, are you offering yourself to me? Do you desire me? Never! Never! Decieve someone other than me. I have divorced you for the third time, so that you cannot return to me. O world, your life is short, the existence you offer is base, and your danger is great. Alas for the paucity of sustenance (i.e. good deeds), the great distance of the journey, and the loneliness of the road!"
Upon hearing this description, Muawiyah's eyes swelled with tears, and not being able to hold them from gushing forth, he was forced to wipe them with his cuffs; and the same can be said for those who were present. Muawaiyah (ra) then said, "May Allah have mercy on the father of Al Hasan, for he was, by Allah, just as you described him to be." He (ra) then said, "O Dirar, describe your sadness at having lost him."
"My sadness," began Dirar, "is like the sadness of a woman who cannot control her tears or allay her grief after her child, while in her lap, has just been slaughtered." Dirar then stood up and left.
"Allah is the greatest," was Ali's reply. He (ra) then ordered Ibn At-Tayyah to gather the people of Kufah. When everyone was present, Ali began distributing the wealth, all the while saying, "O yellow (gold) and white (silver), deceive someone other than me."
When all was said and done, Ali (ra) had finished distributing all of the wealth that was in the treasury. He then ordered for the inside of the treasury to be cleaned; and after this task was performed, Ali (ra)entered inside and performed two units of prayer.
After Ali (ra) died, Muawiyah bin Abu Sufyan (ra) said to Dirar bin Damrah," Describe Ali to me."
"Will you not excuse me from answering you," said Dirar.
"No, describe him," insisted Muawiyah (ra).
"Please, excuse me from doing so," said Dirar.
"I will not," said Muawiyah.
"I will do so, then," said Dirar with a sigh. "By Allah, he was (far-sighted) and very strong. He spoke with a truthful finality, so that, through him, truht became distinguished from falsehood. He ruled justly, and knowledge gushed forth from him, as did wisdom. He felt an aversion to the world and its (pleasures). By Allah, he would cry profusely (from the fear of Allah); long durations would he spend in contemplation, during which time he would converse with his soul. "
" He showed a liking ( for religious reasons, of course; to train his soul to be patient and abstemious) to coarse garments and lower quality food. By Allah, it was as if - in his humbleness - he was one of us: when we asked him a question, he would answer us; when we would go to him, he would initiate (the greetings of peace); and when we would invite him (to our homes), he would come to us. Yet, in spite of his closeness to us, we would not speak (freely) with him, because of the dignity and honour that he exuded if he smiled, he revealed the likes of straight and regular pearls (i.e. his teeth). He honoured religious people and loved the poor. The strong person could not hope to gain favours from him through falsehood. And the weak person never lost hope of his justness. I swear, by Allah, that on certain occasions, I saw him in his place of prayer when the night was dark and few stars could be seen; he would be holding his beard and crying the way a very sad person cries; and I would hear him saying, "O world, O world, are you offering yourself to me? Do you desire me? Never! Never! Decieve someone other than me. I have divorced you for the third time, so that you cannot return to me. O world, your life is short, the existence you offer is base, and your danger is great. Alas for the paucity of sustenance (i.e. good deeds), the great distance of the journey, and the loneliness of the road!"
Upon hearing this description, Muawiyah's eyes swelled with tears, and not being able to hold them from gushing forth, he was forced to wipe them with his cuffs; and the same can be said for those who were present. Muawaiyah (ra) then said, "May Allah have mercy on the father of Al Hasan, for he was, by Allah, just as you described him to be." He (ra) then said, "O Dirar, describe your sadness at having lost him."
"My sadness," began Dirar, "is like the sadness of a woman who cannot control her tears or allay her grief after her child, while in her lap, has just been slaughtered." Dirar then stood up and left.
Imam Ali and the Atheist Group
by Shaykh Nazim Al Haqqani
Once upon a time, there was a group of atheist. They requested to visit Sayyidina Ali (Allah blessings be upon him) in order to discuss an issue with him. They told the imam 'we are coming to visit you and we want to have a discussion.'
Sayyidina Ali replied ' We can have a discussion but if you want to have an argument then I don't have time because arguments are forbidden, but discussions are acceptable. The atheists made an agreement. The atheists started by saying 'You are an Imam, an Imam of Muslims. You are saying that there is another life on earth? You claim that this is a short life and beyond it there is an eternal life? You have faith in such a thing and you claim that in this world there are laws which dictate what is halal (lawful) and what is haram (forbidden). On top of that you pray, meditate and fast and practice other religious rituals. We see all these rituals to be a burden that only waste time, and restrict you from real freedom.
As you know freedom is very beautiful. In order to live freely you should have no restrictions on what is halal (lawful) and what is haram (forbidden) . Everything should halal (lawful), nothing should be haram (forbidden). This is our philosophical belief. With all these restrictions in your beliefs, you have go through so many difficulties. In our philosophical thought, we live freely without any restrictions. We do whatever we like. What do have left to say?'
Sayyidina Ali replied by questioning the atheists' accusations 'I am going to ask you one question. You claim that you are happy with your life because you are free to do anything you want and nothing is preventing you from fulfilling your egos? Is this the case? On top of that you accuse of us Muslims of carrying a heavy burden since we have laws on what is haram (forbidden) ? Then you add that on top of our restrictions we have services to commit such as praying, we fasting, giving charity, perform hajj etc ? Is this what you are concluding? ", Sayyidina Ali continued, 'One question! Do you ponder of day when we are going to leave this world and no longer be able practice this so called freedom?'
The atheist began thinking.
'Now people are either following laws and doing good or doing whatever they want. They continue doing this till their deaths.
The atheists replied ' Go on'.
"That means your freedom is going to come to an end one day. Are you getting pleasure from this freedom which is going to end one day? Are you aware this freedom has its limits ? You claim we are placing a burden on our selves by following religious rituals like praying, fasting, giving charity etc? Just like how the day of pleasure will end one day, our services to Allah has its deadline. The Imam continued "o unbelievers, materialists, and atheist people you are saying, there is nothing beyond our life and that and we are equal. But you must think since we service ourselves to Allah we also believe as result, we are going to go into a realm of endless pleasures instead of staying in realm of limited pleasure. Think about yourselves. What is going be a result when your pleasure days are over?' Imam Ali got the atheist to think deeper. What is going to happen when you die, and you discover there is a hell and a heaven? What would your position be? How did you prepare for the next world? In the next world if there is no hell and heaven then you and equal in status. But if there is a hell and a paradise then us believing in it is going get us into paradise and whereas you as result will be in loss. This loss will be a pathway to hell. Think about it!"
The atheists contemplated and said "O Imam. You are so right. Your opinion, what you saying, it is just 100% filling into our mentalities. Now that are beginning to understand, and we must take the safe route. The safe route is your way. The wrong way is our way and our philosophical thoughts.
We are now going to declare 'ashadu an la ilaha illallah, illallah, illallah, wa ashadu sayyidina Muhammadan abduhu wa habibihu wa rasulu sallallahu alayhi wa sal'lam"
Fatiha.
Once upon a time, there was a group of atheist. They requested to visit Sayyidina Ali (Allah blessings be upon him) in order to discuss an issue with him. They told the imam 'we are coming to visit you and we want to have a discussion.'
Sayyidina Ali replied ' We can have a discussion but if you want to have an argument then I don't have time because arguments are forbidden, but discussions are acceptable. The atheists made an agreement. The atheists started by saying 'You are an Imam, an Imam of Muslims. You are saying that there is another life on earth? You claim that this is a short life and beyond it there is an eternal life? You have faith in such a thing and you claim that in this world there are laws which dictate what is halal (lawful) and what is haram (forbidden). On top of that you pray, meditate and fast and practice other religious rituals. We see all these rituals to be a burden that only waste time, and restrict you from real freedom.
As you know freedom is very beautiful. In order to live freely you should have no restrictions on what is halal (lawful) and what is haram (forbidden) . Everything should halal (lawful), nothing should be haram (forbidden). This is our philosophical belief. With all these restrictions in your beliefs, you have go through so many difficulties. In our philosophical thought, we live freely without any restrictions. We do whatever we like. What do have left to say?'
Sayyidina Ali replied by questioning the atheists' accusations 'I am going to ask you one question. You claim that you are happy with your life because you are free to do anything you want and nothing is preventing you from fulfilling your egos? Is this the case? On top of that you accuse of us Muslims of carrying a heavy burden since we have laws on what is haram (forbidden) ? Then you add that on top of our restrictions we have services to commit such as praying, we fasting, giving charity, perform hajj etc ? Is this what you are concluding? ", Sayyidina Ali continued, 'One question! Do you ponder of day when we are going to leave this world and no longer be able practice this so called freedom?'
The atheist began thinking.
'Now people are either following laws and doing good or doing whatever they want. They continue doing this till their deaths.
The atheists replied ' Go on'.
"That means your freedom is going to come to an end one day. Are you getting pleasure from this freedom which is going to end one day? Are you aware this freedom has its limits ? You claim we are placing a burden on our selves by following religious rituals like praying, fasting, giving charity etc? Just like how the day of pleasure will end one day, our services to Allah has its deadline. The Imam continued "o unbelievers, materialists, and atheist people you are saying, there is nothing beyond our life and that and we are equal. But you must think since we service ourselves to Allah we also believe as result, we are going to go into a realm of endless pleasures instead of staying in realm of limited pleasure. Think about yourselves. What is going be a result when your pleasure days are over?' Imam Ali got the atheist to think deeper. What is going to happen when you die, and you discover there is a hell and a heaven? What would your position be? How did you prepare for the next world? In the next world if there is no hell and heaven then you and equal in status. But if there is a hell and a paradise then us believing in it is going get us into paradise and whereas you as result will be in loss. This loss will be a pathway to hell. Think about it!"
The atheists contemplated and said "O Imam. You are so right. Your opinion, what you saying, it is just 100% filling into our mentalities. Now that are beginning to understand, and we must take the safe route. The safe route is your way. The wrong way is our way and our philosophical thoughts.
We are now going to declare 'ashadu an la ilaha illallah, illallah, illallah, wa ashadu sayyidina Muhammadan abduhu wa habibihu wa rasulu sallallahu alayhi wa sal'lam"
Fatiha.
Imam Ali (as) The Father of Sufism
Ali is acclaimed as the "Father of Sufism". Most of the Sufi orders claim their descent from Ali. According to Ali Hajjweri, the rank of Ali is very high in the line up of Sufism. According to Junayd of Baghdad, Ali is the Shaykh as regards the principles and practices of Sufism.
The Holy Prophet and Sufism
The roots of Sufism lie embedded in Islam itself. There are numerous passages in the Holy Quran which are of a mystical character. The Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be on him) himself displayed mystical inclinations and he very often retired to the cave of Hirah for the purpose of devotions, meditation and contemplation. The Holy Prophet was recipient of two types of revelations, one embodied in the Holy Quran, and the other that illuminated his heart. The former was meant for all, the latter for a selected few whose hearts could be illuminated with the Divine Light. The knowledge of the Holy Prophet was thus book knowledge (ilm-i-Safina), and heart knowledge (ilm-i-Sina). Ali got this heart knowledge from the Holy Prophet. It is related that after the Ascension, the Holy Prophet awarded a mantle to Ali which led to the illumination of his heart.
Gnosis of God
According to Ali, the base of religion is the gnosis of God. He held: "The height of gnosis is His confirmation. The height of confirmation is Tauhid. The height of Tauhid is the acknowledgment of the supremacy of God in all matters. He is beyond all attributes. No particular of attribute can give an idea of His exact nature. He is not bound by anything; all things are bound by Him. He is Infinite, limitless, boundless, beyond time, beyond space, beyond imagination. Time does not affect Him. He existed when there was nothing. He will exist forever. His existence is not subject to the law of birth or death. He is manifest in everything, but He is distinct from everything, He is One. He is not the cause of anything, everything is because of Him. He is unique. He has no partner. He is the Creator. He creates as well as destroys. All things are subject to His command. He orders a thing to be and it is. Ali enjoined the severance of the heart from all things save God. Ali was asked what was the purest thing that could be acquired, and he said, "It is that which belongs to a heart made rich by God". When Ali was asked about gnosis, he said, "I know God by God, and I know that which is not God by the Light of God. " When asked whether he had seen God he said that verily he had seen God, for he could not worship Him unless he knew Him.
Prayers to God
When Ali used to pray, his hair would stand on end. He would tremble and say, "The hour has come to fulfil a trust which the heavens and the earth were unable to bear." Abu Darda, an eminent companion of the Holy Prophet, said, "None in this world has excelled Ali in prayer." While praying, so great was the intensity of the emotions of Ali that he would fall into a swoon. It is related that on one occasion, Abu Darda found Ali lying rigid on the prayer mat, and touching his cold body thought that Ali had breathed his last. Then he broke this news to Fatima. She said that Ali often became unconscious while praying. Abu Darda weeping profusely sprinkled some water on the face of Ali, and he regained consciousness. Seeing the tears in the eyes of Abu Darda, Ali said: "Why are you crying? You shed tears when you see me in this state. Imagine what will happen to me when the angels drag me into the presence of God, and I am forced to render an account of my deeds. They will bind me with fetters of iron, and present me before God and those of my friends who will happen to be witnesses will be powerless to help me. They will lament my unhappy plight, but none save God will be able to help me on that day. "
Communion with God
Very often, Ali would sob the whole night in prayers to God, and God would reward him with a glimpse of the Inner Vision. According to Ali, the highest purpose of knowledge is the awakening of latent spiritual faculties whereby one is enabled to discover his true and inner self. It is to this inner self that God reveals Himself when the self disappears in the vision of the "All Absorbing Reality." Ali often observed that man could have the joy and wonder of communion with God if one abandoned pride, disciplined the flesh, overcame the lust and submitted to the Will of God. He exhorted the people in his various sermons not to indulge in the gross licentiousness, which had characterized Arab society in the "Days of Ignorance." But should instead live in piety and simplicity as enjoined by Islam. Ali said, "Man is a wave in the boundless Sea of God. As long as man's vision is clouded by ignorance and sensuality he will consider himself a separate entity, different from God. But when the veil between him and God is lifted, he will then know what he really is, the wave will then merge with the ocean". Ali held that enlightenment is needed so that one can first get to know himself. Only then would he get to know God. Ali held that to this end religious exercises must be practiced. Sufism for which Ali stood derived its strength from the Shariah. Ali preached that any form of knowledge which failed to show the Infinite Reality in man was useless, because it could not fill that vacuum of which the aching soul of every individual was so pathetically conscious. Ali wanted men to be virtuous as virtues purify the soul, and it is only the purified soul that can be the recipient of spiritual enlightenment. This is the doctrine of Inner Light, which was enunciated by Ali as the core of Sufi thought. Ali is accordingly acknowledged as the "Father of Sufism" and the "Prince of Saints".
Doctrine of preference
Ali also enunciated the doctrine of preference. He stood for preferring the claims of others to one's own claims. He gave an outstanding demonstration of this doctrine when he slept on the bed of the Holy Prophet on the night of the Holy Prophet's migration from Makkah, when the infidels were seeking to slay him. Ali risked his life for the sake of the Holy Prophet, because of the preference that Ali gave to the life of the Holy Prophet as compared with his own life. After the death of the Holy Prophet, Ali considered that he was the most deserving person to be elected as the Caliph. When his claims were overlooked and other persons were elected as the Caliph, he offered them allegiance in pursuance of the doctrine of preference. It was this spirit of preference that motivated Ali to plunge on the thick of the battle to meet the challenge of the enemy regardless of his own personal safety. It is related that after the ascension, the Holy Prophet gave Ali a mantle, he asked him as to the use that he would make of the mantle. Ali said that he would use it to cover the faults of others. The true Sufi way lies in covering the faults of others.
Fasting
According to Ali, fasting was not a mere formality or a ritual; it was an exercise for the purification of the soul. Because of his constant fasting, Ali earned the epithets of "Qa'im-ul-Lail" (Praying most of the night without sleep), and "Sa'im-un-Nahar", (Fasting mostly during the day). Ali held that hunger sharpens the intelligence, and improves the mind and health. Hunger involves home affliction for the body, but it illumines the heart, purifies the soul, and leads the spirit into the presence of God. One who cultivates his spiritual nature by means of hunger in order to devote himself entirely to God and detach himself from worldly ties is at a much higher level than the person who cultivates his body by means of gluttony and lust. Ali acted on the advice of the Holy Prophet, "Fast so that perchance your hearts may see God in this world". And verily, because of his fasting and other spiritual exercises, Ali did see God in this world. The Holy Prophet had enjoined, "When you fast, let your ear, your eye, your tongue, your hand, and your every limb fast." Ali followed this advice in letter as well as in spirit. By the discipline of fasting, Ali was able to subordinate the physical senses to spiritual requirements in such a way that they could respond only to what was pure and became dead to what was impure. Ali thus led a purified life.
Zakat
Ali held: "Of the most meritorious acts of a believer, and one of the most acceptable things to God is Zakat. It behooves everyone to give charity, because from amongst the acts of worship this is the most pleasing to God." In his sermons, Ali exhorted the people in the following terms: "O ye people send a part of your wealth to God so that: it may stand you in good stead in the next world. Do not leave your entire wealth here so as to be a source to annoyance to you in the world to come". In the annals of the Arabs, Hatim Tai enjoys fame for his munificence and generosity. Ali outclassed Hatim in the matter of generosity. Some of the stories of his generosity which have attained the dimensions of legends are narrated in another Chapter of this book.
Pilgrimage
Ali was born in the Kaaba. He had, therefore, a strong emotional attachment for the Kaaba. Ali observed that the Holy Kaaba was sited in a territory known for its stony wastes and wilderness where no water was available. God had ordained the Muslims to bear the hardships involved in a journey through such inhospitable land cheerfully so that these very privations might ultimately become a source of salvation. The pilgrimage is symbolic of the fact that whatever hardship one bears in the trials of life and endeavors to fulfill the will of God, he acquires goodness and righteousness by them. The darkest thing in the world is the beloved's house without the beloved. What is really important for a lover is the beloved and not the house of the beloved. According to Ali the spirit of pilgrimage did not lie in a bare visit to the Kaaba, it lay in developing the inner vision whereby one could see God, the Lord of the Kaaba.
Jihad
Ali held that Jihad is the gateway to Paradise. He said: "God has opened this gate for His friend. It is the mantle of piety. It is the shield of faith. He who avoids it, God subjects him to disgrace".
Ali held that Jihad did not lie in merely taking up arms in the cause of God, it comprehends incessant struggle against falsehood in all spheres of life. Jihad is the main pillar on which Islam rests.
Repentance
The first stage in the path of Sufism is repentance. Repentance is described as the awakening of the soul from the slumber of heedlessness, so that the sinner becomes aware of his evil ways and feels contrition for past disobedience. Ali repeatedly prayed for the forgiveness of God. His typical prayer was: "O God, forgive me my sins of which you are more aware than me. And if I commit these sins again, even then forgive me. Whatever promises I had made with myself to follow Your commands have not been fulfilled. I seek Your forbearance if I have sought Your proximity with my tongue, but my heart did not keep pace with my tongue, overlook my lapse. O God, forgive me for my futile talk, vain desires and lapses of the tongue".
Detachment
Ali exhorted that while living in the world, one should not renounce the world, yet he should not have an undue attachment for the world. Detachment from the world is the means of attaining God. It is related that some one begged Ali to give him a precept. Ali said: "Do not let your wives and children be a cause of concern for you, for if they are the friends of God, He will look after His friends, and if they are the enemies of God, why should you take care of God's enemies?"
Patience
On the mystic way, the traveler has to meet many trials and tribulations. God subjects His lovers to severe testing, and he alone can pass such tests who is patient. Ali was the personification of patience, and for his patience he won the epithet of "Job, the Second". In the Battle of Uhud Ali received as many as sixty-one wounds so that his whole body looked like one big wound which the nurses could not dress. Ali though in mortal agony said: "May God grant me patience to bear this suffering. Is it not a favor of God that He gave me the courage to stand and fight, and not to leave the field?"
About the patience of Ali, Dr. Ata Moyudin writes as follows in his Ali, the Superman, "Ali used to say that at no time in his life had he ever known peace and tranquillity. From the time he went in infancy to the home of the Holy Prophet, it was a ferment of turbulence and turmoil. The Holy Prophet was constantly persecuted by the Makkan pagans. Then from adolescence onwards, Ali was constantly fighting in Jihad, and after the death of the Holy Prophet, he was embroiled against his wish, in the political intrigues of others. Even when elected Caliph, the implacable enemies of Islam arose and rebelled against him. Yet he bore all these afflictions with patience, thanking God that he had acquitted himself well in the tests and trials to which the Almighty had thought fit to subject him."
The Holy Prophet and Sufism
The roots of Sufism lie embedded in Islam itself. There are numerous passages in the Holy Quran which are of a mystical character. The Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be on him) himself displayed mystical inclinations and he very often retired to the cave of Hirah for the purpose of devotions, meditation and contemplation. The Holy Prophet was recipient of two types of revelations, one embodied in the Holy Quran, and the other that illuminated his heart. The former was meant for all, the latter for a selected few whose hearts could be illuminated with the Divine Light. The knowledge of the Holy Prophet was thus book knowledge (ilm-i-Safina), and heart knowledge (ilm-i-Sina). Ali got this heart knowledge from the Holy Prophet. It is related that after the Ascension, the Holy Prophet awarded a mantle to Ali which led to the illumination of his heart.
Gnosis of God
According to Ali, the base of religion is the gnosis of God. He held: "The height of gnosis is His confirmation. The height of confirmation is Tauhid. The height of Tauhid is the acknowledgment of the supremacy of God in all matters. He is beyond all attributes. No particular of attribute can give an idea of His exact nature. He is not bound by anything; all things are bound by Him. He is Infinite, limitless, boundless, beyond time, beyond space, beyond imagination. Time does not affect Him. He existed when there was nothing. He will exist forever. His existence is not subject to the law of birth or death. He is manifest in everything, but He is distinct from everything, He is One. He is not the cause of anything, everything is because of Him. He is unique. He has no partner. He is the Creator. He creates as well as destroys. All things are subject to His command. He orders a thing to be and it is. Ali enjoined the severance of the heart from all things save God. Ali was asked what was the purest thing that could be acquired, and he said, "It is that which belongs to a heart made rich by God". When Ali was asked about gnosis, he said, "I know God by God, and I know that which is not God by the Light of God. " When asked whether he had seen God he said that verily he had seen God, for he could not worship Him unless he knew Him.
Prayers to God
When Ali used to pray, his hair would stand on end. He would tremble and say, "The hour has come to fulfil a trust which the heavens and the earth were unable to bear." Abu Darda, an eminent companion of the Holy Prophet, said, "None in this world has excelled Ali in prayer." While praying, so great was the intensity of the emotions of Ali that he would fall into a swoon. It is related that on one occasion, Abu Darda found Ali lying rigid on the prayer mat, and touching his cold body thought that Ali had breathed his last. Then he broke this news to Fatima. She said that Ali often became unconscious while praying. Abu Darda weeping profusely sprinkled some water on the face of Ali, and he regained consciousness. Seeing the tears in the eyes of Abu Darda, Ali said: "Why are you crying? You shed tears when you see me in this state. Imagine what will happen to me when the angels drag me into the presence of God, and I am forced to render an account of my deeds. They will bind me with fetters of iron, and present me before God and those of my friends who will happen to be witnesses will be powerless to help me. They will lament my unhappy plight, but none save God will be able to help me on that day. "
Communion with God
Very often, Ali would sob the whole night in prayers to God, and God would reward him with a glimpse of the Inner Vision. According to Ali, the highest purpose of knowledge is the awakening of latent spiritual faculties whereby one is enabled to discover his true and inner self. It is to this inner self that God reveals Himself when the self disappears in the vision of the "All Absorbing Reality." Ali often observed that man could have the joy and wonder of communion with God if one abandoned pride, disciplined the flesh, overcame the lust and submitted to the Will of God. He exhorted the people in his various sermons not to indulge in the gross licentiousness, which had characterized Arab society in the "Days of Ignorance." But should instead live in piety and simplicity as enjoined by Islam. Ali said, "Man is a wave in the boundless Sea of God. As long as man's vision is clouded by ignorance and sensuality he will consider himself a separate entity, different from God. But when the veil between him and God is lifted, he will then know what he really is, the wave will then merge with the ocean". Ali held that enlightenment is needed so that one can first get to know himself. Only then would he get to know God. Ali held that to this end religious exercises must be practiced. Sufism for which Ali stood derived its strength from the Shariah. Ali preached that any form of knowledge which failed to show the Infinite Reality in man was useless, because it could not fill that vacuum of which the aching soul of every individual was so pathetically conscious. Ali wanted men to be virtuous as virtues purify the soul, and it is only the purified soul that can be the recipient of spiritual enlightenment. This is the doctrine of Inner Light, which was enunciated by Ali as the core of Sufi thought. Ali is accordingly acknowledged as the "Father of Sufism" and the "Prince of Saints".
Doctrine of preference
Ali also enunciated the doctrine of preference. He stood for preferring the claims of others to one's own claims. He gave an outstanding demonstration of this doctrine when he slept on the bed of the Holy Prophet on the night of the Holy Prophet's migration from Makkah, when the infidels were seeking to slay him. Ali risked his life for the sake of the Holy Prophet, because of the preference that Ali gave to the life of the Holy Prophet as compared with his own life. After the death of the Holy Prophet, Ali considered that he was the most deserving person to be elected as the Caliph. When his claims were overlooked and other persons were elected as the Caliph, he offered them allegiance in pursuance of the doctrine of preference. It was this spirit of preference that motivated Ali to plunge on the thick of the battle to meet the challenge of the enemy regardless of his own personal safety. It is related that after the ascension, the Holy Prophet gave Ali a mantle, he asked him as to the use that he would make of the mantle. Ali said that he would use it to cover the faults of others. The true Sufi way lies in covering the faults of others.
Fasting
According to Ali, fasting was not a mere formality or a ritual; it was an exercise for the purification of the soul. Because of his constant fasting, Ali earned the epithets of "Qa'im-ul-Lail" (Praying most of the night without sleep), and "Sa'im-un-Nahar", (Fasting mostly during the day). Ali held that hunger sharpens the intelligence, and improves the mind and health. Hunger involves home affliction for the body, but it illumines the heart, purifies the soul, and leads the spirit into the presence of God. One who cultivates his spiritual nature by means of hunger in order to devote himself entirely to God and detach himself from worldly ties is at a much higher level than the person who cultivates his body by means of gluttony and lust. Ali acted on the advice of the Holy Prophet, "Fast so that perchance your hearts may see God in this world". And verily, because of his fasting and other spiritual exercises, Ali did see God in this world. The Holy Prophet had enjoined, "When you fast, let your ear, your eye, your tongue, your hand, and your every limb fast." Ali followed this advice in letter as well as in spirit. By the discipline of fasting, Ali was able to subordinate the physical senses to spiritual requirements in such a way that they could respond only to what was pure and became dead to what was impure. Ali thus led a purified life.
Zakat
Ali held: "Of the most meritorious acts of a believer, and one of the most acceptable things to God is Zakat. It behooves everyone to give charity, because from amongst the acts of worship this is the most pleasing to God." In his sermons, Ali exhorted the people in the following terms: "O ye people send a part of your wealth to God so that: it may stand you in good stead in the next world. Do not leave your entire wealth here so as to be a source to annoyance to you in the world to come". In the annals of the Arabs, Hatim Tai enjoys fame for his munificence and generosity. Ali outclassed Hatim in the matter of generosity. Some of the stories of his generosity which have attained the dimensions of legends are narrated in another Chapter of this book.
Pilgrimage
Ali was born in the Kaaba. He had, therefore, a strong emotional attachment for the Kaaba. Ali observed that the Holy Kaaba was sited in a territory known for its stony wastes and wilderness where no water was available. God had ordained the Muslims to bear the hardships involved in a journey through such inhospitable land cheerfully so that these very privations might ultimately become a source of salvation. The pilgrimage is symbolic of the fact that whatever hardship one bears in the trials of life and endeavors to fulfill the will of God, he acquires goodness and righteousness by them. The darkest thing in the world is the beloved's house without the beloved. What is really important for a lover is the beloved and not the house of the beloved. According to Ali the spirit of pilgrimage did not lie in a bare visit to the Kaaba, it lay in developing the inner vision whereby one could see God, the Lord of the Kaaba.
Jihad
Ali held that Jihad is the gateway to Paradise. He said: "God has opened this gate for His friend. It is the mantle of piety. It is the shield of faith. He who avoids it, God subjects him to disgrace".
Ali held that Jihad did not lie in merely taking up arms in the cause of God, it comprehends incessant struggle against falsehood in all spheres of life. Jihad is the main pillar on which Islam rests.
Repentance
The first stage in the path of Sufism is repentance. Repentance is described as the awakening of the soul from the slumber of heedlessness, so that the sinner becomes aware of his evil ways and feels contrition for past disobedience. Ali repeatedly prayed for the forgiveness of God. His typical prayer was: "O God, forgive me my sins of which you are more aware than me. And if I commit these sins again, even then forgive me. Whatever promises I had made with myself to follow Your commands have not been fulfilled. I seek Your forbearance if I have sought Your proximity with my tongue, but my heart did not keep pace with my tongue, overlook my lapse. O God, forgive me for my futile talk, vain desires and lapses of the tongue".
Detachment
Ali exhorted that while living in the world, one should not renounce the world, yet he should not have an undue attachment for the world. Detachment from the world is the means of attaining God. It is related that some one begged Ali to give him a precept. Ali said: "Do not let your wives and children be a cause of concern for you, for if they are the friends of God, He will look after His friends, and if they are the enemies of God, why should you take care of God's enemies?"
Patience
On the mystic way, the traveler has to meet many trials and tribulations. God subjects His lovers to severe testing, and he alone can pass such tests who is patient. Ali was the personification of patience, and for his patience he won the epithet of "Job, the Second". In the Battle of Uhud Ali received as many as sixty-one wounds so that his whole body looked like one big wound which the nurses could not dress. Ali though in mortal agony said: "May God grant me patience to bear this suffering. Is it not a favor of God that He gave me the courage to stand and fight, and not to leave the field?"
About the patience of Ali, Dr. Ata Moyudin writes as follows in his Ali, the Superman, "Ali used to say that at no time in his life had he ever known peace and tranquillity. From the time he went in infancy to the home of the Holy Prophet, it was a ferment of turbulence and turmoil. The Holy Prophet was constantly persecuted by the Makkan pagans. Then from adolescence onwards, Ali was constantly fighting in Jihad, and after the death of the Holy Prophet, he was embroiled against his wish, in the political intrigues of others. Even when elected Caliph, the implacable enemies of Islam arose and rebelled against him. Yet he bore all these afflictions with patience, thanking God that he had acquitted himself well in the tests and trials to which the Almighty had thought fit to subject him."
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Imam Ali (as) Writes About His Merits to Muawiyah
In the Name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.
1. Hadrat Muhammad Mustafa (sawas) the true Prophet was my cousin and my father-in-law.
2. Hadrat Hamza (ra) the chief of martyrs was my uncle. This fact is known to one and all.
3. Hadrat Ja'far (ra) who remains flying with the angels, morning till evening, was my brother, born to the same mother, as was made known to all by the true informer (The Holy Prophet )
4. The solace of eyes (daughter of Prophet ) was my close companion and wife.
5. Fatima's (sa) and my blood, flesh and skin are close together as being one and the same.
6. From our blood, flesh and skin came into being my sons, the pleasure of my sour the grandsons of the Holy Prophet
Is there anybody who possess these qualifications and merits ?
7. I embraced Islam in childhood, before attaining adolescence.
8. From the day that my relationship as son in law was established with the Holy Prophet I got a status that demanded by all Muslims to respect and give obedience to me.
9. Misery and ruin is destined for him, who will come on the Last Day as a known enemy of mine.
(Lata'if Akhbar-al Awwal, p. 34)
Imam Ali (as) Refused Abu Sufyan's Allegiance and Military Support Against Abu Bakr (ra)
When Abu Bakr (ra) became Calipah, Abu Sufyan came to Imam Ali (as) and inquired why in his presence the caliphate is being assigned to a junior tribe. He requested Imam Ali (as) to extend his hand for taking allegiance, and if people opposed him, he would post a huge contingent of soldiers and horsemen in Madinah for his support. Imam Ali (as) replied " Abu Sufyan, you are always in pursuit of inflicting harm to Islam. I do not your require counsel and admonition. We have selected Abu Bakr (ra) as calipah finding him most competent.
(Tabari vol. 3, p 202)
Peer Karam Shah Sahib al-Azhari in his 'Maqalaat' writes
When Abu Bakr (ra) became Calipah, Abu Sufyan came to Imam Ali (as) and inquired why in his presence the caliphate is being assigned to a junior tribe. He requested Imam Ali (as) to extend his hand for taking allegiance, and if people opposed him, he would post a huge contingent of soldiers and horsemen in Madinah for his support. Imam Ali (as) replied " o abu sufyaan you are an enemy of Islam and all you want is to destroy Islam"
A point to be consider is that the 12rs shias are in an agreement with Abi Sufyan here. They believe that the sahabas failed to recognize Imam Ali (as) imamate, but Abu Sufyan was aware of it, and ready to back Imam Ali (as) as well. On the contrary we sunnis follow Imam Ali (as) sunnah when he gave bayah to Abu Bakr(ra), while 12rs wish the sunnah of Abu Sufyaan sunnah have been established which is to get Abu Bakr (ra) and Imam Ali (as) to pull their swords against each other.
(Tabari vol. 3, p 202)
Peer Karam Shah Sahib al-Azhari in his 'Maqalaat' writes
When Abu Bakr (ra) became Calipah, Abu Sufyan came to Imam Ali (as) and inquired why in his presence the caliphate is being assigned to a junior tribe. He requested Imam Ali (as) to extend his hand for taking allegiance, and if people opposed him, he would post a huge contingent of soldiers and horsemen in Madinah for his support. Imam Ali (as) replied " o abu sufyaan you are an enemy of Islam and all you want is to destroy Islam"
A point to be consider is that the 12rs shias are in an agreement with Abi Sufyan here. They believe that the sahabas failed to recognize Imam Ali (as) imamate, but Abu Sufyan was aware of it, and ready to back Imam Ali (as) as well. On the contrary we sunnis follow Imam Ali (as) sunnah when he gave bayah to Abu Bakr(ra), while 12rs wish the sunnah of Abu Sufyaan sunnah have been established which is to get Abu Bakr (ra) and Imam Ali (as) to pull their swords against each other.
Imam Ali (as) and his Last Days
Here is clip which discusses the Imam's last day of Ramadaan.
Imam Ali (as) and his Last Days
By Shaykh Nazim Al Haqqani
Seyyadina Ali (ral) was entering a mosque for his morning prayer, when he saw his murderer lying face down and he tapped him with his foot saying "Oh man, I know for what you have come here. You are sleeping like Shaitan on your face. Don't sleep like this". A person who sleeps on his face may be well known by his face. The slaves of Shaitan sleep on their faces so that people cannot see their faces and about what bad they are going to do. Don't sleep like Shaitan is sleeping. Ali (ral) looked at this person's face and knew that he was trying to kill him. He knew that, that was what Allah Almighty had chosen for him. So Ali (ral) was saying "You Allah Almighty are trying to test me, by showing me who is going to kill me, to see whether I am accepting your will or not". Yes Seyyadina Ali was perfect through this test. He said to his killer" You are going to kill me". But that person fell on Ali's (ral) fees saying "Oh Imam don't let me do that. You kill me". But Seyyadina Ali said to him "How can I do that. If I kill you I will be killed under Islamic Law. I cannot tell as an excuse that because I knew that you will kill me one day that I I killed you. Shariat will not accept this defense. Therefore I cannot kill you". Ali (ral) knew what his Lord had chosen for him. He was not trying to change that for he said "No need, for what reason should I change it".
Seyyadina Ali was a person who destroyed armies by himself. It was not possible for a person to fight face to face with him and kill him. It was impossible. But when he was praying and when this person attacked him he never tried to defend himself. Qiyarath "Allah's act" - the killing flight of the arrow came to him and it was only like a mosquito touching him and he died because the Divine Command and Divine Choice made it that way for him.
During the battle of Hazrath Ali (ral) and Muawiya, one sahaba, reported that "after Magrib we were sitting on our tent and when it was dark, a person came to our tent and we found out as to who it was and that person gave salams to us saying Aslamu Alai Kum Ya Sahabil Kiram" and we replied "Wa Alaikum Salam Ya Ali" after recognizing him. We wondered as to how Hazrath Ali was going around the battle tents after dark all alone without even his bodyguards. When we questioned Hazrath Ali (ral) he replied that Allah Almighty had said that
there were Angels protecting Allah's true servants from front and behind from any harm. They are protected unless harm comes with the "Arrow of Ajal" which is the "Arrow of Destiny" which finishes our lives and brings death to us.
When that arrow touches a person, his life finishes and since Allah's true servant knows when the Arrow of Ajal comes, and since he knows that he is protected by Allah's bodyguards or Angels, he will know when the Angels will open the protection for the arrow to pass. He knows that when that time comes nothing can be done to protect him or anyone else. Therefore Hazrath Ali was going about undeterred and making his patrol rounds. Yes Hazrath Ali had reached to a level of Kashf where the veils of the heart were taken away and he could look at the Preserved Tablet (lawhul mahfooz). In the same manner the Saints are looking and are likewise continuing on their path. If this is shown to common or ordinary people they may look at their Qadr (Destiny) and want to escape from it. Therefore Allah Almighty is not showing this to ordinary people, but only to the Awliyas (Saints). It is shown to them and they always submit to the Will of the Almighty. Ordinary people will not submit to the Divine Will and they will always try to find a means of escape by taking more bodyguards or more statepolicemen in order to protect themselves from any harm. If Allah Almighty in that level (the level of Awliyas) sends any harm to these people they will always accept it and be willing to carry out the Divine Will.
Therefore, when Hazrath Ali (ral) was murdered, who do you think paid for his compensation (Deeyath), for one killed by mistake? Allah Almighty paid the compensation for Hazrath Ali's murder. He asked him to be patient and there was no objection from Seyyadina Ali (ral) with regard to his fate. Hazrath Ali (ral) accepted his fate because his teacher was a perfect teacher who was none other than Seyyadina Muhammed Rasoolullah (Sal). Seyyadina Rasoolullah (Sal) was his perfect teacher and he taught him everything.
http://www.sheiknazim2.com/divinearrangment.html%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3Cbr
Imam Ali (as) and his Last Days
By Shaykh Nazim Al Haqqani
Seyyadina Ali (ral) was entering a mosque for his morning prayer, when he saw his murderer lying face down and he tapped him with his foot saying "Oh man, I know for what you have come here. You are sleeping like Shaitan on your face. Don't sleep like this". A person who sleeps on his face may be well known by his face. The slaves of Shaitan sleep on their faces so that people cannot see their faces and about what bad they are going to do. Don't sleep like Shaitan is sleeping. Ali (ral) looked at this person's face and knew that he was trying to kill him. He knew that, that was what Allah Almighty had chosen for him. So Ali (ral) was saying "You Allah Almighty are trying to test me, by showing me who is going to kill me, to see whether I am accepting your will or not". Yes Seyyadina Ali was perfect through this test. He said to his killer" You are going to kill me". But that person fell on Ali's (ral) fees saying "Oh Imam don't let me do that. You kill me". But Seyyadina Ali said to him "How can I do that. If I kill you I will be killed under Islamic Law. I cannot tell as an excuse that because I knew that you will kill me one day that I I killed you. Shariat will not accept this defense. Therefore I cannot kill you". Ali (ral) knew what his Lord had chosen for him. He was not trying to change that for he said "No need, for what reason should I change it".
Seyyadina Ali was a person who destroyed armies by himself. It was not possible for a person to fight face to face with him and kill him. It was impossible. But when he was praying and when this person attacked him he never tried to defend himself. Qiyarath "Allah's act" - the killing flight of the arrow came to him and it was only like a mosquito touching him and he died because the Divine Command and Divine Choice made it that way for him.
During the battle of Hazrath Ali (ral) and Muawiya, one sahaba, reported that "after Magrib we were sitting on our tent and when it was dark, a person came to our tent and we found out as to who it was and that person gave salams to us saying Aslamu Alai Kum Ya Sahabil Kiram" and we replied "Wa Alaikum Salam Ya Ali" after recognizing him. We wondered as to how Hazrath Ali was going around the battle tents after dark all alone without even his bodyguards. When we questioned Hazrath Ali (ral) he replied that Allah Almighty had said that
there were Angels protecting Allah's true servants from front and behind from any harm. They are protected unless harm comes with the "Arrow of Ajal" which is the "Arrow of Destiny" which finishes our lives and brings death to us.
When that arrow touches a person, his life finishes and since Allah's true servant knows when the Arrow of Ajal comes, and since he knows that he is protected by Allah's bodyguards or Angels, he will know when the Angels will open the protection for the arrow to pass. He knows that when that time comes nothing can be done to protect him or anyone else. Therefore Hazrath Ali was going about undeterred and making his patrol rounds. Yes Hazrath Ali had reached to a level of Kashf where the veils of the heart were taken away and he could look at the Preserved Tablet (lawhul mahfooz). In the same manner the Saints are looking and are likewise continuing on their path. If this is shown to common or ordinary people they may look at their Qadr (Destiny) and want to escape from it. Therefore Allah Almighty is not showing this to ordinary people, but only to the Awliyas (Saints). It is shown to them and they always submit to the Will of the Almighty. Ordinary people will not submit to the Divine Will and they will always try to find a means of escape by taking more bodyguards or more statepolicemen in order to protect themselves from any harm. If Allah Almighty in that level (the level of Awliyas) sends any harm to these people they will always accept it and be willing to carry out the Divine Will.
Therefore, when Hazrath Ali (ral) was murdered, who do you think paid for his compensation (Deeyath), for one killed by mistake? Allah Almighty paid the compensation for Hazrath Ali's murder. He asked him to be patient and there was no objection from Seyyadina Ali (ral) with regard to his fate. Hazrath Ali (ral) accepted his fate because his teacher was a perfect teacher who was none other than Seyyadina Muhammed Rasoolullah (Sal). Seyyadina Rasoolullah (Sal) was his perfect teacher and he taught him everything.
http://www.sheiknazim2.com/divinearrangment.html%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3Cbr
Imam Ali's (as) Humbless
The tyrant rulers believed that leadership was based on cruelty, wealth and power. These tyrants who ruled over the Ummah lived in palaces.
When Imam Ali (as) entered Kufa, he was offered a palace as well. However, the Imam did not have any desire to live in a palace. In fact, he disliked it. Instead Imam Ali (as) asked the people of Kufa about where the local mosque was, and when he discovered it the imam built a small house next to it.
Imam Ali (as) used to shop for clothes at places where the people would not recognize him. Once Imam Ali (as) had 5 dinars to spend. He went to a tailor and asked him to sell him the cheapest materials for a set of clothes. With that 5 dinars the imam bought 2 separate pieces of clothing. One piece of the clothing material was worth 2 dinars, and the other was worth 3 dinar. The imam gave the material worth 3 dinars to his servant and kept the cheaper material for himself.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Umar bin Abdul Aziz's (ra) Reform
When Umar ibn Abdul Aziz (radi Allahu anhu) who can be considered the 6th khalifah, not a king came, and he found that the propaganda and the rumors that were spreading by officials that was nowstandard procedure was not Islamic behavior- remember, we may have slipped, all of this position that the 1st king in Islam institutionalized that became a pillar of themonarchical establishment was attributed to an ayah. They had to have some misinterpretation of an ayah to extend all ofthese deviations to, and that ayah was concerning the death or the murder of Uthman (radi Allahu anhu), And, whoever hasbeen killed or murdered without a basis of justice, then WE have allocated to his guardian 1st of kin, an authorization(Surah Al-Isra' verse 33) They stopped here,the ayah says He should not beexcessive in taking corrective measures for a person who was killed without justice (Surah Al-Isra' verse 33) So, all of this wasextended to give a veneer of legitimacy to the vile language that was used to condemn Ali and his family.Imagine, a khutbah just like this during jum'ah, and then someone would come usewords that we cannot use- these were official words and public pronouncements,and then when Umar ibn Abdul Aziz came, he didn't say that in his khutbah. Hedidn't say any of these institutionalized statements that have been repeatedfor years and generations and then someone stands up and tries to remindthis Muslim who is trying to follow his conscience and tells him "Youshould be following the sunnah" Meaning the Sunnah means you should becondemning Ali and his side; and Umar ibn Abdul Aziz said to him "An innovation! AnInnovation!" and he obliterated or put an end to this type of policy and theseofficial statements from the Mimbar and he replaced it with something that isstill used today- it doesn't come from the time of Allahs Prophet- when you go tothe conventional andtraditional type of Masjid, you hear every khutbah ending with Verily, Allah ordersJustice and that you be patient and dutiful totally for His sake and that you be forthcoming to kin and He forbidsevil deeds and the things which are prohibited and aggression and oppression.Allah admonishes you so that you may take heed. (Surah An-Nahl verse 90) That was not the waythe khutbahs ended during the time of Allahs Prophet. This is the way it began to end when Umar ibn Abdul Azizreplaced those condemnation statements with this ayah from the Qur'an andwe still have it today. People who are not aware of these details think thatthey are saying something that belongs in the time of Allahs Prophet. No!They are saying something that can be traced back to correct what the 1stking in Islam did.
This tradition above is found in the esteemed salafi scholar Ibn Kathir's book. Ibn Kathir in his book The Rightly Guided Calipahs says
The Ummayads use to abuse Ali bin Abi Talib in speeches, but when Umar bin Abdul Aziz became the calipah, he put an end to that by writing to his provincial rulers, ordering them to stop that tradition and quoted the verse.
"Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and he forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: he instructs you, that ye may recieve admonition." (Al-Nahl:90). This is verse was always quoted in their speeches from then onwards.
(Biographies Of RightlyGuided Caliphs, Ibn Kathir Pg 393)
Most scholars agree that Umar bin Abdul Aziz is superior to Muawiyah ibn Sufyaan, for his matchless justice, modesty and asceticism.
(Biographies Of Rightly Guided Caliphs, Ibn Kathir Pg 398)
Online Link for the above source:
http://abdurrahman.org/seerah/BiographiesOfRightlyGuidedCaliphs-IbnKathir.pdf
Hadrat Umar (ra) encounters Muawiyah in Al Quds
A lot of 12r shia make false accusation against Hz Umar (ra) for placing Muawiyah into power by making him a governor in Syria. Imam Al Asi says this is not the case. In fact, Umar (ra) wanted Muwaiyah's influnce to leave Mecca so another civil war would not occur between Mecca and Madina again. On top of that, when Hz Umar (ra) arrived in al Quds and saw that Muawiyah wore an expensive outfit, so he turned away from him and even ignored his salaam.
What Imam Ali (as) Said In Regards To Supporting Amir Muawiyah ?
Imam Qadhi Abu al-Hasan al-Mawardi (d 448 Ah) an esteemed Ahle Sunnah scholar of the past authenticated a saying by Imam Ali bin Abi Talib his book 'adb al-dunya wa deen'.
أَنَّ رَجُلًا قَالَ لِعَلِيٍّ كَرَّمَ اللَّهُ وَجْهَهُ: إنِّي أُحِبُّك وَأُحِبُّ مُعَاوِيَةَ. فَقَالَ رضي الله عنه: أَمَّا الانَ فَأَنْتَ أَعْوَرُ، فَإِمَّا أَنْ
تَبْرَأَ وَإِمَّا أَنْ تَعْمَى
(adb al-dunya wa deen )
In his book he authenticates a story of a man that came to Ali and said "I love you and I love Muawiya " To this Ali replied that you are a ONE EYED MAN. The eye that loves me has vision and that loves muawiya is blind. If you persist with it then you will be total blind.
أَنَّ رَجُلًا قَالَ لِعَلِيٍّ كَرَّمَ اللَّهُ وَجْهَهُ: إنِّي أُحِبُّك وَأُحِبُّ مُعَاوِيَةَ. فَقَالَ رضي الله عنه: أَمَّا الانَ فَأَنْتَ أَعْوَرُ، فَإِمَّا أَنْ
تَبْرَأَ وَإِمَّا أَنْ تَعْمَى
(adb al-dunya wa deen )
In his book he authenticates a story of a man that came to Ali and said "I love you and I love Muawiya " To this Ali replied that you are a ONE EYED MAN. The eye that loves me has vision and that loves muawiya is blind. If you persist with it then you will be total blind.
Mistakes of A Sahaba
There are many examples where the sahaba made mistakes during their lifetime. However, the Ahle Sunnah Wal Jamaat do not believe in the infallibility of the sahaba. Since the sahaba made mistakes does this mean we should stop following them ? The correct answer to this question is the sahaba should be only followed when they are correct. For example Abi Bakr (ra) himself is believed to have said "Follow me until I lead you on the path of Allah." He said: "Help me, if I be the right; set me right, if I be the wrong. The weak among you shall be strong to me until his rights have been vindicated. The strong among you shall be weak with me until, if God wills, I have taken what is due to him. Obey me as long as I obey Allah and His Prophet; when I disobey Him and his Prophet, obey me not.""
Therefore, when a sahaba commits a mistake it is not compulsory for us to follow him. Now when one debates against the shia they point out these mistakes of the sahaba and force a sunni to curse them. For example in Tijani's book "Then I Guided" he cites a quote where Umar (ra) gives an incorrect rule regarding Tayamum. He cites from Bukhari:
Al-Bukhari stated in his book, in a chapter which deals with ritual impurity: I heard Shaqiq ibn Salmah saying: I was with Abdullah and Abu Musa, and Abu Musa asked, "What do you say about a man who is unclean but cannot find water?" Abdullah answered, "He should not pray until he finds water." Abu Musa then asked, "What do you think about what the Prophet said to Ammar [regarding the issue of impurity] when Ammar asked him?" Abdullah said, "For that reason Umar was not satisfied with [that]." Abu Musa said, "Forget about what Ammar said, but what do you say about the Qur'anic verse?" Abdullah did not know what to say, but he justified his stance by saying, "If we let them do that, then whenever the water becomes cold, they avoid using it to clean themselves, and instead they use sand. I said to Shaqiq, "Abdullah is most certainly hated for that." He said, "Yes".
Sahih, Bukhari, vol 1 p 54
Over here it is clear that Umar (ra) made a mistake. However, does this mean accepting the shia sect will make a prevent a person from making mistakes or committing sins? Are the scholars which the 12rs follow also not capable of making mistakes ? Are they infallible ?
Below is a pictures of Al Tijani where he is using his left hand to drink coffee.
It is reported in Suyuti book regarding the Calipate Imam Hassan ibn Ali (as), that Imam Hassan (as) gave a ruling in fiqh to only use one's left hand when dealing with impure acts such as cleaning the nose, or any other form of cleansing.
In fact, Marwan bin Hakam used to abuse to Imam Hassan (as) on many occasions, and the only time Imam Hassan (as) reprimanded him was when he saw that Marwaan using his right hand to clean his nose.
Ibn Saád reports from Zurayq ibn Suwār: Marwān and al-Ĥasan had an argument. and Marwān began to speak rough; al-Ĥasan kept silent. And then Marwān began picking his nose with his right hand. Al-Ĥasan said: 'Woe unto you. Do you not know to use the right hand for clean things, and the left for the unclean? Shame on you.' This silenced Marwān. (Tareek e Khulufa, Suyuti)
Anyway, this is just example. On top of that there are examples when there were mistakes by Imam Khomeini when he took a temporal position to rule over Iran. I'm still in process of researching the details of those events. However, my purpose of this research is not ask shias or sunnis to curse Imam Khomeini, but it is point out that we are all human who don't have a status to be infallible. If shias think I am impressed by the way they quote our sunni sources to prove the mistakes of the sahaba, they are wrong. In fact, I have seen fiqhi mistakes made by the 12r marja too made big mistakes. So in this case who are we suppose to follow ? We are only suppose to follow our fallible leadership when their teachings are parallel to Quran, Sunnah and the Ahlul Bayt.
May Allah Forgive us for our Sins which we commit day and night !
Therefore, when a sahaba commits a mistake it is not compulsory for us to follow him. Now when one debates against the shia they point out these mistakes of the sahaba and force a sunni to curse them. For example in Tijani's book "Then I Guided" he cites a quote where Umar (ra) gives an incorrect rule regarding Tayamum. He cites from Bukhari:
Al-Bukhari stated in his book, in a chapter which deals with ritual impurity: I heard Shaqiq ibn Salmah saying: I was with Abdullah and Abu Musa, and Abu Musa asked, "What do you say about a man who is unclean but cannot find water?" Abdullah answered, "He should not pray until he finds water." Abu Musa then asked, "What do you think about what the Prophet said to Ammar [regarding the issue of impurity] when Ammar asked him?" Abdullah said, "For that reason Umar was not satisfied with [that]." Abu Musa said, "Forget about what Ammar said, but what do you say about the Qur'anic verse?" Abdullah did not know what to say, but he justified his stance by saying, "If we let them do that, then whenever the water becomes cold, they avoid using it to clean themselves, and instead they use sand. I said to Shaqiq, "Abdullah is most certainly hated for that." He said, "Yes".
Sahih, Bukhari, vol 1 p 54
Over here it is clear that Umar (ra) made a mistake. However, does this mean accepting the shia sect will make a prevent a person from making mistakes or committing sins? Are the scholars which the 12rs follow also not capable of making mistakes ? Are they infallible ?
Below is a pictures of Al Tijani where he is using his left hand to drink coffee.
It is reported in Suyuti book regarding the Calipate Imam Hassan ibn Ali (as), that Imam Hassan (as) gave a ruling in fiqh to only use one's left hand when dealing with impure acts such as cleaning the nose, or any other form of cleansing.
In fact, Marwan bin Hakam used to abuse to Imam Hassan (as) on many occasions, and the only time Imam Hassan (as) reprimanded him was when he saw that Marwaan using his right hand to clean his nose.
Ibn Saád reports from Zurayq ibn Suwār: Marwān and al-Ĥasan had an argument. and Marwān began to speak rough; al-Ĥasan kept silent. And then Marwān began picking his nose with his right hand. Al-Ĥasan said: 'Woe unto you. Do you not know to use the right hand for clean things, and the left for the unclean? Shame on you.' This silenced Marwān. (Tareek e Khulufa, Suyuti)
Anyway, this is just example. On top of that there are examples when there were mistakes by Imam Khomeini when he took a temporal position to rule over Iran. I'm still in process of researching the details of those events. However, my purpose of this research is not ask shias or sunnis to curse Imam Khomeini, but it is point out that we are all human who don't have a status to be infallible. If shias think I am impressed by the way they quote our sunni sources to prove the mistakes of the sahaba, they are wrong. In fact, I have seen fiqhi mistakes made by the 12r marja too made big mistakes. So in this case who are we suppose to follow ? We are only suppose to follow our fallible leadership when their teachings are parallel to Quran, Sunnah and the Ahlul Bayt.
May Allah Forgive us for our Sins which we commit day and night !
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Defence for Ibn Umar's (ra) Statement Regarding Yazid.
Sahih Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 88, Number 227:
Narrated Nafi':
When the people of Medina dethroned Yazid bin Muawiya, Ibn 'Umar gathered his special friends and children and said, "I heard the Prophet saying, 'A flag will be fixed for every betrayer on the Day of Resurrection,' and we have given the oath of allegiance to this person (Yazid) in accordance with the conditions enjoined by Allah and His Apostle and I do not know of anything more faithless than fighting a person who has been given the oath of allegiance in accordance with the conditions enjoined by Allah and His Apostle , and if ever I learn that any person among you has agreed to dethrone Yazid, by giving the oath of allegiance (to somebody else) then there will be separation between him and me."
The ahadith above in Bukhari sherif authentic, and inapplicable to very few sahaba, unfortunately those who fought Hazrat Ali and cursed him, like Muawiya, etc.
Now, Hazrat Ibne Umar (radiya'Allahu anhuma) did two things:
1- He did not fight with Hazrat Ali against Muawiya and his armies.
2- He gave Bai'at to Yazid bin Muawiya.
Sayyiduna Shaykh Al-Ninowy (damat barakatuhum) said in his book " Asaweq":
"
- ليُعلم أن المسلم ينبغي له دائما أن يقف مع الحق وأن لا يناصر أهل الباطل. وهذا يظهر جلياً في موقف قلة من الصحابة الذين اعتزلوا القتال فلم يقاتلوا مع أمير المؤمنين ولم يقاتلوا مع معاوية, ثم ظهر لهم خطأ هذا الموقف فندموا وتابوا, فقد أخرج الامام الحاكم في المستدرك 2\463 وصححه والامام البيهقي في السنن 8\172 والامام القرطبي في التذكرة ص255 والامام ابن الأثير في أسد الغابة4\33 و الألوسي في روح المعاني26\151 :
" عن ابن عمر رضي الله تعالى عنهما أنه قال: ما وجدت في نفسي من شيئ ما وجدت في نفسي من هذه الاية يعني (وإن طائفتان) الخ أني لم أقاتل هذه الفئة الباغية كما أمرني الله تعالى، يعني بها معاوية ومن معه الباغين على عليّ كرم الله تعالى وجهه".
وهذا دليل على علمه ومعرفته وخوفه من الله ولاغرو فهو ابن الفاروق عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنهما.
Translation: " it must be known that the Muslim must always stand with the Haqq (truth) and cannot support the Batl (wrong). This is best examplified in the stand of a very few sahaba, who abondoned the fight, so they did not fight with Amir Al-Muminin Ali, and neither fought with Mu'awiya. Then they figured their mistake, and therefore were quick to repent. Imam Al-Hakem narrated and authenticated in his Mustadrak vol.2/463, also Imam Bayhaqi in the Sunan 8\172, Imame Qurtubi in "tathkira" page 255, Imame Ibne Al-Athir in O'sdu Gaba 4\33, and Al-Alusi in ruh Al-Ma'ani 26/151, all -among others- narrated, that Ibne Umar (radiya'Allahu anhuma) said: I was never saddened and regreted anything, as much as I am when I read the Ayah (pertaining to supporting the true group), that I did not fight the transgrssor group as Allah ordered me to do, meaning Muawiya and the transgressors with him against Ali karrama Allahu ta'ala Wajhahu".
There are also many more ahadith in that issue about the tears and crying of Hazrat Ibne Umar and Hazrat Aisha, may Allah be pleased with both of them.
Overall, there is really no good answer to Hazrat Ibne Umar giving Ba'yah to Yazid, except that he isolated himself doing worship, and was not aware of extend of the deviance of Yazid!!.
Also there is no authentic source claims that that he actually knew the danger of Yazid and his Kufr, and was trying to avoid shedding more blood, having more women raped, and property confiscated by the armies of Yazid, hence to protect the blood of Muslims and prevent such bloody rebellion, he gave Ba'yah and ordered others to do the same.
Narrated Nafi':
When the people of Medina dethroned Yazid bin Muawiya, Ibn 'Umar gathered his special friends and children and said, "I heard the Prophet saying, 'A flag will be fixed for every betrayer on the Day of Resurrection,' and we have given the oath of allegiance to this person (Yazid) in accordance with the conditions enjoined by Allah and His Apostle and I do not know of anything more faithless than fighting a person who has been given the oath of allegiance in accordance with the conditions enjoined by Allah and His Apostle , and if ever I learn that any person among you has agreed to dethrone Yazid, by giving the oath of allegiance (to somebody else) then there will be separation between him and me."
The ahadith above in Bukhari sherif authentic, and inapplicable to very few sahaba, unfortunately those who fought Hazrat Ali and cursed him, like Muawiya, etc.
Now, Hazrat Ibne Umar (radiya'Allahu anhuma) did two things:
1- He did not fight with Hazrat Ali against Muawiya and his armies.
2- He gave Bai'at to Yazid bin Muawiya.
Sayyiduna Shaykh Al-Ninowy (damat barakatuhum) said in his book " Asaweq":
"
- ليُعلم أن المسلم ينبغي له دائما أن يقف مع الحق وأن لا يناصر أهل الباطل. وهذا يظهر جلياً في موقف قلة من الصحابة الذين اعتزلوا القتال فلم يقاتلوا مع أمير المؤمنين ولم يقاتلوا مع معاوية, ثم ظهر لهم خطأ هذا الموقف فندموا وتابوا, فقد أخرج الامام الحاكم في المستدرك 2\463 وصححه والامام البيهقي في السنن 8\172 والامام القرطبي في التذكرة ص255 والامام ابن الأثير في أسد الغابة4\33 و الألوسي في روح المعاني26\151 :
" عن ابن عمر رضي الله تعالى عنهما أنه قال: ما وجدت في نفسي من شيئ ما وجدت في نفسي من هذه الاية يعني (وإن طائفتان) الخ أني لم أقاتل هذه الفئة الباغية كما أمرني الله تعالى، يعني بها معاوية ومن معه الباغين على عليّ كرم الله تعالى وجهه".
وهذا دليل على علمه ومعرفته وخوفه من الله ولاغرو فهو ابن الفاروق عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنهما.
Translation: " it must be known that the Muslim must always stand with the Haqq (truth) and cannot support the Batl (wrong). This is best examplified in the stand of a very few sahaba, who abondoned the fight, so they did not fight with Amir Al-Muminin Ali, and neither fought with Mu'awiya. Then they figured their mistake, and therefore were quick to repent. Imam Al-Hakem narrated and authenticated in his Mustadrak vol.2/463, also Imam Bayhaqi in the Sunan 8\172, Imame Qurtubi in "tathkira" page 255, Imame Ibne Al-Athir in O'sdu Gaba 4\33, and Al-Alusi in ruh Al-Ma'ani 26/151, all -among others- narrated, that Ibne Umar (radiya'Allahu anhuma) said: I was never saddened and regreted anything, as much as I am when I read the Ayah (pertaining to supporting the true group), that I did not fight the transgrssor group as Allah ordered me to do, meaning Muawiya and the transgressors with him against Ali karrama Allahu ta'ala Wajhahu".
There are also many more ahadith in that issue about the tears and crying of Hazrat Ibne Umar and Hazrat Aisha, may Allah be pleased with both of them.
Overall, there is really no good answer to Hazrat Ibne Umar giving Ba'yah to Yazid, except that he isolated himself doing worship, and was not aware of extend of the deviance of Yazid!!.
Also there is no authentic source claims that that he actually knew the danger of Yazid and his Kufr, and was trying to avoid shedding more blood, having more women raped, and property confiscated by the armies of Yazid, hence to protect the blood of Muslims and prevent such bloody rebellion, he gave Ba'yah and ordered others to do the same.
Have Sunnis Failed to Recognize the Imam of the Time ?
Before coming to the question the first thought that comes to our mind is what is an Imam ? For the 12r shias an imam is one who is divinely appointed to handle both spiritual affairs and political affairs of the ummah. On top of that, the number of the imams who are given this responsibility accounts to a dozen men. Today, the imam of the time according to 12rs is the Mahdi who gone into a spiritual realm, and he is waiting for Allah's (swt) permission to return. This concept is a shia belief, and it doesn't apply for any sunni. On the contrary, the conflict arises when the 12r shia claims to bring proof from the sunni sources or books. For the recognition of the imam the 12r shia usually quotes the following hadiths.
Sahih Muslim Book 020, Number 4555:
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: One who defected from obedience (to the Amir) and separated from the main body of the Muslims-if he died in that state-would die the death of one belonging to the days of Jahiliyya (i.e. would not die as a Muslim)
Also in Musnad Ahmad, volume 4, page 96.
16271
حدثنا أسود بن عامر، أخبرنا أبو بكر، عن عاصم، عن أبي صالح، عن معاوية، قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم من مات بغير إمام مات ميتة جاهلية.
He who dies without recognizing the Imam, dies the death of Jahiliyyah
Now I have even seem some shias even add Mahdi in parentheses after the word imam, just to prove their point. The problem with this quotation is that the 12r shias use these hadith, but they are unable to prove how the Mahdi is the imam of the time, and top of that they are unable to prove the Mahdi existence through mutawir hadith. When you ask the 12rs shias to provide proof they will quote some sufi books where the sufis acknowledge that they have met the 12th imam or where they accepted that he is alive.
Among the renown sufis who are quoted are Sheikh Abdul Wahab Sheikh Sharani (ra) and Ibn Arabi (ra). However, what the 12r shias fail to realize is that the majority of the sunnis are not sufis. On top of that the sufis beliefs are not binding on the sunni madhab. Therefore, to provide proof the 12rs need mutawir hadith. Apart from this there are some other questions which the 12rs have failed to answer as well. They are unable to prove that the 12th imam exist or how he is actually the imam of the time. When you ask them to prove he exist they quote Quran saying that Prophet Nuh (as) lived for 1350 years so how it is not possible for Mahdi to exist? As sunnis nobody is denying that this is possible. However, how do we actually know if the Mahdi is physically alive and guiding us at the same time ? If I have a question regarding Islam how come the imam of the time isn't there to answer me ?
I've went to a couple sites and here is how the 12r shia responded.
Now here its tells us that we should follow shia scholars while the Mahdi is in gaib. On the contrary, shia scholars are fallible and they are not part of the ahlul bayt according to shia standards. In reality while the Mahdi is gone into gaib its not really possible to follow except through a philosophical belief.
Also, what surprises me is the sunni believe that the imam of the time are the scholars, but 12rs say this is wrong. However, at the same time they encourage sunnis to follow their scholars while their imams are in gaib. Among the shia narrations I also came across this hadith from the 12r imami books.
Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn 'Isa from Yunus ibn Muskan from abu Basir from one of them (Imams (a.s.), who has said the following
"Allah does not leave the earth without a 'Alim (scholar). Without this the truth would not be distinguished from falsehood." (Al-Kafi H 431, Ch. 5, h 4)
The shia can say that the alim is the imam. However, while the 12th Imam is gaib, their alims are the majra who collect khums from the 12rs to teach them about deen and provide other religious services. The duty of an Imam is to provide us with affair regarding deen. The below hadith from the shia books states this.
Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Rabi' ibn Muhammad al-Musalliy from 'Abdallah ibn Sulayman al- 'Amiriy from abu 'Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
"The earth has never been without a person with Divine authority who would teach people about the lawful and unlawful matters and call them to the path of Allah." (Al-Kafi H 430, Ch. 5, h 3 )
From the above hadith a few questions should be answered.
How is 12th Imam is guiding us right now? How can you recognize an Imam without even meeting him ? How is the 12th Imam teaching us what is lawful and what is unlawful ?
Since, the Sunni has failed to recognize the Imam is alive then he/she is automatically a kaffir ? If this is case then what about the existence of Prophet Isa (as). Why did the 12rs most esteemed shia scholar Shaykh Saduq deny that Prophe Isa (as) was alive ? Isn't this a type of a double standard ?
Shaykh Saduq's book of I`tiqad writes:
"Our opponents (the Sunnites) have related that when the Mahdi, on whom be peace, will appear, Jesus, son of Mary, on whom he peace, will descend upon the earth and pray behind the Mahdi. Now the descent of Jesus to the earth is his return to the world after death, because Allah the Glorious and Mighty says: "Verily I will cause thee to die, and will take thee up to myself" [3, 48]."
http://www.sicm.org.uk/index.php?page=suduk/Suduk18
Proof From The Qur'aan On The Descent Of 'Eesa ('Alaihi Salaam)
There are two verses of the Qur'aan on this matter. One in which Allah Most High says “There is
none of the People of the Book except who must believe in him before his death.”(Q. An-Nisaa 4:159) On this IbnAbbaas (radiallahu anhu) has said: “Before the death of 'Eesa ibn Maryam ('alaihi salaam).” As related by
Ibn Jareer with a authentic chain. Al Haakim related in Al-Mustadrak from Ibn Abbaas (radiallahu anhu) regarding this verse that he said, “The appearance of 'Eesa ibn Maryam.” Al-Haakim has said this report is authentic according to the criterion of the two shaykhs (Al-Bukhaari and Muslim) and supported by Adh-Dhahabi in At-Talkhees.
Abu Bakr Al-Aajurri relates in his book Ash-Sharee'ah from Ibn Abbaas on this verse as having said: “It means that a group from the People of the Book will recognize ‘Eesa upon his appearance and by that believe in him.” Ibn Mardawiyyah reports that Abu Hurairah (radiallahu anhu) has made statements similar to that of Ibn Abbaas about this verse and this statement is the correct explanation of the verse. It was considered so by Ibn Jareer (At-Tabaree) as well as Ibn Katheer. It is also supported by Abu Maalik, Al-Hasan, Qataadah, Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Zaid ibn Aslam and others. Al-Hasan said: “By Allah he is alive now in the presence of Allah, but when he descends they will all believe in him.” Narrated by Ibn Jareer.
As far as what else has been said by the commentators that the pronoun in the verse "...before his death”(Q. An-Nisaa 4:159) is in reference to the person Jew or Christian - there is no contradiction of what has been presented before in that though they may believe at their time of passing that 'Eesa ('alaihi salaam) is a slave of Allah and His Messenger, his belief will be at that time of no use. Whereas those who believe in him after his descent at the end of time their belief shall in fact benefit them and Allah knows best.
In the second verse Allah Most High says “wa innahu la 'ilmun lis-saa'ah”,(Q. Az-Zukhruf 43:61) and in the recitation of Ibn Abbaas, Abu Hurairah, Qataadah and Al-A'maash “wa innahu la 'alamun lis-saa'ah”, that is, an indication and a sign of the nearness of the Final Hour. Ibn Abbaas, in explaining this verse said “It is the coming of 'Eesa ibn Maryam before the day of Resurrection” as related by Imaam Ahmad, Sa’eed ibn Mansour, ‘Abd ibn Hameed, Ibn Abi Haatim, At-Tabaraani, Al-Haakim in Al-Mustadrak; he and Adh- Dhahabi both call it authentic.
Ibn Hibbaan in his Saheeh and Al-Haakim relate in a hadeeth of Ibn 'Abbaas (radiallahu anhu) from the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) on this verse "And verily he is a sign of the Hour” that he said “The descent of 'Eesa ibn Maryam before the Day of Resurrection”. Reported as authentic by AI-Haakim and Adh-Dhahabi. Similar sayings to that of 'Ibn Abbaas’ have also been related by Abu Hurairah, Mujaahid, Al-Hasan, Qataadah, Abu 'Aaliyyah, Abu Malik, 'Ikrimah, and Ad-Dahhaak. With all that has been presented through Qur'aanic verses and confirmed ahadeeth from the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) concerning the descent of 'Eesa ibn Maryam ('alaihi salaam) at the end of time; along with the statements of Ibn 'Abbaas, Abu Hurairah and others from amongst the salaf on the tafseer of the verses from Soorah An-Nisaa and Az-Zukhruf; one must know that the descent of 'Eesa ('alaihi salaam) is true and the truth is never incompatible with Islam. Whoever claims that his ('alaihi salaam) descent is incompatible with Islam is of those whose Islam is doubtful because he has not fulfilled his declaration that Muhammad (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) is the Messenger of Allah. It is
necessary for its fulfillment to absolutely affirm all that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) has informed us about regarding matters of the unseen that have passed and that shall occur in the
future.
Now 12rs can say that Shaykh Saduq isn't infallible and that he is capable of making a mistake. If this is the case which shia scholar is infallible ? Also, why are sunnis in fault for denying the existence of the Mahdi, which Shaykh Saduq denied the correct interpretation of the Quran regarding Prophet Isa (as) life ? Personally, I don't have a problem with the 12r shia belief of the Mahdi because many sufi have declared that he is alive. However, what I hate about all this is the way 12rs attack sunnis for not agreeing with them. Also the attitude from sunnis toward shias is likewise. Why can't we Muslims just focus on how we can get closer to Allah (swt) ? After all this is main goal of deen. Also, in my older posts I quoted Ayatollah Fadlallah for a certain point. A 12rs shia responded by saying Fadlallah is heretic. What give a shia a right to say this ? Does he have ilm-e-gaib ? The issue the 12rs have with Fadlallah is that he substantiates proof from text and derives what he believes in authentic. Sometimes this proof goes against what many 12rs believe in. Therefore, the 12r shias lash out at Ayatollah Fadlallah for being a heretic. From I can conclude about this substantiating proof from text is better than depending on dream narrations. I've listened to a few shia scholars on youtube and many times while they are lecturing they mention a few dream narrations.
Here is an example below.
With these example the 12rs are encouraged that the marjas they are following are the representatives of the Mahdi or Ahlul Bayt, and to follow them is equal to following the Ahlul Bayt. However, for me using dream narration is fluid. To prove a point one must use authentication narrations. I have seen many dream narrations coming out of sufis too. However, those narrations are also not binding on my belief. Therefore, if I disagree with a dream narration, there is no effect on my level of imaan (faith). Another case is there are other shia scholars who have given there experiences of meeting the Mahdi. Again this is not solid evidence. If one denies such evidence he/she does not go outside the fold of Islam or even become deviant.
May Allah Guide us Toward the Correct Path !!
Sahih Muslim Book 020, Number 4555:
It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: One who defected from obedience (to the Amir) and separated from the main body of the Muslims-if he died in that state-would die the death of one belonging to the days of Jahiliyya (i.e. would not die as a Muslim)
Also in Musnad Ahmad, volume 4, page 96.
16271
حدثنا أسود بن عامر، أخبرنا أبو بكر، عن عاصم، عن أبي صالح، عن معاوية، قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم من مات بغير إمام مات ميتة جاهلية.
He who dies without recognizing the Imam, dies the death of Jahiliyyah
Now I have even seem some shias even add Mahdi in parentheses after the word imam, just to prove their point. The problem with this quotation is that the 12r shias use these hadith, but they are unable to prove how the Mahdi is the imam of the time, and top of that they are unable to prove the Mahdi existence through mutawir hadith. When you ask the 12rs shias to provide proof they will quote some sufi books where the sufis acknowledge that they have met the 12th imam or where they accepted that he is alive.
Among the renown sufis who are quoted are Sheikh Abdul Wahab Sheikh Sharani (ra) and Ibn Arabi (ra). However, what the 12r shias fail to realize is that the majority of the sunnis are not sufis. On top of that the sufis beliefs are not binding on the sunni madhab. Therefore, to provide proof the 12rs need mutawir hadith. Apart from this there are some other questions which the 12rs have failed to answer as well. They are unable to prove that the 12th imam exist or how he is actually the imam of the time. When you ask them to prove he exist they quote Quran saying that Prophet Nuh (as) lived for 1350 years so how it is not possible for Mahdi to exist? As sunnis nobody is denying that this is possible. However, how do we actually know if the Mahdi is physically alive and guiding us at the same time ? If I have a question regarding Islam how come the imam of the time isn't there to answer me ?
I've went to a couple sites and here is how the 12r shia responded.
Where is he now and what should we do in his absence?
He is alive and in occultation and will reappear whenever Allah wants.We should obey those scholars who obey 12 Imams, teach their knowledge and follow their instructions.
Is is ok if we don't obey the IMAM of our time and live according to some other leaders?
No,It is not ok. If we don't accept IMAM Mahdi (pbuh) as Imam of our time, our submission to God wont be accepted.Our deeds wont be acceped by God.Because those who don't accept the Imams are like those who don't accept God or the Prophet.
http://shiatime.tripod.com/
He is alive and in occultation and will reappear whenever Allah wants.We should obey those scholars who obey 12 Imams, teach their knowledge and follow their instructions.
Is is ok if we don't obey the IMAM of our time and live according to some other leaders?
No,It is not ok. If we don't accept IMAM Mahdi (pbuh) as Imam of our time, our submission to God wont be accepted.Our deeds wont be acceped by God.Because those who don't accept the Imams are like those who don't accept God or the Prophet.
http://shiatime.tripod.com/
Now here its tells us that we should follow shia scholars while the Mahdi is in gaib. On the contrary, shia scholars are fallible and they are not part of the ahlul bayt according to shia standards. In reality while the Mahdi is gone into gaib its not really possible to follow except through a philosophical belief.
Also, what surprises me is the sunni believe that the imam of the time are the scholars, but 12rs say this is wrong. However, at the same time they encourage sunnis to follow their scholars while their imams are in gaib. Among the shia narrations I also came across this hadith from the 12r imami books.
Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn 'Isa from Yunus ibn Muskan from abu Basir from one of them (Imams (a.s.), who has said the following
"Allah does not leave the earth without a 'Alim (scholar). Without this the truth would not be distinguished from falsehood." (Al-Kafi H 431, Ch. 5, h 4)
The shia can say that the alim is the imam. However, while the 12th Imam is gaib, their alims are the majra who collect khums from the 12rs to teach them about deen and provide other religious services. The duty of an Imam is to provide us with affair regarding deen. The below hadith from the shia books states this.
Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Rabi' ibn Muhammad al-Musalliy from 'Abdallah ibn Sulayman al- 'Amiriy from abu 'Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
"The earth has never been without a person with Divine authority who would teach people about the lawful and unlawful matters and call them to the path of Allah." (Al-Kafi H 430, Ch. 5, h 3 )
From the above hadith a few questions should be answered.
How is 12th Imam is guiding us right now? How can you recognize an Imam without even meeting him ? How is the 12th Imam teaching us what is lawful and what is unlawful ?
Since, the Sunni has failed to recognize the Imam is alive then he/she is automatically a kaffir ? If this is case then what about the existence of Prophet Isa (as). Why did the 12rs most esteemed shia scholar Shaykh Saduq deny that Prophe Isa (as) was alive ? Isn't this a type of a double standard ?
Shaykh Saduq's book of I`tiqad writes:
"Our opponents (the Sunnites) have related that when the Mahdi, on whom be peace, will appear, Jesus, son of Mary, on whom he peace, will descend upon the earth and pray behind the Mahdi. Now the descent of Jesus to the earth is his return to the world after death, because Allah the Glorious and Mighty says: "Verily I will cause thee to die, and will take thee up to myself" [3, 48]."
http://www.sicm.org.uk/index.php?page=suduk/Suduk18
Proof From The Qur'aan On The Descent Of 'Eesa ('Alaihi Salaam)
There are two verses of the Qur'aan on this matter. One in which Allah Most High says “There is
none of the People of the Book except who must believe in him before his death.”(Q. An-Nisaa 4:159) On this IbnAbbaas (radiallahu anhu) has said: “Before the death of 'Eesa ibn Maryam ('alaihi salaam).” As related by
Ibn Jareer with a authentic chain. Al Haakim related in Al-Mustadrak from Ibn Abbaas (radiallahu anhu) regarding this verse that he said, “The appearance of 'Eesa ibn Maryam.” Al-Haakim has said this report is authentic according to the criterion of the two shaykhs (Al-Bukhaari and Muslim) and supported by Adh-Dhahabi in At-Talkhees.
Abu Bakr Al-Aajurri relates in his book Ash-Sharee'ah from Ibn Abbaas on this verse as having said: “It means that a group from the People of the Book will recognize ‘Eesa upon his appearance and by that believe in him.” Ibn Mardawiyyah reports that Abu Hurairah (radiallahu anhu) has made statements similar to that of Ibn Abbaas about this verse and this statement is the correct explanation of the verse. It was considered so by Ibn Jareer (At-Tabaree) as well as Ibn Katheer. It is also supported by Abu Maalik, Al-Hasan, Qataadah, Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Zaid ibn Aslam and others. Al-Hasan said: “By Allah he is alive now in the presence of Allah, but when he descends they will all believe in him.” Narrated by Ibn Jareer.
As far as what else has been said by the commentators that the pronoun in the verse "...before his death”(Q. An-Nisaa 4:159) is in reference to the person Jew or Christian - there is no contradiction of what has been presented before in that though they may believe at their time of passing that 'Eesa ('alaihi salaam) is a slave of Allah and His Messenger, his belief will be at that time of no use. Whereas those who believe in him after his descent at the end of time their belief shall in fact benefit them and Allah knows best.
In the second verse Allah Most High says “wa innahu la 'ilmun lis-saa'ah”,(Q. Az-Zukhruf 43:61) and in the recitation of Ibn Abbaas, Abu Hurairah, Qataadah and Al-A'maash “wa innahu la 'alamun lis-saa'ah”, that is, an indication and a sign of the nearness of the Final Hour. Ibn Abbaas, in explaining this verse said “It is the coming of 'Eesa ibn Maryam before the day of Resurrection” as related by Imaam Ahmad, Sa’eed ibn Mansour, ‘Abd ibn Hameed, Ibn Abi Haatim, At-Tabaraani, Al-Haakim in Al-Mustadrak; he and Adh- Dhahabi both call it authentic.
Ibn Hibbaan in his Saheeh and Al-Haakim relate in a hadeeth of Ibn 'Abbaas (radiallahu anhu) from the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) on this verse "And verily he is a sign of the Hour” that he said “The descent of 'Eesa ibn Maryam before the Day of Resurrection”. Reported as authentic by AI-Haakim and Adh-Dhahabi. Similar sayings to that of 'Ibn Abbaas’ have also been related by Abu Hurairah, Mujaahid, Al-Hasan, Qataadah, Abu 'Aaliyyah, Abu Malik, 'Ikrimah, and Ad-Dahhaak. With all that has been presented through Qur'aanic verses and confirmed ahadeeth from the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) concerning the descent of 'Eesa ibn Maryam ('alaihi salaam) at the end of time; along with the statements of Ibn 'Abbaas, Abu Hurairah and others from amongst the salaf on the tafseer of the verses from Soorah An-Nisaa and Az-Zukhruf; one must know that the descent of 'Eesa ('alaihi salaam) is true and the truth is never incompatible with Islam. Whoever claims that his ('alaihi salaam) descent is incompatible with Islam is of those whose Islam is doubtful because he has not fulfilled his declaration that Muhammad (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) is the Messenger of Allah. It is
necessary for its fulfillment to absolutely affirm all that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) has informed us about regarding matters of the unseen that have passed and that shall occur in the
future.
Now 12rs can say that Shaykh Saduq isn't infallible and that he is capable of making a mistake. If this is the case which shia scholar is infallible ? Also, why are sunnis in fault for denying the existence of the Mahdi, which Shaykh Saduq denied the correct interpretation of the Quran regarding Prophet Isa (as) life ? Personally, I don't have a problem with the 12r shia belief of the Mahdi because many sufi have declared that he is alive. However, what I hate about all this is the way 12rs attack sunnis for not agreeing with them. Also the attitude from sunnis toward shias is likewise. Why can't we Muslims just focus on how we can get closer to Allah (swt) ? After all this is main goal of deen. Also, in my older posts I quoted Ayatollah Fadlallah for a certain point. A 12rs shia responded by saying Fadlallah is heretic. What give a shia a right to say this ? Does he have ilm-e-gaib ? The issue the 12rs have with Fadlallah is that he substantiates proof from text and derives what he believes in authentic. Sometimes this proof goes against what many 12rs believe in. Therefore, the 12r shias lash out at Ayatollah Fadlallah for being a heretic. From I can conclude about this substantiating proof from text is better than depending on dream narrations. I've listened to a few shia scholars on youtube and many times while they are lecturing they mention a few dream narrations.
Here is an example below.
With these example the 12rs are encouraged that the marjas they are following are the representatives of the Mahdi or Ahlul Bayt, and to follow them is equal to following the Ahlul Bayt. However, for me using dream narration is fluid. To prove a point one must use authentication narrations. I have seen many dream narrations coming out of sufis too. However, those narrations are also not binding on my belief. Therefore, if I disagree with a dream narration, there is no effect on my level of imaan (faith). Another case is there are other shia scholars who have given there experiences of meeting the Mahdi. Again this is not solid evidence. If one denies such evidence he/she does not go outside the fold of Islam or even become deviant.
May Allah Guide us Toward the Correct Path !!
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