Al-Hidaayah: back to the Sunnah

Some Aspects of the SHI'ITE Religion - Be Warned... [>]

All praise and glory be to Allaah, the Creator, the Lord of the worlds. May His blessings and peace be with the Prophet Muhammad (S) al-Mustafa, whom He sent as a Mercy to the worlds, conveying to us His Message and His Guidance. To proceed:

Since truth must ever oppose falsehood - it is our duty to demonstrate that Shi'ism is not an acceptable variant of Islaam, but rather an unacceptable distortion of it. It is essential for the Sunni Muslim to know the fact of the Shi'ite deviation from the straight path of Islaam taught by the Prophet Muhammad (S) and his noble Companions.

Shi'ism originated in the first century of Islaam as an exaggerated affection for and partisanship of Ahlul-Bait (the family and descendants of the Prophet Muhammad (S). Later on, it developed into a set of disbeliefs and erroneous concepts which ultimately constituted a new religion; a religion other than that which was taught by the Prophet Muhammad (S) and by his Companions after him.

The Shi'ites claim to have a Qur'aan other than the one which is unanimously recognized by all Muslims throughout the history of Islaam. Furthermore, they reject the authentic compilations of the sacred traditions, such as those of the two great imaams Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim. These are some of their beliefs - unfortunately, some naive or simple minded Muslims are inclined to believe that the Shi'ites of today have abandoned their deviant tenets and have revered to the right path. Grounds for such a belief are yet to be found.

A detailed exposition of the Shi'ite distortions and misconcepts have been dealt by many scholars, but at this point to briefly touch some of the views of the contemporary Shi'ite religious elite; the ayatullaahs and mullaahs whose commands are obeyed and slavishly adhered to by the ordinary Shi'ites.

In a treatise entitled Tuhfatul-Awaam Maqbool, published recently, there appeared an invocation called Du'aa Sanamay Quraish (the invocation against the two idols of Quraish, by which the Shi'ites mean the two caliphs of Allaah's Messenger, Abu Bakr and 'Umar), endorsed by six of the most respected contemporary Shi'ite imaams including Khomeini and Shariat-Madari. In that invocation, Abu Bakr and 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with them, are accused of altering the Qur'aan. Those two illustrious caliphs along with their two daughters, who were the noble and pure wives of the Prophet (S) were cursed and reviled by the Shi'ites of today.

Khomeini in his book Al-Hukoomatul-Islamiyyah pages 52-53 (The Islamic Government), claims that the Twelve Imams are infallible, and he raises them to a level above the heavenly angels and the commissioned prophets of Allaah; Khomeini stresses: "Certainly, the Imaam commands a noble station and lofty position; a creative vicegerency to whose rule and power submit the very atoms of all creations(!) And an essential tenet of our Shi'ite sect is that the Imaams have a position which is reached neither by the angels (in the highest heaven) nor by any commissioned messenger of God." He further stated: "The teachings and directives of the Imaams are just like those of the Qur'aan - it is compulsory on one to follow them and carry them out." In short, Khomeini and his fellow clergymen adhere to all of the perverse tenets of the Shi'ite faith as laid out in detail in Al-Kaafi. Khomeini clearly admits this in his book Al-Hukoomatul-Islamiyyah: "Do you think that it is enough for us, with respect to our religion, to collect its rulings and directives in Al-Kaafi, then put it on a shelf and neglect it?" (What Khomeini means here is that he not only affirms and believes all that is in the Shi'ite book Al-Kaafi, but he also sees it as obligatory to adhere to it and put its rulings and directives into effect in the Shi'ite state).

Be warned that if movements and organisations in the Muslim community recognise Shi'ism as being valid and praise Shi'ites for their achievements, the Shi'ites would then become the best example for the application of Islamic law, though this is far from being true. The end result being that the masses would become misguided with respect to them and their religion - which is happening right now in Sri Lanka!!!

AN OUTLINE OF THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE SUNNIS AND THE SHI'ITES IN MATTERS OF FAITH AND DOCTRINE
SUNNIS SHI'ITES

There is unanimous agreement regarding its authenticity, and its text being safeguarded from any additions or deletions. The Qur'aan is to be understood in consonance with the rules and bases of the Arabic language. We believe in every single letter of it being the word of Allaah (subh). The Qur'aan is neither temporal nor newly created, but is eternal. Falsehood does not approach it from before it or behind it. It is the primary source of all the Muslims' tenets of faith, their rites and rules of conduct. To some of them, the Qur'an's authenticity is doubtful. Of course, many of them would disclaim their doubt since they fervently believe in and practice "taqiyyah". They claim that some of parts of the Qur'aan have been deleted, and that in itself suffices as a proof of their doubt in the Qur'aan. The views and opinions of their Imaams are the primary source of their jurisprudence. Also, if the Qur'aan appears to contradict any of their sectarian beliefs or doctrines, then they give the Qur'anic text strange, far-fetched interpretations that agree with their sectarian views.

We believe the Ahaadeeth (The Prophetic Traditions) are the second source of revealed law, complementary to the Qur'aan. It is not permissible to contradict or reject the rulings and directives contained in those ahaadeeth which are reliably attributed to the Prophet (S). The Shi'ites reject all Prophetic traditions which were not related by members of the Ahlul-Bait or their descendants. The only exception to this rule is their acceptance of a few ahaadeeth narrated by those who sided with 'Ali (t) in his political wars.

It is unanimously agreed that the noble Companions deserve our utmost respect, and are absolutely trustworthy. As for the discord which occurred among them, it is to be considered as the consequence of the sincere exercise of personal conviction and opinion. The Companions are those whom Allaah (subh) has described in the best of terms; He has praised them upon many occasions. They charge that all save a few of the Companions had turned "Murtad" (Apostates) after the death of Prophet Muhammad (S). On the other hand they grant the Companion Ali bin Abee Taalib a very special status; some of them consider him vicegerent and others view him as a prophet while others take him for god! Shi'ites pass judgement on Muslims in accordance with their position with regards to 'Ali. Whoever was elected caliph before 'Ali is held by them to be a tyrant, an apostate or a sinner.

It is the belief of the Sunnis that Allaah is the One, the Only, God, the Almighty Subduer. He has no partners or rivals, and He has no equal. There is no intermediary between Him and His worshippers. They believe in His attributes (As-Sifaat) as they were revealed in the Qur'anic verses, and they not obscure their obvious meanings with far-fetched interpretations. They believe that Allaah sent the Prophets and commissioned them with conveying to mankind His Message and Guidance. They conveyed Allaah's Message and did not conceal any part of it. They believe that knowledge of the unseen belongs to Allaah alone. Intercession is confined to the Hereafter, and none may intercede except by Allaah's permission. All supplications, vows, offerings of sacrifices and requests for needs are to be directed to God alone; they are not to be directed to any other besides Him. Allaah alone controls good and evil. There is no one, living or dead who shares in His authority or in His administration of affairs. All beings depend on Him, and need His favour and mercy. The Shi'ites also believe in Allaah except that they adulterate the belief with polytheistic rituals and observances. They implore and make supplication to Allaah's slaves and worshippers rather than to Him alone, saying "O 'Ali!", "O Fathimah", "O Hussain!". Similarly they make vows and sacrifice beasts in the name of others besides Allaah. They request the dead to fulfil their needs as is shown by their prayers and poems. They consider their Imaams to be infallible, to have knowledge of the unseen, and to partake in the administration of the universe. It is the Shi'ites who invented sufism (mysticism) to consecrate their deviated tenets and thus give them the air of legitimacy. They claimed that there is special power and authority invested in the "awliyaa" "aqtaab" (those considered to be the spiritual axes of the universe, which turns due to their exalted status) and Ahlul-Bait. Shi'ite scholars and clergy impressed upon their followers the concept of a hereditary privileged class, as a matter of religion, although this has no foundation in Islaam at all. Knowledge of Allaah is attained according to them through the exercise of reason and not by knowledge of divinely revealed law.

We believe that believers will be blessed with the sight of Allaah in the hereafter, as is mentioned in the Qur'aan: "On that Day faces (of the believers) will be resplendent, looking towards their Lord. The Shi'ites believe that to see Allaah is not possible in this world nor in the hereafter.

Allaah, the Exalted has reserved the knowledge of the unseen for Himself. However, He has revealed to His Prophets some of the affairs and conditions of the unseen, for particular reasons. They claim that knowledge of the unseen belongs solely to their Imaams, and it is not for the Prophet (S) to inform us about the unseen. Some shi'ites have gone so far as to claim godhead for those Imaams.

Taqiyyah is defined as presenting an outer appearance that belies what one conceals inside, to protect oneself from harm. It is considered impermissible for a Muslim to deceive other Muslims. In spite of the differences among the various Shi'ite sects, they all agree that Taqiyyah is a prescribed duty and a pillar of their faith! Their schools of thought could not stand without it. It is a Shi'ite tradition that "Taqiyyah is my faith and the faith of my forefathers." They also say that "whosoever does not practice taqiyyah he has no faith".

SUNNIS		SHI'ITES
There is unanimous agreement regarding its authenticity, and its text being safeguarded from any additions or deletions. The Qur'aan is to be understood in consonance with the rules and bases of the Arabic language. We believe in every single letter of it being the word of Allaah (subh). The Qur'aan is neither temporal nor newly created, but is eternal. Falsehood does not approach it from before it or behind it. It is the primary source of all the Muslims' tenets of faith, their rites and rules of conduct.		To some of them, the Qur'an's authenticity is doubtful. Of course, many of them would disclaim their doubt since they fervently believe in and practice "taqiyyah". They claim that some of parts of the Qur'aan have been deleted, and that in itself suffices as a proof of their doubt in the Qur'aan. The views and opinions of their Imaams are the primary source of their jurisprudence. Also, if the Qur'aan appears to contradict any of their sectarian beliefs or doctrines, then they give the Qur'anic text strange, far-fetched interpretations that agree with their sectarian views.
We believe the Ahaadeeth (The Prophetic Traditions) are the second source of revealed law, complementary to the Qur'aan. It is not permissible to contradict or reject the rulings and directives contained in those ahaadeeth which are reliably attributed to the Prophet (S).		The Shi'ites reject all Prophetic traditions which were not related by members of the Ahlul-Bait or their descendants. The only exception to this rule is their acceptance of a few ahaadeeth narrated by those who sided with 'Ali (t) in his political wars.
It is unanimously agreed that the noble Companions deserve our utmost respect, and are absolutely trustworthy. As for the discord which occurred among them, it is to be considered as the consequence of the sincere exercise of personal conviction and opinion. The Companions are those whom Allaah (subh) has described in the best of terms; He has praised them upon many occasions.		They charge that all save a few of the Companions had turned "Murtad" (Apostates) after the death of Prophet Muhammad (S). On the other hand they grant the Companion Ali bin Abee Taalib a very special status; some of them consider him vicegerent and others view him as a prophet while others take him for god! Shi'ites pass judgement on Muslims in accordance with their position with regards to 'Ali. Whoever was elected caliph before 'Ali is held by them to be a tyrant, an apostate or a sinner.
It is the belief of the Sunnis that Allaah is the One, the Only, God, the Almighty Subduer. He has no partners or rivals, and He has no equal. There is no intermediary between Him and His worshippers. They believe in His attributes (As-Sifaat) as they were revealed in the Qur'anic verses, and they not obscure their obvious meanings with far-fetched interpretations. They believe that Allaah sent the Prophets and commissioned them with conveying to mankind His Message and Guidance. They conveyed Allaah's Message and did not conceal any part of it. They believe that knowledge of the unseen belongs to Allaah alone. Intercession is confined to the Hereafter, and none may intercede except by Allaah's permission. All supplications, vows, offerings of sacrifices and requests for needs are to be directed to God alone; they are not to be directed to any other besides Him. Allaah alone controls good and evil. There is no one, living or dead who shares in His authority or in His administration of affairs. All beings depend on Him, and need His favour and mercy.		The Shi'ites also believe in Allaah except that they adulterate the belief with polytheistic rituals and observances. They implore and make supplication to Allaah's slaves and worshippers rather than to Him alone, saying "O 'Ali!", "O Fathimah", "O Hussain!". Similarly they make vows and sacrifice beasts in the name of others besides Allaah. They request the dead to fulfil their needs as is shown by their prayers and poems. They consider their Imaams to be infallible, to have knowledge of the unseen, and to partake in the administration of the universe. It is the Shi'ites who invented sufism (mysticism) to consecrate their deviated tenets and thus give them the air of legitimacy. They claimed that there is special power and authority invested in the "awliyaa" "aqtaab" (those considered to be the spiritual axes of the universe, which turns due to their exalted status) and Ahlul-Bait. Shi'ite scholars and clergy impressed upon their followers the concept of a hereditary privileged class, as a matter of religion, although this has no foundation in Islaam at all. Knowledge of Allaah is attained according to them through the exercise of reason and not by knowledge of divinely revealed law.
We believe that believers will be blessed with the sight of Allaah in the hereafter, as is mentioned in the Qur'aan: "On that Day faces (of the believers) will be resplendent, looking towards their Lord.		The Shi'ites believe that to see Allaah is not possible in this world nor in the hereafter.
Allaah, the Exalted has reserved the knowledge of the unseen for Himself. However, He has revealed to His Prophets some of the affairs and conditions of the unseen, for particular reasons.		They claim that knowledge of the unseen belongs solely to their Imaams, and it is not for the Prophet (S) to inform us about the unseen. Some shi'ites have gone so far as to claim godhead for those Imaams.
Taqiyyah is defined as presenting an outer appearance that belies what one conceals inside, to protect oneself from harm. It is considered impermissible for a Muslim to deceive other Muslims.		In spite of the differences among the various Shi'ite sects, they all agree that Taqiyyah is a prescribed duty and a pillar of their faith! Their schools of thought could not stand without it. It is a Shi'ite tradition that "Taqiyyah is my faith and the faith of my forefathers." They also say that "whosoever does not practice taqiyyah he has no faith".