Al-Khutoot Al-'Areedah
An Exposition and Refutation
of the sources upon which
the Shi'ite Religion is based
Muhibbudeen Al-Khateeb
Translated by
Mahmoud Murad
Revised and Edited with an Introduction
by
Abu Bilal Mustafa AI Kanadi
Present Edition published by
SOCIETY FOR THE ISLAMIC ACADEMIC RESEARCH
Under the auspices of
ABUL KALAM AZAD ISLAMIC AWAKENING CENTRE
8/1 JOGA BAI, .NEW DELHI -1 10 025.
CONTENTS
Publisher's note iv
Introduction v
The call to reconciliation of the various sects and
schools of thought 1
Islamic jurisprudence 3
The question of taqiyyah 3
Shi'ite attack on the Noble Qur'an 4
Shi'ite lies, even against 'Ali 8
Rejoicing of the missionaries and orientalists 9
Shi'ite views on the Muslim rulers 10
Malice against Abu Bakr and ' Umar 11
Shi'ite exalt the assassin of the Caliph 'Umar 12
Desire for revenge and destruction 13
Shi'ite way of thinking unchanged 15
Distortion of historical facts 16
The Shi'ites place their imams above the Messenger 17
The Shi'ite treachery towards Islamic governments 19
The treachery of Al-'Alqami and Ibn Abil-Hadeed 19
n impediment to reconciliation 20
Salvation cannot be attained without pledging
allegiance to Ahlil-Bait 21
Shi'ites differ with Muslims in fundamentals 21
The tale of the door and the tunnel 23
The concept of pledging allegiance according to Muslim 24
Friendship and affection among the rightly-guided caliphs 24
Why we must rid ourselves of any connection with
the Shi'ites 25
Shi'ites prefer propagation of their sectarian tenets to taqreeh 26
The intrigue of Baabism and Bahaism 27
From Shi'ism to Communism 27
An outline of the differences between the Sunnis
and the Shi'ites..
The Glorious Qur'an 29
Ahaadeeth (The Prophetic Traditions) 30
The Companions of the Prophet 31
Belief in the oneness of god 32
Seeing Allah 33
The unseen 33
Aalur-Rasool (the family of the Messenger - may Allah
be pleased with them all) 34
The meaning of Shari'ah and Haqeeqah 35
Islamic jurisprudence 36
Al-walaa' (obedience and devotion) 37
Taqiyyah (calculated deception) 38
Governing the Islamic state 39
Footnotes
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
With the advent of Islam in Arabia, the polytheists, Jews and Christians
had to retreat as they could not withstand the challenge thrown by Islam to
accept the reality of monotheism. These forces particularly the Jews were most
vociferous in their opposition to Islam. As they were not in a position to challenge
Islam openly, they resorted to strike from within. It was Abdullah bin Saba, a Jew,
who pretending to be a Muslim coined and propagated the Divine right of Ali Bin
Abi Talib, May Allah be pleased with him, to the Caliphate as the successor to
the prophet Muhammed (PBOH), by virtue of his position as the son in law of the
prophet(PBOH). By and by the idea was turned in to a doctrine and those
professing it called themselves as Shi'ites. This doctrine was based upon the
contempt and animosity towards the pious caliphs particularly Abu Bakr and
Umar (May Allah be pleased with them). Since its very inception this break away
group has been playing a negative role in the Muslim World and has brought
untold miseries to the Ummah. The annals, of the Islamic history bear testimony
to the above fact. The assassin movement of Hasan bin Sabbah and the role
played by Ibn-e-Alqami in the devastation of Baghdad by Holagu are some of
the instances of the past Islamic history. The upsurge of Khomenieism in Iran
is also the part of the old game of the Shi'ite history. Khomenieism has assumed
a new and most dangerous dimension which has surpassed all the previous
dangers. The uncompromising attitude in the ruinous war with Iraq, the turmoil
at Mecca during the last year Haj pilgrimage, the mischievous move to
internationalize the control of the holy cities of Islam and the sinister propaganda
against the government of Saudi Arabia has exposed the Khomenie regime.
This book Al-Khutoot Al-Areedah gives a vivid picture of the Shi'ite belief
and faith. The reader will come across with some painful truths and horrible
facts.
Abul Kalam Azad Islamic Awakening Centre, New Delhi is indebted to
brother Mahmood Murad, translator of the book, who very kindly granted per-
mission to publish it, when the undersigned had the privilege to meet him at the
International Conference of the Sacred Cities of Islam, held on 1 st & 2nd April
1988 at California, Los Angeles, U.S.A.
Unfortunately both the illustrious author of this book Muhibbuddeen
Khateeb and his son Oussay expired recently. May Allah, the most merciful
forgive their sins and admit them to the paradise.
Abul Kalam Azad Islamic Awakening Centre has a promising programme
to bring out books on various Islamic subjects to facilitate the Muslims to
understand the pristine teachings of Islam. May Allah help us in our efforts.
Date: 2.5.1988
Abdul Hameed Rahmani
President
Abul Kalam Azad Islamic Awakening Centre
INTRODUCTION
In the name of Allah. the Beneficent, the Merciful
All praise is due to the Almighty God, Allah. We praise Him and
seek His help and forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Allah from the
evils of our own selves and from our wicked deeds. Whosoever has
been guided by Allah, there is none to misguide him. And whosoever
has been misguided by Allah, none can guide him. And I bear witness
that there is no other god except Allah, alone, without partner or
associate. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and
messenger. May Allah the Exalted bestow His peace and blessings on
the Prophet Muhammad, upon his good and pure family as well as
upon all of the noble Companions and upon those who followed them
in righteousness until the Day of Judgment.
It is intended through this translation of Al-Khutoot Al-'Areedah to
present to readers of English, both Muslims and non-Muslims accurate
information about the faith and tenets of the Shi'ite sect known as the
Twelve Imamers or Ja'faris.
It is essential for the Sunni Muslim to know the fact of the Shi'ite
deviation from the straight path of Islam taught by the Prophet
Muhammad (s.a.a.w.s.) and his noble Companions (r.a.a.). Al-Khutoot
Al-'Areedah clearly and briefly presents the actual teachings of the
Shi'ites in general, and the Twelve Imamers in particular. The reader
will derive from the text an unequivocal understanding of the Shi'ite
sect and will distance himself from them and their beliefs. He will
realize that there can be no reconciliation nor reunification of the
Sunnis and the schismatic Shi'ites until and unless the latter renounce
their perverse tenets. They must return to the pure unadulterated
teachings of Islam held and maintained by Ahlus-Sunnah wal-lama'ah
(the Sunnis).
Unfortunately, it is a common view in the West that the Irani
Shi'ites and their so-called Islamic" revolution with all its attendant
turmoil, injustice and barbarism, are representatives of Islam. It is
hoped that the non-Muslim reader of this work will come to perceive
the abyss which separates the Shi'ites from the Muslim majority, and
that he will no longer condemn all Muslims for the activities of one de-
viant sect.
THE PREDETERMINED FACT OF SECTARIANISM
The existence of numerous sects, the majority of which are de-
viant, is a predetermined fact referred to in the Glorious Qur'an:
And if your Lord [Allah] had so willed, He could have made
mankind a single unified community, but they will not cease
to dispute and differ; except those upon whom your Lord has
bestowed His mercy. And for this did He create them, and
the word of your Lord will be fulfilled: l will fill Hell with jinns
and men altogether. (11-118, 119)
Furthermore, Allah's Prophet (s.a.a.w.s.) had said: "Verily this na-
tion [of Muslims] will divide into seventy-three sects", and in another
narration: "All of them [these sects] will be in the Fire except one.'
When asked which it was, the Prophet replied: "The one which
adheres to my Sunnah (way of life) and the Sunnah of my
Companions.'
Thus, it was incumbent upon us to bring to light the stark dif-
ferences among the sects so that it may be perfectly clear what each
sect believes in and adheres to that Allah s proof against His slaves
may be established:
But that Allah might accomplish a matter already ordained
[in His knowledge]; so that those who were destroyed [by re-
jecting faith] might be destroyed after a clear sign [had been.
given] and those who live [i.e. believers] might live after a
clear sign [had been given]. And surely Allah is All-Hearer,
All-Knower. (8:42)
Shi'ism originated in the first century of Islam as an exaggerated
affection for and partisanship of Ahlul-Bait (the family and descendants
of the Prophet Muhammad [s.a.a.w.s.]). Later on, it developed into a
set of misbeliefs and erroneous concepts which ultimately constituted
a new religion; a religion other than that which was taught by the Pro-
phet Muhammad (s.a.a.w.s.), and by his Companions after him.
The Shi'ites claim to have a Qur'an other than the one which is
unanimously recognized by all Muslims throughout the history of
Islam. Furthermore, they reject the authentic compilations of the
sacred traditions, such as those of the two great imams Al-Bukhari and
Muslim. They consider all but a few-of the Companions of the Prophet
Muhammad to be apostates, while they elevate their Imams to a posi-
tion comparable o that of the gods of ancient mythology
Unfortunately, some naive or simple-minded Muslims are in-
clined to believe that the Shi'ites of today have abandoned their de-
viant tenets and have reverted to the right path. Grounds for such a
belief are yet to be found.
A detailed exposition of the Shi'ite distortions and misconcep-
tions will follow in this treatise, but at this point I will briefly touch on
some of the views of the contemporary Shi'ite religious elite; the
ayatullahs and mullahs whose commands are obeyed and slavishly
adhered to by the ordinary Shi'ite.
In a treatise entitled Tuhfatul-Awaam Maqbool, published recent-
ly, there appeared an invocation 2 endorsed by six of the most
respected contemporary Shi'ite imams including Khomeini and
Shariat-Madari. In that invocation, Abu Bakr and 'Umar, may Allah be
pleased with them, are accused of altering the Qur'an. Those two
illustrious caliphs, along with their two daughters, who were the noble
and pure wives of the Prophet (s.a.a.w.s.) were cursed and reviled by
the Shi'ites of today.
Khomeini, in his book Al-Hukoomatul-lslamiwah (the Islamic
government), claims that the Twelve Imams are infallible, and he raises
them to a level above the heavenly angels and the commissioned pro-
phets of Allah; he stresses: "Certainly, the Imam commands a noble
station and lofty position; a creative vicegerency to who's rule and
power submit the very atoms of all creation[!] And an essential tenet of
our Shi'ite sect is that the Imams have a position which is reached
neither by the angels [in the highest heaven] nor by any commissioned
messenger of God 3." He further stated: "The teachings and directives
of the Imams are just like those of the Qur'an, 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. Kho-
meini clearly admits this in his book Al-Huloomatul-islamiah: "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?"
Al-Khutoot Al-'Areedah, provides some details from Al-Kaafi, a
foundation stone of the Shi'ite religion, so that the naive good-hearted
Muslims may have a second thought before cherishing the idea that
the Shi'ites of today are different from those of the past.
Abu Bilal Mustafa Al-Kanadi, Mecca and Vancouver
Ramadan-Dhul-Qa'dah 1403 A.H. /1983 C.E.
AL-KHUTOOT AL'AREEDAH
THE CALL TO RECONCILIATION OF THE
VARIOUS SECTS ND SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT
Bringing Muslims closer to each other in their thoughts, convic-
tions and aims is one of the greatest objectives of Islam, and a most
vital means of achieving Muslim unity, power, revival and reconstruc-
tion. When the call to such a purpose is free from ulterior motives and
is likely to yield more benefit than harm, then it becomes incumbent
on all Muslims to respond to it and to co-operate with each other to
make it a success.
Discussion of this call had increased in recent years, and had such
a pronounced effect that it attracted the attention of Al-Azhar Universi-
ty, one of the greatest religious institutions of those who adhere to the
four schools of jurisprudence of Ahlus-Sunnahs (Sunni Muslims). Al-
Azhar fully adopted the idea of bringing Muslim groups together and
pursued it beyond the limits of its authority which had been establish-
ed in the time of Salahuddin and maintained up until the present. Al-
Azhar overstepped its bounds in its desire to explore and to accom-
modate various schools of thought, the foremost of which is the school
of the Shi'ite Twelve lmamers.
. .
Al-Azhar is, at this point, in the early stages of this mission. 6
Therefore, this topic is timely and worthy of research, study and ex-
position by every Muslim who has knowledge of the issue, in all its
details and with all its ramifications. Since religious issues tend to be
controversial in nature, they should be handled with wisdom, insight
and straightforwardness. The researcher must also be enlightened by
Allah's guidance and be impartial in his judgment in order that his
research may achieve its claimed objectives and yield satisfactory
results, if it be so willed by Allah.
n may be remarked that with any contentious issue involving
more than one party, chances for its successful resolution are cor-
related-to the responsiveness of the parties involved. With respect to
the question of bringing Ahlus-Sunnah and the Shi'ites closer to each
other, it has been noticed that a centre was established for this pur-
pose in Egypt, financed by the government of a Shi'ite country. This
open-handed Shi'ite government has honored us with its generosity
while it deprived itself and the adherents of its own school of thought
of its governmental bounty It has also been noticed that it did not
build such a lavish establishment for the call to "reconciliation" in
Tehran, Qum, Najaf, Jabal 'Aamil, or any other centre known for its
propagation of the Shi'ite school of thought.'
These Shi'ite propaganda centres published during the past years
books that make one's skin crawl and one's body tremble from the
shock of what is written therein. Reading them utterly destroys any
idea we may have entertained of developing mutual understanding
and closeness with their Shi'ite authors and the like of them. Among
these publications is a book entitled Az-Zahraa, by Shi'ite scholars of
Najaf, in which they alleged that AmiruMu'mineen 'Umar ibnu
Khattaab, the second caliph, was plagued with a disease curable only
by the water of men (i.e., semen)! This filthy slander was noted by the
scholar Al-Basheer Al-lbrahimi, the Sheikh of the Algerian 'ulamaa,
during his first visit to Iraq. A filthy soul which produces such
wickedness is in a greater need of the call to understanding and recon-
ciliation than we are.
The fundamental difference between them and us is rooted in
their claim that they are more loyal to AhlulBait, and in the fact that
they hide from us their malice towards and grudge against the Comp-
nions of the Prophet, on whose shoulders Islam was established. Their
hatred reached such a point that they can utter the filthy words against
'Umar ibnul-Khattaab that were noted above.
Is it not fair to say that they should have restrained their malice
and hatred against the first Imams of Islam. and that they should have
appreciated the noble stand of ahlus-Sunnah toward ahlulBait, that
stand which never fell short in offering due homage and reverence to
the family of the Prophet? Or do they consider us to be remiss in not
taking the family of the Prophet as gods to be worshipped along with
Allah, as they do?
Without a doubt, responsiveness to each other is essential if two
parties are to achieve a mutual "coming together", reconciliation and
understanding. This mutual responsiveness can only come about if
there are sincere efforts on both sides to achieve it.
As stated above, there is a "reconciliation" centre in Egypt, a
Sunni country; there are also propaganda offices which wage hostile
campaigns against those who do not favour such centres. One might
well question the absence of such centres or their like in any Shi'ite
country. One also may question why Al-Azhar University has included
instruction in the Shi'ite school of thought, while the Sunni schools of
thought are still locked out of the Shi'ite educational institutions. If the
call to reconciliation is restricted to one of the concerned parties
alone, then the efforts spent on such a call will be futile.
Finally, one may question the value of beginning the process of
reconciliation by attending to differences of a minor or secondary
nature, while fundamental differences have not yet been addressed.
ISLAMIC JURISPRUDENCE
The jurisprudence of the Sunnis differs from that of the Shi'ites
even in the fundamentals upon which the law is based. Yet unless and
until the fundamentals are understood and endorsed by both parties,
and until there is a favorable response to this from the religious
institutions of both sides, it would be useless to waste time dealing
with issues of a minor or secondary nature.
In fact, it is not merely in the fundamentals of jurisprudence that
there are differences, but also, and more importantly, in the fun-
damental articles of faith of each party, even in their deepest roots and
origins.
THE QUESTION OF TAQIYYAH
One of the main obstacle to their receiving a positive response
from us is their tenet of taqiyyah (deception), by the application of
which, they reveal to us other than what they have in their hearts. The
simple-minded Sunni is deceived by their pretentious display of 'the
desire to overcome our differences and reach a common under-
standing between us and them. In fact, they neither want such a thing
nor approve of it. They do not strive for it, but rather leave it to the
other party to come the full distance to their position, without exerting
an effort to make any move from their side. Even if those Shi'ites who
practice taqiyyah were to convince us that they have moved a few
steps in our direction, then the multitude of Shi'ites, be they ordinary
people or the scholarly elite, would stand apart from those who
adopted the ruse of objectivity towards us, and they would not
recognize them as their representatives; this because their actual belief
does not permit them to reconcile themselves with us.
SHI'ITE ATTACK ON THE NOBLE QUR'AN
The Qur'an should be the comprehensive reference for both
Sunnis and Shi'ites, and a means of bringing about unity and mutual
understanding, but it has been misinterpreted by the Shi'ites and given
a meaning other than that which was understood by the noble Com-
panions who received it directly from the Prophet, and other than that
which was understood by the Imams of Islam who received it from the
very generation amongst whom the Qur'an descended by way of
Divine Revelation.
One of the most famous and respected Shi'ite scholars, from
Najaf, Mirza Husain bin Muhammad Taqi An-Nawari At-Tabarsi, wrote
in 1292 A.H. the book faslul-Khitaab fee Ithbatti Tahreefi Kitaab
Rabbil-Arbaab (The Decisive Say on the Proof of Alteration of the Book
of the Lord of Lords). In this book he compiled hundreds of texts writ-
ten by Shi'ite scholars in different eras alleging that the Qur'an has
been tampered with, that there have been both additions to it and
omissions from it.
At-Tabarsi's book was printed in Iran, in 1298 A.H., and its
appearance attracted much attention, frustrating the intention of cer-
tain Shi'ites that their doubts about the authenticity of the Qur'an
should be restricted to the elite of religious scholars and personalities.
They preferred that these allegations not be brought together in a
single volume, and widely disseminated, as it could be used as a proof
against them by their opponents. When the scholars made public their
criticism, At-Tabarsi responded with another book entitled Raddu
ba'dush-Shubahaati 'an Faslil-Khitaabi fee Ithbatti Tahreefi Kitaabi
Rabbil-Arbaab (Refutation of Some Specious Arguments Regarding the
Decisive Say on the Proof of Alteration of the Book of the Lord of the
Lords). He wrote this defense of his original book two years before his
death. In order to show their appreciation of his contribution to the at-
tempt to prove that the Qur'an had been altered, the Shi'ites buried
him in one of their most prominent religious shrines, at Najaf.
Among the proofs offered by At-Tabarsi in his attempt to show
that the Qur'an had been altered, was a quotation from what the
Shi'ites consider to be a missing part of the Qur'an, called by them
Suratul-Wilaayah (see the following page). It mentions the granting of
wilaayah (sovereignty) to 'Ali as follows: "O believers, believe in the
Prophet and the wali, the two whom We sent to guide you to the
straight path..."
Photocopy of the so-called Suratul-wilaayah which the Shi'ites accuse
the Sunni Muslims of deleting it along with other suras from the
original text of the Holy Qur'an. It reads:
O' you who believe, believe in the prophet and the wali, the two whom we sent
to guide you to the straight path. A prophet and wali who are of each other.
and celebrate the praise of your Lord, and Ali is among the witnesses.
Photocopy of the original fatwa (religious verdict) encouraging the Shi'ite
masses to curse the two Caliphs Abu Bakr and 'Umar. signed by six of the con-
temporary Shi'ite scholars and clergy among them Khomeini and Shariat
adari
The trustworthy scholar Muhammad 'Ali Sa'oodi, chief consultant
to the Egyptian Ministry of Justice, and one of Sheikh Muhammad
Abduh's special students, managed to examine an Iranian manuscript
copy of the Qur'an owned by the orientalist Brown. He was able to
make a photocopy of Surat-ul-Wilaayah with its Persian translation. Its
existence was affirmed by At-Tabarsi in his book faslul-Khitaab, and by
Muhsin Faani Al-ashmeeri in his book Dabisan Madhaahib. This
book, written in Persian, was printed several times in Iran. The chapter
(Surat)-ul-Wilaayah) which is falsely attributed to Allah's revelation, was
also quoted by the famous orientalist Noeldeke in his book History of
the Copies of the Qur'an9. It also appeared in the Asian-French
Newspaper in 1842 C.E.
At-Tabarsi also quoted a tradition from Al-Kaafi, which is to the
Shi'ites what Sahih-ul-Bukhari is to the Sunni Muslims.ˇ It reads:
A number of our associates narrated by way of Sahl bin Ziyaad
through Muhammad bin Sulaiman that some of his friends reported
Abul-Hasan Ath-Thaani 'Ali bin Mioosa Ar-Rida as saying 'May I be
your ransom! We hear verses of the Qur'an different from those we
have with us and we are not capable of reading them according to
your reading which has reached us. Do we commit a sin thereby He
replied, "No, read the Qur'an as you have learned it; someone will
come to you to teach you.
Without a doubt, this conversation is fabricated by the Shi'ites
and is falsely attributed to the Imam 'Ali bin Moosa Ar-Rida; however,
the statement is taken by the Shi'ites as a legal ruling in this matter. Its
implication is that while one of them commits no sin by reciting the
Qur'an the way Muslims have learned according to 'Uthman's
unanimously accepted text, the privileged class of Shi'ite clergy and
scholars will teach each other a version other than the accepted one, a
version which they claim came to their Imams from AhlulBait.
It was the urge to strike a comparison between the Shi'ite
"Qur'an" (which they secretly confide to one another, while hiding it
from the general public as an act of taqiyyah") and the known and
officially accepted 'Uthmani Edition of the Qur'an, which motivated
At-Tabarsi to write his book faslul-Khitaab. Although the Shi'ites
pretended to disown At-Tabarsi's book, as an act of taqiyyah, the glar-
ing fact that it-includes hundreds of quotations from the recognized
works of their scholars clearly confirms their adherence to the tenet of
alteration of the Qur'an. Of course, they do not want a clamor to be
raised over this perverse article of faith of theirs
The intended result of their claim is to leave us with the impres-
sion that there are two Qur'ans: one, the 'Uthmani version accepted
by the Sunni Muslims; the other, the allegedly hidden version of the
Shi'ites, part of which is Surat-ul-Wilaayah. They are well aware that
they fabricated the statement they attributed to the Imam 'Ali bin
Moosa Ar-Rida: "... read [the Qur'an] as you have learned it; someone
will come to you to teach you." The Shi'ites also claim that a verse was
deleted from the Qur'an from Surat-ul-lnshiraah. The alleged deletion
is "and we made 'Ali your son-in-law." Have they no shame in making
such an allegation, when it is a well-known fact that this particular
surah was revealed in Mecca at a time when 'Ali was not yet the
son-in-law of the Prophet, Allah's blessing and peace be upon him. His
only son-in-law a that time was Al-'Ass Ibnur-Rabee'al-Ummawi. As
for the fact that 'Ali was a son-in-law of the Prophet, it should be
pointed out that Allah also made 'Uthman bin 'Affaan the son-in-law of
the Prophet through his marriage to two of the Prophet's daughters.
Upon the death of the second of 'Uthman's wives (the second of the
two daughters), the Prophet said to him, "If we had a third one, we
would have given her to you in marriage."
Another of the Shi'ite scholars, Abu Mansoor Ahmad bin 'Ali At-
Tabarsi, in his book Al-lhtijaaj 'ala Ahlil-Lajaaj (Argumentation with the
Contentious Folk) claimed that 'Ali said to one of the zanaadiqah 12,
whose name At-Tabarsi neglected to mention, "As for your belligerent
disagreement with me 13, it shows your feigned ignorance of Allah's
statement, 'And if you fear that you will not deal justly with the
orphans, then marry of the women who seem good to you..."' At-
Tabarsi then went on to say, by way of explanation as to why this verse
was quoted by 'Ali in his argumentation with his opponents:
Now doing justice to orphans does not resemble the marrying of
women, and not all women are orphans; thus, this verse is an exam-
ple of what I have presented earlier in the book Al-Ihtijaaj; regarding
the deletion of parts of the Qur'an by the hypocrites', that deletion
being between the statement about justice to orphans, and that which
follows it, about the marrying of women. This deletion consists of
addresses and stories, and amounts to more than a third of the
Qur'an,
SHI'ITE LIES, EVEN AGAINST 'ALI
The foregoing is an example of the Shi'ite lies which were at-
tributed 'Ali may Allah be pleased with him)_ That it is A slanderous
fabrication is proven by the fact that 'Ali never declared, during the
whole period of his caliphate, that a third of the Qur'an was missing
from the section mentioned above. He did not command the Muslims
to record this "missing" portion, nor to seek guidance from it, nor o
apply jurisprudential rulings derived from it.
Rejoicing OF THE MISSIONARIES AND
ORIENTALISTS
Upon the publication of the book Faslul-Khitaab over eighty years
ago, there was great rejoicing amongst the enemies of Islam, in par-
ticular, the missionaries and orientalists. They liked the book so much
that they decided to translate it into their own languages. It is no
wonder, since it contained hundreds of lies such as those mentioned
above, along with slanderous fabrications against Allah and the
choicest of His creation, the Holy Prophet of Islam (upon whom be
peace), and against the venerable Companions (may Allah be pleased
with them all).15
There are two clear texts from Al-Kaafi of Al-Kulaini, which
elucidate the Shi'ites' perverse position regarding the Qur'an. The first
reads:
I heard Abu Jafar (upon whom be peace) say: "None of the people
has claimed that he collected the Quran completely as it was reveal-
ed except a liar. No one collected and memorized the Qur'an as it
was revealed except 'Ali bin Abi Taalib and the Imams after him. 16
Every Shi'ite is required to believe in this text from Al-Kaafi as an
article of their faith.
As for us, Ahlus-Sunnah, we say that in fact the Shi'ites have false-
ly attributed the above text to Al-Baaqir Abu Ja'far. The proof of our
position is that 'Ali, during the period of his caliphate in Kufah, never
resorted to or applied any version of the Qur'an other than that with
which Allah had favored the Caliph 'Uthman by the distinction of its
collection, publication and popularization and by its legal application
in all Islamic lands for all time up to the Day of Judgment. If it were true
that 'Ali had a different version of the Qur'an he surely would have ap-
plied it in making legal rulings, and he would have commanded the
Muslims to abide by its injunctions and guidance. Clearly, since he was
the supreme ruler, none would have challenged his authority to do this.
Furthermore, if indeed 'Ali had a different version of the Qur'an
and concealed it from the Muslims, then he would have betrayed
Allah, His Messenger and the religion of Islam by so doing. As for
Jaabir Al-Ju'fi who claims that he heard that blasphemous conversation
from the Imam Abi la'far Muhammad Al-Baaqir, it must be noted that
although the Shi'ites consider him a trustworthy narrator of traditions,
the fact is that he is well known in the Sunni schools of theology as a
liar and forger of traditions. Abu Yahya Al-Hammani reported that he
heard the Imam Abu Hanifa saying, "Ataa' is the best i.e., the most
truthful and precise in reporting from amongst those I have come
across in the field of transmitting traditions, while Jaabir Al-Ju'fi is the
greatest liar I have come across amongst them." 17
The second of the two texts from Al-Kaafi mentioned above, is at-
tributed to the son of Ja'far As-Saadiq. It reads:
It is related that Abu Baser said: "I entered upon Abu 'Abdullah
[Ja'far As-Sadiq]... [Who] said 'Verily we have with us the Qur'an of
Fatimah (upon whom be peace).' I said: 'What is the Qur'an of
Fatimah?' He replied: 'It contains three times as much as this Qur'an
of yours. By Allah, it does not contain one single letter of your
Qur'an' . P
These fabricated Shi'ite texts which are falsely attributed to the
Imams of Ahlul-Bait are of fairly early date. They were recorded by
Muhammed bin Ya'qoob Al-Kulaini Ar-Razi in the book Al-Kaafi over a
thousand years ago, and they are from before his time, because they
were narrated on the authority of his ancestors, the master engineers
of the false foundations of Shi'ism. During the time when Spain was
under the reign of Arab Muslims, the Imam Abu Muhammad bin
Hazam used to debate with Spain's priests regarding the texts of their
sacred books. He used to bring forth proofs which established their
having been tampered with, and altered so much that their authentic
origins had been lost. Those priests used to argue with Ibn Hazam that
the Shi'ites had asserted that the Qur'an also had been altered. Ibn
Hazam refuted their argument by replying that the allegation of the
Shi'ites is not a proof against the Qur'an, nor against the Muslims,
because Shi'ites are not Muslims. 19
SHI'ITE VIEWS ON THE MUSLIM RULERS
The attention of the governments of all Muslim nations must be
drawn to the dangerous and distorted views of the Shi'ite Twelve
Immams, or Ja'fari sect. It is their view that all governments from the
death of the Prophet-until now are illegitimate, except for that of 'Ali
bin Abi Taalib. It is therefore not permissible for any Shi'ite to be loyal
to- those governments or sincere in dealing with them. Indeed, they
must engage in flattery and hypocrisy, in accordance with their tenet
of taqiyyah. They consider all past, present, and future governments in
the Muslim world to be established by forcible seizure, and therefore
illegal. According to them, the only legitimate rulers are the Twelve
Imams, whether they ruled directly or indirectly, and all other rulers,
from the time of Abu Bakr and 'Umar until the present time, are con-
sidered usurpers, and oppressors of the people. The Shi'ites tenacious-
ly hold this perverse view of the Muslim rulers regardless of the great
services they have rendered to the noble cause of Islam, and to;
humanity in general.
MALICE AGAINST ABU BAKR AND 'UMAR
The Shi'ites curse Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthman (may Allah be
pleased with them), along with all the rulers of the Islamic Nation, with
the exception of 'Ali. They fabricated a lie and attributed it to the Imam
Abul Hasan 'Ali bin Muhammad bin 'Ali bin Moosa, claiming that he
approved of his followers calling Abu Bakr and 'Umar "Al-jibt wat-
Taaghoot". 20 This claim was made in one of their most extensive works
on the science of the ascertation of the veracity and competence of the
narrators of Prophetic Traditions, Tanqeehul-Maqaal fee Ahwaalir-
Rijaal, by a sheikh of the Ja'fari sect Allama Ath-Thani Ayatullah Al-
Mamqaani.' 21
Al-Mamqaani referred to the scholar Ash-Sheikh Muhammad bin
Idrees Al-Hilli's book As-Saraa'ir, in which Al-Hilli cited the work
Massaa'ilur-aijaal wa Mukaatabaatihim ila Mowlaana Abil-Hasan 'Ali
bin Muhammad bin 'Ali bin Moosa, the subject of which is questions
and letters directed to Abil Hasan 'Ali bin Muhammad. Among them is
a question from Muhammad bin 'Ali, who is quoted as saying:
I wrote to him asking about ar-naasib [one who is hostile to
Ahlil-Bait]. I asked him whether I needed proof of his hostility towards
Ahlil-Bait other than his recognition of Al-jibt wat-Taaghoot i.e. Abu
Bakr and 'Umar] as the rightful holders of the office of imam [leader of
the Muslim community]. His reply was that anyone whose condition
was like that just described, was adequately shown to be a naasib.
Thus, any person would be counted as an enemy of the Prophet's
family merely by his giving precedence of rank to Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq
and 'Umar Al-Farooq, and by his acknowledging their positions as
imams.
The expression "Al-Jibt wat-Taaghoot" is used by the Shi'ites in
the prayer of imprecation which they call "Du'aa Sanamay Quraish"
(imprecation against the two idols of the Quraish). They mean by these
expressions, the two caliphs Abu Bakr and 'Umar (may Allah be pleas-
ed with them). This vicious Shi'ite prayer of imprecation is mentioned
in their book Miftahul-Jinaan; it reads: "O Allah, bestow Your blessings
upon the Holy Prophet Muhammad and upon his family, and curse
the two idols of the Quraish, their Al-Jibt wat-Taaghoot, as well as their
two daughters..." They are referring to the two Mothers of the
Believers, Aa'ishah and Hafsah, the pure and noble wives of the Pro-
phet (may Allah be pleased with them).
SHI'ITES EXALT THE ASSASSIN OF
THE CALIPH 'UMAR
The hatred the Shi'ites have for the Caliph 'Umar reached such a
pitch that they gave his murderer Abu Lu'lu'ah Al-Majoosi the title
''Baba Shujaa'ud-Din" (the one who is brave in the cause of religion).
'Ali bin Mathahir, a Shi'ite narrator of traditions, reported that
Ahmad bin Ishaq Al-Qummi Al-Ahwas, a sheikh of the Shi'ites, said:
"Verily the day ' Umar was murdered- is the greatest day of celebration,
the day of pride and honour, the day of the great purification and the
day of blessing and consolation."
In the history of Islam there have been many great personalities,
men like the two Caliphs Abu Bakr and 'Umar and the great warrior
Salahuddin Al-Ayyoobi, who ruled for the sake of Islam, and who con-
quered various lands and peoples and brought them into the fold of
Islam. Yet these great men, and indeed all of the great rulers of Islam,
past and present, are believed by the Shi'ites to be overpowering
tyrants and illegal rulers and consequently, are considered to be in-
habitants of Hell-Fire. Among the Shi'ites' most important tenets is the
belief that when their Twelfth Imam, the awaited Mahdi, rises and
comes forth after his long absence of over eleven hundred years, and
brings his revolution, then Allah will resurrect for him and for his
forefathers, the past and present Muslim rulers, including the two
noble Caliphs Abu Bakr and 'Umar. Those Muslim rulers will then be
tried for having illegally seized the reins of government from the Mahdi
and his ancestors, the first eleven Imams of the Shi'ite religion. This, as
they believe, is because government is the God-given right of the
Shi'ites alone, from the time of the Prophet Muhammad' death until
the Final Hour!
After the trial of those "tyrannous usurpers", this awaited Mahdi
will awaken himself by ordering their execution. Five hundred of them
at a time will be killed until their number reaches three thousand. this;
being the total of all who ruled during the various eras of the history of
Islam!
All of this is supposed to occur just before the final revival of
mankind on the Day of Resurrection! It is a prelude, as it were, to that
final great gathering and resurrection, the result of which is either
Paradise or Hell-Fire; Paradise for Ahlul-Bait and the Shi'ites, and the
Fire for everyone who is not a Shi'ite!
The Shi'ites call this resurrection of the. Muslim rulers, and the
subsequent trial and execution, "Ar-Raj'ah" (the return). This belief is
one of the fundamental tenets of their faith, which no common Shi'ite
doubts at all.
I have met a number of naive and simple-minded people who
claim that the Shi'ites have departed from such tenets as these in re-
cent times; however, this is a gross error on their pan a is evident from
the actual state of affairs.
DESIRE FOR REVENGE AND DESTRUCTION
In Al-lrshaad fee Taarikhi Hujajillahi 'alal-'lbaad (Instruction in the
History of God's Proofs Against His Slaves), Abu 'Abdullah Muham-
mad An-Nu'man, known to the Shi'ites by the title ''Ash-Sheikhul-
Mufeed'', quoted several of their "traditions" about "Ar-Raj'ah'':
Al Fadl bin Sha'thaan reported that Muhammad bin 'Ali Al-Koofi
related that Wahab bin Hafs narrated through Abi Baseer that Abu
'Abdullah [Ja'far As-Saadiq] said: "The Mahdi will be called upon on
the Twenty-third night by the name 'The Risen One' . He will arise, and
that rising up will be on the day of 'shooraa 22... It is as if I am there
with him on that tenth day of the month of Muharram. He is standing
between the comer of the Ka'bah containing the black stone, and the
maqaam [place of prayer] of the Prophet Abraham. The Angle Gabriel
is standing to his right calling out, 'The pledge of allegiance to the
Mahdi] is for the sake d Allah!' Then the Shi'ites will march towards
the Mahdi to give him the pledge, from all corners of the earth. that
having been made easy for them to achieve. There has come lo us the
report that the Mahdi will ravel from Macca until he arrives al Koota
and settles in our [Shi'ite] holy city of Najaf. Then he will dispatch
armies from there to the various lands.''
It was also reported, by Al-Hajjaal from Thlaha via Abu Bakr Al-
Hadrami that Abu Ja'far [Muhammad Al-Baaqir] said: "It-is as if I am
with the Risen One at the city of Najaf, in Al-Koofa which he had
marched to from Mecca, in the company of five thousand angels, with
Gabriel on his right side, and Michael on his left, and the believers in
front of him, while he dispatches armies to the various countries."
So too, it is narrated that 'Abdul-Kareem Al-Ju'fi reported: "I said to
Abu 'Abdullah [Ja'far As-Saadiq]: 'How long will the Risen One's reign
last?' ;Seven years,' he replied. He elaborated: 'The days will grow
longer, till a year of his reign equals ten of your years. His reign will
last for seventy years of your reckoning.' Upon this, Abu Baseer said
to him [i.e., to Ja'far As-Saadiq]: 'May I be your ransom! How will
Allah make the years longer?' The reply was: 'Allah will command the
celestial spheres to decrease in their speed of movement, and the
days and years will consequently become longer. When the time of
his rising up arrives, rain will fall during the last month of Jumada and
for ten days of Rajab, a rain which the world has never seen before.
Allah shall cause the flesh of believers and their bodies to come to life
in their graves. It is as if I am seeing the resurrected ones coming for-
ward, shaking the soil out of their hair."'
'Abdullah bin Al-Mugheera narrated that Abu 'Abdullah [Ja'far As-
Saadiq] said: "If the awaited Mahdi from the family of Muhammad
rises, he will cause to be raised up five hundred members of Quraish,
and their necks would be struck by the sword. They would be follow-
ed by another set of five hundred, and yet another, until that recurred
six times." "Would they reach that great number?" I asked. [His
astonishment upon hearing that great number was due to the fact that
the rightly-guided Caliphs, the Umayyad rulers and those of the Ab-
basi era, along with all the Muslim rulers up until the time of Ja'far As-
Saadiq do not amount to a hundredth of that number.] Ja'far As-
Saadiq replied: "Yes; it includes the rulers and their supporters."
And in another narration: "Verily, our state is the last of the states.
There would be no dynasty but that which has had its turn before us,
so that there may be none to witness our reign and say: 'If we were to
rule we would follow their path."'
Jaabir Al-Ju'fi reported that Abu 'Abdullah [Ja'far As-Saadiq] said:
"When the risen Mahdi from the family of Muhammad comes forth
he will pitch pavilions to teach therein the Qur'an just as it was
revealed. 23 It will be most difficult then for the one who has memoriz-
ed [that which is memorized] today." [i.e., it would be difficult for the
one who memorized the official 'Uthmani edition which was extant at
the time of Ja'far As-Saadiq, because it would differ from the version
which the Mahdi supposedly will bring.]
Al-Mufaddal bin 'Umar narrated that Abu 'Abdullah said: Along ,with
the Risen One shall come twenty-seven men from the people of the
Prophet Moses, seven from the people of the cave, and Joshua,
Solomon Abu Dujaanal Al-Ansaari, Al-Miqdaad and Maalik
Al-shtar. 24 These will be in the company of the Mahdi as helpers and
judges in his service."
These fabricated "traditions" from the book of "Ash-Sheikhul-
Mufeed", have been quoted meticulously, complete with their con-
cocted chains of transmission. They have been falsely attributed to the
family of the Prophet, whose greatest misfortune is to have such liars
pretending to be their only partisans.
C)f course, since the belief in Ar-Raj'ah and the trial of the Muslim
rulers is an important part of Shi'ite doctrine, it is commonly mention-
ed in the works of Shi'ite scholars and clergy. One example is AI-Masail
An-Naasiriya, by As-Sawid Al-Murtadaa, in which is to be found the
following: "Verily Abu Bakr and 'Umar shall be crucified upon a tree
in the time of Al-Mahdi... That tree would be green and tender before
the crucifixion and would turn parched after the crucifixion."
SHI'ITES' WAY OF THINKING UNCHANGED
The Shi'ite scholars and clergy throughout the span of Islamic
history have taken a disgraceful stand against the two Companions and
appointed ministers of Allah's Prophet, Abu Bakr and 'Umar, and
against other great Islamic personalities such as the Caliphs, governors,
generals, and warriors in the sacred cause of Islam. Now we have
heard their propagandist, who was responsible for Darut-Taqreeb (the
centre for the promotion of "reconciliation" and a "coming together"
of Sunnis and Shi'ites), claiming before those who were unable to
critically study these issues themselves, that these beliefs were held in
the old days, and that the situation now is different. This claim is plain-
ly false and misleading, because the books which are taught in all of
their educational institutions contain all of these tenets and hold them
as essential and rudimentary elements of their faith. Furthermore, the
books presently being published by the scholars of Iran, Najaf and
Mount 'Aamil are even more evil than the older Shi'ite publications,
and more detrimental to the cause of reconciliation and mutual
understanding.
To further clarify this we mention as an example one person
amongst them who never ceases announcing day and night that he is a
proponent of unity and reconciliation, Muhammad bin Muhammad
Mahdi Al-Khaalisi. He is known to have many friends in Egypt and
elsewhere who broadcast the same call for taqreeb, and who work for
it among the Ahlus-Sunnah. This supposed advocate of "unity and
understanding" goes so far as to deny that Abu Bakr and 'Umar
possessed the grace of Iman (faith). In his book Ihyaa'ush-Sharia fee
Madhhabish-Shi'ah (Revival of the Law in the Shi'ite School of
Thought), he says:
Even if they [Sunnis] argue that Abu Bakr and 'Umar were among the
people of Bai'atur-Ridwan 25 with whom Allah was pleased, as shown
by the reference made to them in the Qur'an: "Verily Allah was pleas-
ed with the believers when they swore allegiance to you (Muhammad)
beneath the tree" 26, we say that if Allah had said: "Verily Allah was
pleased with those who swore allegiance to you beneath the tree",
then the verse would indicate that Allah's pleasure included everyone
who made the pledge of allegiance. Since the verse says: "Verily Allah
was pleased with the believers when they swore allegiance.. . ", there is
therefore no proof in this verse that Allah is pleased with anyone ex-
cept those who have acquired pure iman.
Al-Khaalisi is insinuating by this that Abu Bakr and 'Umar were of
those who had not acquired iman-and were excluded from the
pleasure of Allah. 27
DISTORTION OF HISTORICAL FACTS
Al-Murtadaa and Al-Khaalisi are modern Shi'ite scholars who
boldly claim to belong to the echelon of those who are zealous in
struggling for the sake of Islam and Muslims, and who have the keenest
interest in upholding the rights of Muslims and maintaining their well-
being. Having seen, however, what they have written about Abu Bakr
and 'Umar, who are among the best of Muslims next to the Prophet,
ordinary people like ourselves must wonder what hope there can be of
our reaching a common understanding and reconciliation with people
such as them.
While on the one hand the Shi'ites shamelessly defame the Com-
panions of the Messenger of Allah, and those who followed them in
piety, and succeeded them as rulers, on the other hand we find them
ascribing to their Imams attributes of such extravagant description, that
the Imams themselves would wish to declare their innocence of them.
Al-Kulaini recorded in his book Al-Kaafi attributes and descrip-
tions of the Twelve Imams such as would imply their elevation from
the human level to that of the gods of the ancient Greek pagans. To
quote all such fables from Al-Kaafi and other books would require a
large volume. By way of illustration, it will suffice to list some of the
chapter headings from Al-Kaafi:
* "The Imams possess all the knowledge granted to angels, prophets
and messengers" 28
* "The Imams know when they will die, and they do not die except
by their own choice" 29
* "The Imams have knowledge of whatever occurred in the past and
whatever will happen in the future, and nothing is concealed from
them"
* The Imams have knowledge of all the revealed books, regardless of
the languages in which they were revealed" 30'
* "No one compiled the Qur'an completely except the Imams, and
they encompass all of its knowledge'' 32
* "Signs of the prophets are possessed by the Imams" 33
* "When the Imams' time comes, they will rule in accordance with
the ruling of the Prophet David and his dynasty. These Imams will
not need to ask for presentation of evidence before passing their
judgments" 34
* "There is not a single truth possessed by a people save that which
originated with the Imams, and everything which did not proceed
from them is false" 35
* "All of the earth belongs to the Imams" 36
THE SHI'ITES PLACE THEIR IMAMS
ABOVE THE MESSENGER
While the Shi'ites claim for the Twelve Imams the superhuman
power of knowledge that encompasses the realm of the unseen, they
deny the Prophet's knowledge of unseen things granted him by Allah,
things such as the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the
description of Paradise and Hell-Fire.
This blasphemy was stated in the magazine Risalatul-lslam (The
Message of. Islam)3', published by Darut-Taqreeb. In an article entitled
Min Ijtihaadati Shi'a Al-lmamia (Some Independent Shi'ite Opinions),
the head of the Shi'ite supreme court in Lebanon quoted the Mujtahid
scholar Muhammad Hasan Al-lshtiyani:
18
If the Prophet made a stipulation regarding the divine legal rulings on
what invalidates ablution, or the rulings pertaining to menstruation
and post-natal bleeding, it is imperative to believe him, and the
application of these rulings is binding upon us. But if the Prophet
made a statement regarding the unseen, for example on the creation
of the heavens and earth, or the virgins of Paradise and its palaces,
then it is not incumbent or binding upon one, even when it is known
of a surety that the statement has proceeded from the Prophet.
How strange, that they should falsely attribute to their Imams
knowledge of the unseen, and that they should adhere to that
falsehood although they have not a single proof to establish its verity.
Meanwhile they consider that they are not bound to accept the revela-
tions of the unseen mentioned in verses of the Qur'an and authentic
traditions, and thereby conclusively proven. Add to all this that
everything which has been verified to issue from the Prophet is
nothing other than "revelation revealed" to him; and truly the Prophet
does not speak from his own desires.
He who makes a comparison between what the Shi'ites ascribe to
their Imams and what is authentically attributed to the Prophet regar-
ding matters of the unseen comes to the conclusion that what can be
verified to issue from the Prophet regarding the unseen, as mentioned
in the Qur'an and the authentic, authoritative traditions does not even
constitute a fraction of the multitude of fabricated reports of
knowledge of the unseen which are attributed to the Twelve Imams;
and this in spite of the indisputable fact that divine revelation had total-
ly ceased upon the death of the Prophet.
As for those who attributed this knowledge of the unseen to the
Twelve Imams, it suffices to say that they are well known to the Sunni
scholars of hadith (prophetic traditions) as liars, and forgers of hadeth
literature. The Shi'ite partisans of those narrators are indifferent to this,
however, and blindly accept the accounts of the unseen which are im-
puted to their Imams. They also gladly accept the claim that accep-
tance of what had been authentically attributed to the Prophet with
regard to the unseen is not binding upon them. In fact, it pleases them
to limit the scope of the mission of the Messenger of Allah to matters of
a secondary juristical nature, such as those mentioned by Al-lshtiyani
(see above).
Since they elevate the status of their Imams, in regard to
knowledge of the unseen, above that of the Messenger of Allah (even
though it was he who received the revelation; their Imams did not
claim it for themselves), we do not know how there could develop,
after such blasphemy, any reconciliation between us and them.
SHI'ITE TREACHERY TOWARDS ISLAMIC
GOVERNMENTS
The stance of most Shi'ites, scholars and laymen alike, towards
the Islamic governments throughout history has been, if the govern-
ment was powerful and well-established, to honour its leaders in con-
sonance with their tenet of taqiyah, for the purpose of material gain.
If, however, the government is weak, or is under attack by enemies,
they side with its enemies against it. This is precisely what they did
during the last days of the Umayyad dynasty when the Abbasids
revolted, under the instigation ?f the Shi'ites of that era. ln a later time,
they took the same criminal stand against the Abbasids who were
threatened by the raids of Hulago and his pagan Mongol followers
against the Caliphate of Islam and its glorious capital of science and
civilization .
An example of this is seen in the behavior of the Shi'ite
philosopher and scholar An-Naseer At-Toosi. He composed poetry in
praise of Al-Musta'sim, the Abbasid Caliph, then in 65 A.H. executed a
complete turn about, instigating revolution against his patron, thereby
hastening the catastrophe which befell Islam in Baghdad, where he
headed the butcher Hulago's blood-letting procession. In fact he per-
sonally supervised the slaughter of Muslims, sparing none, not even
women, children, or the aged. This same At-Toosi also approved of
wholesale dumping of valuable texts of Islamic literature in the Tigris
River; its waters ran black for days from the ink of the innumerable
manuscripts. Thus vanished a great treasure of the Islamic heritage
consisting of works in history, literature, language and poetry, not to
mention those in the Islamic religious sciences, which had been pass-
ed down from the pious of the first generation of Muslims, and which
could be found in abundance until that time when they were destroyed
in a cultural holocaust the like of which had never been seen before.
THE TREACHERY OF AL-'ALQAMI AND IBN
ABIL-HADEED
This sheikh of the Shi'ites, An-Naseer At-Toosi, was assisted in this
great treachery by two of his cohorts, Muhammad bin Ahmad Al-'AI-
qami, a Shi'ite minister of state, and 'Abdul-Hameed bin Abil-Hadeed,
a Mu'tazilite 38 author and extremist Shi'ite. He was Al-'Alqami's right-
hand man and proved to be a bitter enemy of the Companions of he
Messenger of Allah, as is evident from his malicious commentary on
the book Nahjul-Balaaha, which he filled with lies in order to distort
Islamic history.
Unfortunately, a number of our distinguished figures and authors
continue to be deceived by such lies due to their ignorance of the
essential facts of Islamic history.
Al-'Alqami responded to Caliph Al-Musta'sim's kindness and
generosity in making him his minister, with deception and treachery.
Shi'ites to this day maliciously rejoice at Hulago's vicious campaign of
slaughter and destruction, out of sheer animosity towards Islam.
Anyone who wishes can read about the life of An-Naseer At-Toosi in
any Shi'ite book of biographies, the latest of which is Rowdaatul-
lannaat by Al-Khuwansari. It is full of praise for the treacherous
murderers, and reflects the Shi'ites' malicious rejoicing al that
disastrous massacre of Muslim men, women and children. It was a
monstrous act which even the worst of enemies and the most hard-
hearted beasts would be ashamed to show pleasure in.
AN IMPEDIMENT TO RECONCILIATION
The exposition has become somewhat lengthy although great
care has been taken to restrict the subject matter wholly to quotations
selected from the Shi'ites' most authentic and dependable publica-
tions. We would like to conclude with a quotation pertaining to the
subject of at-taqreeb (reconciliation of the followers of the various
schools and sects), in order to clarify for every Muslim what the actual
possibilities for success are regarding such an endeavor, especially in
regard to the Shi'ites who have expressed their own frank
acknowledgment of the impossibility of such an attempt at reconcilia-
tion.
In his book Rowdaat lannaat, the Shi'ite historian Al-
Khuwansari wrote of the "elegant and truthful utterances" of An-
Naseer At-Toosi, "this source of truth and verification", and quoted
his statement identifying the one and only sect of the seventy-three
Muslim sects 39 that, according to prophecy, would achieve salvation:
I have considered all the sects and scrutinized them closely, only to
find that all, save the Imamers, subscribe to the same general condi-
tions of iman, while they differ only on some related issues. I
discovered that the Imamer sect differs from and is opposed to all the
others. If any sect other than the Imamers is considered "saved" then
they all must be so considered. This indicates to me that the one sect
which is to achieve salvation is none other than the Imamers
21
SALVATION CANNOT BE ATTAINED WITHOUT
PLEDGING ALLEGIANCE AND GRANTING
SOVEREIGNTY TO AHLIL-BAIT
Al-Khuwansari also related that As-Sayyid Ni'matullah Al-
Moosawi said:
All of the sects unanimously agree that bearing witness to one's faith
by recitation of the two articles of faith is the only way to salvation, as
proved by the statement of Allah's Messenger: 'Whoever bears
witness that there is no God but Allah enters Paradise." But as for the
Imamer sect they unanimously agree that salvation is attained only by
granting allegiance and entrusting the government to Ahlil-Bait, the
last of whom is the Twelve Imam, and by disowning their enemies
[ie., Abu Bakr, 'Umar and all non-Shi'ites, whether they were rulers
or subjects]. Thereby Shi'ites differ entirely from all the other sects
with regards to the nature and prerequisites of iman, upon which the
issue of salvation devolves.
SHI'ITES DIFFER WITH MUSLIMS IN FUNDAMENTALS,
NOT ONLY IN THE SECONDARY ISSUES
At-Toosi, Al-Moosa and Al-Khuwansari have both told the truth,
and lied. They have told the truth in saying that all the Muslim sects are
close to each other in fundamentals while they differ on secondary
issues. Thus mutual understanding and a "coming together" are possi-
ble among those sects which are fundamentally akin to each other. On
the other hand it is impossible to achieve such a mutual understanding
with the Shi'ite Imamers because they are in opposition to the fun-
damentals of all other Muslims. They will never be pleased with the
Muslims unless they curse "Al-jibt wat-Taaghoot'' (Abu Bakr and
'Umar), and those who came after them up until the present time.
Another condition they would impose on Muslims is that they disown
all non-Shi'ites, and even those members of the family of the Prophet
who were given in marriage to them, such as the two daughters of the
Prophet who married the Caliph 'Uthman bin 'Affaan. They further
stipulate that Muslims must also disown the Imam Zaid, son of 'Ali
Zain-ul 'Abideen (the son of Al-Husain, son of 'Ali bin Abi Taalib)
along with the rest of the family of the Prophet who did not enter the
ranks under the banner of the Rafiditesˇ, and who did not accept their
deviated tenets. Amongst these perverse tenets is their claim that the
Qur'an has been tampered with, a doctrine fanatically adhere-l to by
all classes of the Shi'ite society throughout the ages, as their own astute
scholar At-Tabirsi has so boldly recorded in his book hslul-Khitaabi
fee Ithbatti Tahreefi Kitaab Rabbil-Arbaab.
The Shi'ites would like to force upon us as a precondition to
reaching a mutual understanding with them, and to please them, for
the purpose of "coming closer" to them, that we curse along with
them the Companions of Allah's Messenger, and that we disown
everyone who does not adhere to the doctrines of the Shi'ite faith.
They even expect us to disown the daughters of Allah's Messenger,
and his blessed descendants, the foremost of whom is Zaid bin Zain-ul
'Abideen, along with anyone who followed in his footsteps in rejecting
the abominations of the Rafidites.
The above is the truthful part of what the Shi'ite spokesmen said,
and no Shi'ite would deny it, whether he openly practiced taqiyyah, or
concealed it.
As for the false part of what they say, it is that non-Shi'ite Muslims
agree that upon simple utterance of the two Shahaadas 41' rests the issue
of salvation in the Hereafter. If the Shi'ites had the slightest sense or
knowledge they would have known that the two Shahaadas are to Sun-
ni Muslims the mere sign of entry into Islam. If one uttered these two
Shahaadas, even if he were in the ranks of the enemy battling against
Muslims, his life and wealth would become inviolable. As for salvation
in the Hereafter, it is attained only by coupling the utterance of
testification with iman, and iman, according to the great and pious
caliph 'Umar bin Abdul-'Azeez, consists of obligatory duties, and
religious rites, ordinances and practices. He who fulfills these com-
pletes the prerequisites of iman, and whosoever does not fulfill them
does not complete his iman. As for the Shi'ite belief in the existence of
their Twelfth Imam, it is not in any way a prerequisite of iman. In fact,
this Twelfth Imam is an imaginary character falsely identified as the son
of Al-Hasan Al-'Askari (who died without offspring). His brother la'far
settled and distributed the inheritance left by Al-Hasan Al-'Askari on
the basis that he left no children to inherit.
1 he truth of the matter is that when the Shi'ites came to know that
Al-Hasan Al-'Askari died leaving no male successor, and saw that this
meant the end of the chain of Imamer succession, they realized that
their sectarian school would cease to exist with the death of Al-Hasan
Al-'Askari. They would no longer be Imamers because there was no
Imam to succeed al-'Askari to the Imamate.
THE TALE OF THE DOOR AND THE TUNNEL
Upon this, one of them, Muhammad bin Nusair, a protege of the
tribe of Numair, invented the idea that Al-Hasan had a son who was
hidden in the tunnels of his father's residence. The impetus for such a
fabrication came from his desire, and that of his accomplices, to
deceive the Shi'ite public, especially the affluent among them, to col-
lect zakaah 42 from them in the name of an existing Imam. They also
wished to continue claiming that they were sincere Imamers. This
Muhammad bin Nusair wanted himself to be the "door" to the im-
aginary tunnel between the invented Imam and his followers, in order
to take charge of all zakaah funds. His accomplices disagreed with him
in this plot and insisted on appointing as the "door" a grocer whose
shop was adjacent to the entrance of Al-Hasan Al-'Askari's house.
Hasan's father and family used to purchase from this grocer their
household needs.
After this, Muhammad Nusair broke away from his former com-
rades and established the Nusairiyyah sect, which takes its name and
impetus from him 43. In the meantime, his former accomplices were.
devising a stratagem whereby they could bring forth their supposed
Imam; they wanted him to marry and have sons who would succeed
him to the office of the Imamate. This in turn would ensure that their
Imamer sect would live on.
It became evident, however, that his appearance would be
denied by the heads of the Alawi clans as well as their followers and
their cousins, the Abbasid rulers and royalty. They therefore alleged
that the Twelfth.lmam remained in the tunnel; that his minor absence
was followed by a major one; and so carried on with such fables as
were never heard before, even among the ancient Greeks. They
expect all Muslims, whom Allah blessed with the grace of sound
reason, to believe in such blatant lies in order that there may be a
reconciliation between them and the Shi'ites. This preposterous idea
could only be realized if the whole Islamic world were to turn into a
Lunatic asylum. Praise be to Allah for the gift of reason, for indeed it is
the faculty upon which the responsibility for one's actions depends.
It is the most precious and sublime of graces after that of sound
iman .
THE- CONCEPT OF PLEDGING Allegiance
ACCORDING O THE MUSLIMS
Muslims entrust the position of leadership and the government to
any mu'min (believer) with correct iman.--Thus they would pledge
allegiance to all pious members of Ahlil-Bait, without any restriction as
to their number or persons. Amongst the foremost of the believers to
whom they would entrust the reins of leadership were the ten Compa-
nions who were given the glad tidings of their abode in Paradise. If
there were no other factor by reason of which the Shi'ites acquired the
designation of kaafirs (disbelievers), then their contradiction and denial
of the Prophet's designation of those ten Companions as inhabitants of
Paradise would have sufficed 44
The Muslims also would entrust the rest of the Companions with
leadership, and would grant them full support and allegiance, for it
was these noble personages upon whose shoulders was erected Islam
and the Islamic world, and truth and goodness sprang forth from the
soil of the Islamic nation which had been nourished by their precious
blood. These are the Companions whom the Shi'ites claimed were
enemies of 'Ali and his sons, while actually they lived with 'Ali as
loving, cooperative brothers and died as such. What could be greater
proof of this than the description Allah gives of them in Suratul Fath,
from His book which falsehood cannot approach from before or
behind He, the Almighty, said regarding the Companions, that they
are "severe with the disbelievers, merciful amongst themselves." Allah
also says about them, in Suratul Hadeed, "Unto Allah belongs the in-
heritance of the heavens and the earth. Those of your companions]
who spent [For the sake of Allah] and fought [in His cause] before the
Victory are not on the same level [as the rest of you. Such are greater in
rank than those who spent and fought afterwards. Unto each Allah has
promised good." And does Allah ever break His promise? In Suratu
Aali-lmraan Allah the Exalted referred to the Companions as 'the best
of peoples raised up for mankind", i.e., as an example to be followed.
Friendship AND Affection AMONG THE
RIGHTLY-GUIDED Caliphs
Due to the love and respect which the commander of the Faithful
Ali bin Abi Taalib held for his three brethren caliphs, he named three
of his sons after them. He also gave his eldest daughter Umm-
Kulthoom in marriage to 'Umar IbnulKhattaab. In addition, we se
that 'Abdullah bin la'hr bin Abi Taalib ,'Ali's nephew) named one of
his sons Abu Bakr, and the other one Mu'aawiyah. Mu'aawiyah bin
'Abdullah named his son after Yazeed bin Mu'aawiyah bin Abu
Sufyaan, who was considered to be of good repute, according to the
testimony of Muhammad bin Al-Hanafiyyah bin 'Ali bin Abu Taalib.
WHY WE MUST RID OURSELVES OF ANY
CONNECTION WITH THE SHI'ITES
If the repudiation and denunciation which Shi'ites are now asking
of us, as the price for reconciliation between us and them, includes
those whom they have demanded it include (Abu Bakr, 'Umar, etc.)
then he whom they consider to be their first Imam, 'Ali bin Abi Taalib,
should be considered blameworthy by them, by virtue of his naming
his sons after Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthman, and by his giving his
daughters in marriage to 'Umar and 'Uthman. Furthermore, they must
consider Muhammad bin Al-Hanafiyyah a liar when he testified to the
good character of Yazeed, if they accept the claim of 'Abdullah bin
Mutee, a supporter of Ibnuz-Zubair, that Yazeed drank liquor and
neglected prayer, and exceeded the bounds established by Allah's
Book. Muhammad bin Al-Hanafiyyah defended Yazeed, saying
have not witnessed what you mention. I visited him and stayed with
him. He was regular in observing prayers and in performing good
deeds, seeking religious knowledge and adhering to the sunnah." Ibn
Mutee and those accompanying him replied that Yazeed's behavior
was out of pretense in his presence. Muhammad bin Al-Hanafiyyah re-
joined: "What was it that he feared or hoped from me that he should
appear before me in such a state of piety and humility?" He continued,
"Did he confide in you that which you mention regarding his drinking
of wine If he did so then you are his accomplices. And if he did not,
then it is unlawful for you to bear witness to that of which you have no
knowledge." They replied that although they did not see him drinking,
yet "we believe that to be the truth." Muhammad's reply to them was
that Allah rejects this kind of testimony from Muslims, for He says in
His Book: "... except those who bear witness to the truth and with full
knowledge." 45 Muhammad concluded, "Therefore, I have nothing to
do with this affair..."46
Since the foregoing is what the son of 'Ali bin Abi Taalib has
testified to in favor of Yazeed bin Mu'aawiyah, then where does his
fit in relation to the position the Shi'ites want us to adopt with them
against Yazeed's father, Mu'aawiyah, and against those who are better
than him and better than the whole creation 47, that is, Abu Bakr,
'Umar, 'Uthman, Talha, Az-Zubair, Amrubnul-'Aws, along with the
rest of the great Companions who memorized and preserved for us
Allah's Book and the Sunnah of His Messenger, and who were the ar-
chitects of the Islamic world.
The price demanded of us by the Shi'ites for a reconciliation with
them is exorbitant. We lose everything by agreeing to it, while we gain
nothing in return. It is only a fool who would deal with someone
whom he knows would expect him to accept a losing bargain! The two
concepts of walaayah (granting of allegiance) and baraa (repudiation
and denunciation) upon which the Shi'ite religion is based, according
to what has been affirmed by An-Naseer At-Toosi and confirmed by
Ni'matullah Al-Moosawi and Al-Khuwansari, mean nothing except a
complete alteration of the religion of Islam. This complete change
would require of us enmity towards those upon whose shoulders was
erected the very structure of Islam.
The Shi'ites have lied when they said that their sect is the only one
to be granted salvation, the one whose condition and state differs from
all of the rest, by virtue of which they alone would be saved.
The fact is that the impossibility of reconciliation between the
Sunni sects on one side and Shi'ites on the other is due to the latter's
disagreement with and contradiction of the rest of the Muslims in the
very fundamentals of faith, as we have seen from the declarations of
the Shi'ite scholars, and as can be seen from the beliefs and practices
of every Shi'ite. This was the state of affairs in the past, and it is the
state of affairs at the present time.
SHI'ITES PREFER Propagation OF THEIR
SECTARIAN TENETS TO TAQREEB
Without any doubt the Shi'ite Imamers themselves do not want
taqreeb, which is why they have made many sacrifices and suffered
great pains in propagating the call for reconciliation and elimination of
differences in our Sunni countries, while forbidding that such a call be
raised, or allowed to proceed at all, in the Shi'ite countries. Nor do we
see a hint of the influence of such a call on their educational institutions.
In other words, the call to reconciliation has been restricted to
one side, and as a result, every effort towards this cause will be futile,
and a mere frivolous mockery, unless and until the Shi'ites categorical-
ly refrain from cursing and abusing Abu Bakr and 'Umar; unless they
cease repudiation and denunciation of anyone who was not, or is no
presently, a Shi'ite partisan; and unless they rid themselves totally of
their perverse concept of raising the pious Imams of the Prophet's
family from the level of human beings to that of the gods of the pagan
Greeks.
All of this is no less than an outrageous injustice against Islam and
a diversion of it from the path and the goal to which it was directed by
the Prophet to whom was entrusted the Islamic shari'ah (divinely
revealed law), and by his noble Companions amongst whom were 'Ali
bin Abi Taalib and his offspring. If the Shi'ites do not totally abandon
such an outrage against Islam and its articles of faith, and its history,
then they are doomed to remain isolated from and rejected by all of
the Muslims.
THE INTRIGUE OF BAABISM AND BAHAISM
AND THE ENSUING UPHEAVAL IN IRAN
The upheaval of Baabism and its offshoot, Bahaism, struck Iran
over a hundred years ago. Muhammad 'Ali Ash-Shiraazi had begun by
claiming that he was the Baab (precursor) to the awaited Mahdi. He
later claimed that he himself was the Mahdi, and in time he gained a
sizable group of followers. The Iranian government chose to exile
him to Azerbaijan, the home of Sunnis of the Hanafi school of
jurisprudence. Being strict Sunnis, they were considered immune to
the influence of such fabulous nonsense. It was, however, only logical
to fear that Shi'ites would respond to Ash-Shiraazi's call, since his in-
vention was derived from Shi'ism. For that reason, he was not exiled to
a Shi'ite area, whose inhabitants would be only too willing to accept
such fables. In spite of such precautions, a large number of shi'ites
became Ash-Shiraazi's followers, and thus there developed and ever-
widening circle of commotion and disorder.
FROM SHI'ISM TO COMMUNISM
Just as the Shi'ite fables and myths were a factor in the ap-
pearance and spread of Babism and Bahaism in the past century. So
now they can be seen to be a cause of the rejection of Shi'ism by some
of the educated Shi'ite youth, in favour of communism. They have
awakened to the realization that many Shi'ite beliefs are too ridiculous
to he credible, and as a result they have utterly rejected them. Many
were drawn to various communist organizations, with their energetic
propagandists, books in various languages, and efficiently run centres.
These young people were an easy prey, and fell readily into the trap.
Had they known the religion of Islam in its original pure state, and ac-
quired a proper knowledge of it, they would have been protected from
such a fate. Instead, we find that communism has thrived, especially in
lran and in the Shi'ite areas of Iraq. More communists are to be found
in those communities than can be found in any other Muslim com-
muniy.
This concludes what circumstances have allowed me to present
by way of fulfilling the covenant which Allah has taken from the
Muslims, by which we pledge to give good counsel and a word of cau-
ion to all Muslims, solely for the sake of Allah.
Allah protects and preserves His religion, His nation of believers,
and our great Islamic identity and existence.
AN OUTLINE OF THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
THE SUNNIS AND THE SHI'ITES, IN MATERS OF
FAITH AND DOCTRINE
THE GLORIOUS QUR'AN
Sunnis Shi'ites
.
There is unanimous agreement To some of them, the Qur'an's
among them regarding its authenticity is doubtful 48, and if it
authenticity, and its text being appears to contradict any of their
safeguarded from any additions sectarian beliefs or doctrines, then
or deletions. The Qur'an is to be they give the Qur'anic text
understood in consonance with strange, far-fetched interpretations
the rules and bases of the Arabic that agree with their sectarian
language. They believe in every views. For that reason they are
single letter of it, it being the called Al-Mutawwilah (those who
word of Allah the Exalted. The give their own interpretations to
Qur'an is neither temporal nor the revealed texts). They love to
newly created, but is eternal. draw attention to the discord that
Falsehood does not approach it occurred at the time when the
from before it or behind it. It is Qur'an was first compiled. The
the primary source of all the views and opinions of their Imams
Muslims' tenets of faith, their are the primary source of their
rites and rules of conduct. jurisprudence.
AHAADEETH (THE PROPHETIC TRADITIONS)
Sunnis Shi'ite
For the Sunnis, it is the second The Shi'ites reject all Prophetic
source of revealed law, com- Traditions which were not related
plementary to the Noble Quran by members of Ahlul-Bait, or their
It is not permissible to contradict descendants. The only exception
or reject the rulings and direc- to this rule is their acceptance of a
tives contained in those few ahaadeeth narrated by those
ahaadeeth which are reliably at- who sided with 'Ali (may Allah be
tributed to the Prophet (may pleased with him) in his political
Allah's blessings and peace be wars They do not attend to the
upon him). The methodology ap- authenticity and soundness of the
plied in determining the authen- chain of narrators, nor do they ap-
ticity of these traditions utilizes a approach the study of the Prophetic
set of stringent rules agreed upon Traditions with a scientific, critical
by the scholars who specialize in attitude. Their narrations often ap-
this field, and involves a detailed pear in a form like that of the
analysis of the chain of transmit- following example: "It has been
ters of any given tradition. No reported regarding Muhammad
distinction is made between bin Isma'eel by way of some of
male and female narrators; judg- our friends through a man who
ment is made solely on the basis transmitted it from him ['Ali] that
of individual trustworthiness and he said..."49 Their books are filled
technical ability in relating tradi- with hundreds of thousands of
tions, and every narrator's traditions whose authenticity can-
history is recorded. No tradition not be confirmed. They have built
is accepted from a known liar, or their religion specifically upon
from one whose morals or these spurious texts while outright
scholarly ability were not cor- rejecting over three quarters of the
roborated, or from anyone, authentic Prophetic Traditions.
merely on the basis of his family This is one of the main differences
connection or lineage. The com- between the Shi'ites and the Sun-
pilation of the Prophetic Tradi- nis.
tions is taken to be a sacred Trust,
the fulfillment of which overrides
all other considerations.
_ _
THE COMPANIONS OF THE PROPHET
Sunnis Shi'ites
It is unanimously agreed that the They charge that all save a few of
noble Companions deserve our the Companions had turned
utmost respect, and are absolute- apostate after the death of the
ly trustworthy. As for the discord Prophet (may the peace and
which occurred among them, it blessings of Allah be upon him).
is to be considered as the conse- On the other hand, they grant
quence of the sincere exercise of the Companion 'Ali bin Abi
personal conviction and opinion. Taalib a very special status; some
The discord was resolved and is a of them consider him vicegerent,
thing of the past. It is not per- and some view him as a prophet,
missible for us to hold, on the while others take him for a god!
basis of past differences among Shi'ites pass judgment on
the Companions, grudges and ill- Muslims in accordance with their
will which continue for genera- position with regards to 'Ali.
tions. The Companions are those Whoever was elected caliph
whom Allah has described in the before 'Ali is held by them to be
best of terms; He has praised a tyrant, an apostate or a sinner.
them upon many occasions. It is The same judgment is passed on
not lawful for anyone to make every Muslim ruler who did not
any accusation against them or step down for any of the descen-
cast suspicion upon them, and dants of 'Ali and his wife Fatimah
there is no benefit to be derived (may Allah be pleased with
therefrom. them). The Shi'ites have thus
created an atmosphere of
animosity throughout the history
of Islam, and the question of par-
tisanship of Ahlil-Bait developed
into a school of thought which
preached and perpetuated such
detrimental teachings down
through the generations.
BELIEF IN THE ONENESS OF GOD
Sunnis Shi'ites
The Shi'ites also believe in Allah
Sunnis believe that Allah is the the Exalted and His Oneness, ex-
One, the Only, God, the cept that they adulterate this
Almighty Subduer. He has no belief with polytheistic rituals
partners or rivals, and He has no and observances. They implore
equal. There is no intermediary and make supplication to Allah's
between Him and His worship- slaves and worshippers rather
pers. They believe in His at- than to Him alone, saying "O
tributes as they were revealed In Ali! and "O Husain!" and "O
the Qur'anic verses, and they do Zainab!" Similarly they make
not obscure their obvious mean- vows and sacrifice beasts in the
ins with far-fetched Interpreta- name of others besides Allah.
tions. They do not strike any They request the dead to fulfil
comparison between the divine their needs as is shown by their
attributes and other things, for as prayers and poems.
Allah says in His Book "There is They consider their Imams to be
nothing like unto Him." infallible, to have knowledge of
They believe that Allah sent the the unseen, and to partake In the
Prophets and commissioned administration of the universe. It
them with conveying to mankind is the Shi'ites who Invented
His Message and Guidance. Sufism (mysticism) to consecrate
They conveyed Allah's Message their deviated tenets and thus
and did not conceal any part of give them the air of legitimacy
it
They believe that knowledge Of They claimed that there is special
the unseen belongs to Allah power and authority invested in
alone. Intercession is confined to the "awliyaa"' (mystic saints),
the Hereafter, and none may in- "aqtaab" (those considered to
tercede except by Allah's permis- be the spiritual axes of the
sion. All supplication, vows, of- universe, which turns due to
ferings of sacrifices and requests their exalted status), and Ahlul-
for needs are to be directed to Bait
God alone; they are not to be Shi'ite scholars and clergy im-
directed to any other besides pressed upon their followers the
Him. concept of a hereditary privileg-
Allah alone controls good and ed class, as a matter of religion,
evil. There is no one, living or although this has no foundation
dead in His authority- in Islam at all.
ty or in His administration of af- Knowledge of Allah, is attained,
fairs. All beings depend on Him, according to them, through the
BELIEF IN THE ONENESS OF GOD (Cont'd.)
Sunnis Shi'ias
and need His favour and mercy. exercise of- reason, not by
The knowledge of Allah is attain- knowledge of divinely revealed
ed through knowledge of divine- law. That which came to us by
ly revealed law, and this has way of revelation in the Qur'an
precedence over the exercise of merely represents an affirmation
reason, which might never guide of reason's judgment; it is not
one to the truth, although it may considered to be a source which
provide reassurance to the is independent of, and beyond
believer, and help him to the limits of reason.
achieve tranquillity.
SEEING ALLAH
Sunnis Shi'ites
Sunnis believe that believers will The Shi'ites believe that to see
be blessed with the sight of Allah Allah is not possible in this world
in the Hereafter, as is mentioned nor in the Hereafter.
in the Qur'an: ''On that Day
faces of the believers] will be
resplendent, looking towards
their Lord."
THE UNSEEN
Sunni Shi'ites
'Allah the Exalted has reserved They claim that knowledge of the
knowledge of the unseen for unseen belongs solely to their
Himself; however, He has Imams, and it B not for the Pro-
revealed to His Prophets some of phet to inform us about the un-
the affairs and conditions of the seen. Some Shi'ites have gone so
unseen, for particular reasons. far as to claim godhead(l for those
The Qur'an says: "And they do Imams.
not encompass anything of God's
knowledge except what He will-
to reveal thereof"
AALUR-RSOOL (THE FAMILY OF THE MESSENGER)
(May Allah be pleased with them all)
Sunnis Shi'ites
Aalur-Rasool, according to the According to the Shi'ites the
Sunnis, has various meanings. term Aalur-Rasool refers only to
The best single definition of this 'Ali bin Abi Taalib, to some of his
term is "the followers of the Pro- sons, and to the descendants 'of
phet Muhammad in the faith of those sons.
Islam." It is also defined as "the
pious and God-fearing people of
the Prophet's ummah (nation of
believers)." It is also said that the
term refers to the believing
relatives of Muhammad, from
the tribes of Haashim and
'Abdul-Muttalib.
THE MEANING OF SHARI'AH AND HAQEEQAH
Sunnis Shi'ites
In the Sunnis' view, the shariah The Shi'ites see the shari'ah as
(the divinely revealed law) is being merely the various rulings
itself the haqeeqah (the essential and directives set forth by the
knowledge, the reality). They Prophet; they concern the corn-
hold that Muhammad, the mon and superficial folk only. As
Messenger of Allah, did not con- for the haqeeqah, no one knows
ceal from his nation of believers it except the Imams of AhlulBait
any part of that knowledge, con- These Imams acquire the
tained in the revealed law. There sciences of haqeeqah through in-
was no good thing that he did heritance, one generation after
not guide us to, and no evil thing another. It remains a secret
that he did not warn us about. possession among them. Further-
Allah has said 'On this day I have more, the Shi'ites consider their
completed your religion. Imams infallible; their every
Therefore, ' the sources of the work and practice is deemed in-
Islamic faith are Allah's Book and cumbent upon their followers.
the sunnah (practice) of the Pro- They believe that one may com-
phet, and there is no need to add municate with God only through
anything to that. The relationship intermediaries, and it is for this
of the believer with Allah, and reason that their religious leaders
the path to the achievement of have such an inflated opinion of
800d works and worship, are themselves, as evidenced by the
clear and direct. The only one to exaggerated titles they take for
know the actual condition of the themselves, e.g. Baabullah (the
believers is Allah, so (i.e do not door to Allah), Waliyullah (the
pass judgment on the praisewor- friend of Allah), Hujjatullah
thiness or purity of anyone, lest (Allah's proof), Ayatullah (the
we overstep our bounds. The sign of Allah), Al-Ma'soorn (the
views and opinions of anyone infallible one), etc.
may be accepted or rejected, ex-
cept or those of the infallible
Prophet of Allah, upon whom be
Allah's blessings and peace.
ISLAMIC JURISPRUDENCE
Sunnis Shi'ites
Ahlus-sunnah adhere strictly to They depend only on the ex-
the legal rulings and directives of clusive sources which they claim
the Noble Qur'an, as clarified by for their Imams: upon their far-
the sayings and practices of the fetched interpretations of the
Messenger We also depend Quran; and upon their contrary
upon the sayings of the Com- attitude which puts them at odds
panions and the generation Of with the majority of the Muslim
trustworthy scholars who follow- peoples. The Shi'ites consider
ed them. They were the nearest their Imams to be infallible, and
to the Prophet's era and the most to have the right to create new
sincere in supporting his mission, rulings and directives .in con-
throughout the tests and trials tradiction to the revealed law.
which had to be endured in the For example, they have altered:
course of establishing Islam. (a) The call to prayer and the
Since this religion has been com- prescribed times and postures of
pleted, no one has the right to prayers.
formulate new legislation or (b) The rites of Hajj (pilgrimage)
directives; however, in order to and visitation to the sacred
properly understand the details places.
of the revealed law, and to apply (c) The specified times for begin-
it according to new situations ning and breaking the fast.
and circumstances while keep- (d) The rulings with regards to
ing in mind the general welfare zakaah (alms-tax) and its distribu-
of the people, one must refer to tion.
the qualified Muslim scholars (e) The inheritance laws.
who must work solely within the The Shi'ites are very particular to
bounds established by Allah's take positions in opposition to
Book and the sunnah of the Pro- Ahlus-Sunnah, thus widening the
phet (may Allah's blessings and gap between us and them.
peace be upon him).
Al-WALAA' (OBEDIENCE AND DEVOTION)
Sunnis Shi'ites
.
Al-walaa ' means "total ad- They view al-walaa' as being one
herence, obedience and devo- of the pillars of iman. They define
tion." The Sunnis believe that it as the firm belief in the Twelve
it is due only to the Messenger Imams including the "hidden"
of Allah, for Allah says in His Imam). They consider one who
Book "Whosoever obeys the does not have strict devotion to
Messenger, he has verily obeyed Aalul-Bait as one who has no
Allah.'' No other person faith. They will not pray behind
deserves our strict adherence or such a person, nor will they give
our obedience and devotion. him zakaah although he be deserv-
Our responsibilities to others are ing of it. Such a person would be
defined by known legal prin- treated as a kaafr by them.
ciples, and there is no obedience
due to any human being if that
entails disobedience to the
Creator.
TAQIYYAH (CALCULATED DECEPTION)
Sunnis Shi'ites
It is defined as presenting an In spite of the differences among
outer appearance that belies the various Shi'ite sects, they all
what one conceals inside, to pro- agree that taqiyyah is a prescrib-
tect oneself from harm. It is con- ed duty and a pillar of their faith.
sidered impermissible for a Their schools of thought could
Muslim to deceive other not stand without it. They learn
Muslims, because of the Pro- its principles and methods and
phet's saying: Whoever they practice it, especially if they
deceives is not of us." Resorting are in dire circumstances. They
to taqiyyah is permitted only in exageratedly praise and flatter
one situation: during war against those whom they consider
the disbelievers who are the disbelievers, whom they con-
enemies of Islam. That is part of sider deserving of slaughter and
the etiquette of war. It is incum- destruction. The verdict of kufr is
bent on the Muslim to be truthful passed on anyone who is not of
and courageous in upholding the their sectarian school, and for
truth, and to be neither osten- them "the end justifies the
tatious, nor deceiving, nor means." Their ethics allow every
treacherous. He should give manner of lying, cunning and
sincere counsel, enjoin what is deception. 50
good and forbid what is evil.
GOVERNING THE ISLAMIC STATE
Sunnis Shi'ite
The state is ruled by a caliph Generally speaking, the right to
elected to his position of leader- govern according to Shi'ites, is
'ship from among the Muslim hereditary, and restricted to 'Ali,
people. To be leader, a man and his descendants by Fatimah
must be sane, rightly-guided and (the daughter of the Prophet).
knowledgeable. He should be There is, however, some slight
known for his piety and trustwor- difference among them on the
thiness, and he should be point of the hereditary right as to
capable of bearing such a whom it belongs to. Due to this
responsibility. The caliph is view of theirs, the Shi'ites are
nominate to his position Of never loyal to any ruler unless he
leadership by those Muslims en- is one of the descendants of 'Ali
dowed with knowledge and ex- bin Abi Taalib. When the prac-
perience. tice of hereditary leadership
If he does not hold firm to his vested in the descendants of 'Ali
duty, and deviates from the and Fatimah could no longer be
directives of the Qur'an, then maintained, because the line had
they may remove him from his come to an end, the Shi'ites in-
position and strip him of all vented the doctrine of Ar-Raj'ah,
authority. Otherwise, he according to which the last Imam
deserves the obedience and was not dead, but "hidden". He
cooperation of every Muslim. is expected to arise and return at
The role of caliphate is, to the the end of time, when he will
Sunnis, a great burden and slaughter all of his political op-
responsibility, not a mere ponents, and those of his
honour or opportunity for ex- ancestors, and will restore to the
ploitations. Shi'ites their rights-which were
"plundered" by the other sects
over the centuries
FOOTNOTES
1. Related by Abu Dawood and others with an authentic chain of narrators.
2. The invocation is called Du'aa Sanamay Quraish the invocation against the two
idols of Quraish, by which the Shi'ites mean the two caliphs of Allah's Messenger, Abu
Bakr and 'Umar!.
3. Khomeini, Al-Hukoomat ul-lsbmiyyah, pp. 52-53.
4. What Khomeini means here, is that he not only affirms and believes all that is in
the Shi'ite book Al-Kaafi, but he also sees it as obligatory to adhere to it and put its rulings
and directives into effect in the Shi'ite state.
5. The two terms ''Ahlus-Sunnah (Sunnis) and ''Shi'ah'' (Shi'ites) need to be
defined at this point. Ahlus-Sunnah means literally "people of the established way or
path". It refers to the majority of Muslims, who follow the sunnah (way) of Muhammad,
the Messenger of Allah, the Almighty. The term Shi'ah is from the phrase shi'atu 'Ali
(adherents to or company of 'Ali), by which this sect is known for reason of its attachment to
the idea of the pre-eminence of 'Ali ibni Abi Taalib and his descendants.
6. The author's reference to Azhar University's being in the beginning stage of its
"mission" requires some comment, as this treatise was written over thirty years ago.
Since that time, Al-Azhar has incorporated the study of the Shi'ite "Twelve Imamers"
school as a required pan of its curriculum in Islamic Studies. This, along with its call for
reconciliation of the various sects and schools of thought, might create the impression of
acceptance of the misguided sects such as the Shi'ite Twelve Imamers and the Ismailis. In
fact, the only legitimate reason for studying such sects and movements is the hope that
such a study will bring to light their real natures, and that consequently, their false doc-
trines and perverse ideology may be refuted by reference to the authentic sources of
Islam, the Holy Qur'an, the authentic Sunnah, and the example of the Companions of the
Prophet (Allah's blessings and peace be upon him).
7. This kind of "favoritism" has been repeated throughout different eras. It was
due to the sending of propagandists claiming such lofty goals of reconciliation that Iraq
was converted from a Sunni country containing a Shi'ite minority to a state which is
predominantly Shi'ite.
8. "Wali" has several meanings, the relevant ones in this context being "the
closest friend and associate" and "the one upon whom has been conferred legal authori-
y to rule; vicegerent". The person intended by this term in the quoted passage is ob-
viously 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet's cousin and the fourth caliph.
By forging such a verse the Shi'ite are attempting to give credence to their perverse view
that the only legal caliph was 'Ali and that the right to the caliphate belongs to Ahlil-Bait
(the members of the Prophet's family) alone. This they tried to do by claiming divine
revelation as a source of this belief of theirs, so it was expedient to forge a Qur'anic verse,
in order to support their false position.
9. Noeldeke, History of Copies of the Qur'an, Vol. 2, p. 102.
10. It is a well-known fact that all the Prophetic Traditions (Ahaadeeths) narrated in
the absolutely authentic compilation of he great scholar, Al-Bukhari, are considered by
Sunni Muslims to hold a place second only to the Qur'an itself as a source of Islamic law
40
11. Among the Shi'ites. a popular name for a son Is Taqiy, derived from the word ta-
iyyah. A boy is given this name in the hope that he might excel in deception and con-
cealed his true motives.
12 Zandadiqdh is the plural of zindeeq. a Persian word meaning one who speaks
heresy, or who has deviated from the truth. It is also applied to disbelievers or atheists or
free-thinkers. (cf., Lisanul-Arab Vol. 10. p. 147).
13. The meaning of this statement, allegedly made by 'Ali in the course of an argu-
ment with an unnamed zindeeq. is obscure, to say the least. We may surmise from the
context that a discussion or dispute had been taking place between them, 'Ali having
been attacked in repudiation of his supposed insistence that he possessed that missing
one third of the Qur'an, which according to Shi'ite belief was deleted by the Companions
of the Prophet. This is a concoction of the Shi'ites, falsely attributed to 'Ali (may Allah be
pleased with him), in order to bolster their attempt to prove the alteration of the Qur'an.
As for the verse cited as proof of deletion from the Qur'an, there is unanimous agreement
among the Sunni commentators on the Qur'an that, after a careful analysis of the struc-
ure of the verse and its context, it may be paraphrased as follows: "If any of you has an
orphan girl under his guardianship and he fears that he may not do her justice by granting
her an appropriate dowry if he were to marry her, then let him marry other women of his
choice." For further details see Ibn Katheer Tafseerul Qur'an al-'Adheem. Vol. 1, p. 449.
14. By the 'hypocrites", Abu Mansoor At-Tabarsi means the Companions of
Allah's Messenger (Allah's blessing and peace be upon him), for it was they who col-
lected the Qur'an, the 'Uthmani version which was adhered to and applied by 'Ali during
he period of his caliphate. If the statement attributed to 'Ali in At-Tabarsi's Al-lhtijaaj had
really come from him, it would have been treachery against Islam on his part, to possess
and conceal some missing portion of the Qur'an and not make it public, nor apply its
principles, nor, circulate it amongst his subjects during the period of his caliphate. Clearly
At-Tabarsi has insulted and defamed 'Ali, since what he has written actually implies
treachery and deception on 'Ali's part.
15. Muhammad Mahdi Al-Asfahani Al-Kaathini, Ahsanul-Wadee'ah, Vol 2, p. 90.
16. Al-Kulaini, Al-Kaafi, 1278 A.H., p. 54.
17. Al Azhar Maazine, 1372 A.H., p. 307.
18. Al-Kulaini, Al-Kaafi, 1278 A.H., p. 75.
19. Al-Hazarn, Al Fisal fil Millal wan-Niha1, Vol. 2, p. 78 and Vol. 4, p. 182.
20. Jibt means an idol or a sorcerer, or one who claims to tell the future. Taaghoot
is a name applied to any object or person worshipped apart from the one God, Allah.
21. Al-Mamqaani, lanqeehul-Maqaal fee Ahwaalir-Rijaal, 1352 A.H.,Vo. 1,p207.
22. The day of 'Ashooraa is the tenth day of Muharram of the Muslim lunar calen-
dar. and it has Great significance for the Shi'ites. It is the culmination of long days of bitter
grieving and vicious self-inflicted pain which they observe annually in commemoration
of he death of Al-Husain, the grandson of the Prophet. who was slain at Karbala in Iraq.
23 One naturally questions here why his grandfather 'Ali bin Abi Taalib did not do
just that during the period of his rule. Is his twelfth generation descendant more sincere
than 'Ali in his service of the Qur'an and Islam
24. The latter three are Muslim personalities of an early period in the history of
Islam.
25. ai'atur-Ridwaan is the pledge of allegiance and support by the Companions to
the Prophet, with which Allah was well pleased, as is clearly indicated by the verse
revealed regarding it. The pledge was given to the Prophet by a group of approximately
fourteen hundred Companions (amongst them Abu Bakr and 'Umar) who had headed
out with him towards the Holy City of Mecca, unarmed and intending to perform the rites
of the minor pilgrimage to Allah's sacred house, the Ka'bah, in the sixth year of the Hijrah
(emigration of the Prophet and his Companions from Mecca to Medina). When they ar-
rived at Hudaibia, a small village near Mecca, the tribe of Quraish forbade them entrance
to the city and news spread that they had slain the emissary the Holy Prophet had sent to
them. Upon this the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) took the
pledge of allegiance to his cause and for the defense of Islam against the disbelievers in
case war should have to be resorted to. See t-Tabari's Tareekhur-Rasul wal-Mulook, Vol.
4, pp. 72-81.
26. Qur'an, 48:18.
27. Al-Khaalisi has somehow reasoned that by using the word "believers" in this
verse, Allah is implying that some of those who swore allegiance were not believers. Al-
Khaalisi concludes from this that the Sunnis are mistaken in using this verse to prove that
all those who gave the pledge were believers, and that Allah was pleased with them. In
fact, the only way Al-Khaalisi's interpretation would be credible is if the text read: "...
Allah was pleased with the believers among them, when they swore allegiance to you..."
28. Al-Kulaini, Al-Kaafi, p. 255.
29. Ibid, p: 258.
30. Ibid, p. 260.
31. Ibid, p. 227.
32. Ibid, p. 2211.
33. Ibid, p. 231.
34. Ibid, p. 397.
35. Ibid, p. 39.
36. Ibid, p. 407:
37. Risalatul-Islam, Cairo, Vol. 4, No. 4. p. 361.
38. The Mu'tazilaite sect introduced speculative dogmatics into Islam.
42
39. The concept of the Muslim nation separating into seventy-three sects, is taken
from authentic traditions such as the following related by Abu Huraira (may Allah be
pleased with him): "The Messenger of Allah said: 'The Jews separated into seventy-one
sects, and the Christians into seventy-two, and my nation will divide into seventy-three
sects." This was recorded in the compilations of Abi-Dawood, Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah
and others, with an authentic chain of transmitters. There is also narrated, in the compila-
tions of Abi Dawood, Ad-Darimi, Ahmad and others the statement: "Seventy-two [of the
seventy-three sects of the Muslim nation] will be in the fire, and one only will be in
Paradise; it is the Jama'ah [i.e. Ahlus-Sunnah wal Jama'ah]." In yet another narration the,
final statement is: "All of these [sects] will be in the fire except one; it is the Jama'ah."
Finally, there is another narration which states: "The Companions asked: 'Which sect
will triumph [i.e., achieve salvation]?' The Prophet replied: 'The sect which adheres to
that [set of beliefs and practices] which I and my Companions adhere to."' It should be
clear from these traditions that the one sect, out of the seventy-three, which is to gain
salvation, is the Ahlus-Sunnah, the only segment of the Muslim community which strictly
adheres to that which the Holy Prophet and his noble Companions adhered to.
40. The name "Rawaafid" (Rafidites) is applied generally, to all the various sects of
he Shi'ites, the first of which appeared during 'Ali's time. Among them are the
A-Saba'eeah who told 'Ali that he was God, as a result of which he ordered them to be
burned to death. Others followed, amongst them the Zaidiah, the Imamiah, and the Kee-
saaniah. They differ from each other greatly and often we find one denying the iman of
the other. The term rawaafid means literally rejectors, and was first used when the
followers of Zaid son of 'Ali Zain-ul-'Abideen, the son of Al-Husain son of 'Ali bin Abi
Taalib, demanded that he disown the two caliphs Abu Bakr and 'Umar. Upon hearing
their demand Zaid said: "They were both ministers of my grandfather of the Prophet
Muhammad], therefore I will not disown them." Hearing this, the followers of Zaid re-
jected him and parted from him, hence the name Rawaafid (rejectors). It later came to
denote all the Shi'ah, who claimed to be partisans of the family of the Prophet Muham-
mad (Allah's blessings and peace be upon him).
41. The two shahaadas are the two testifications of faith which are as follows: "I
bear witness that there is no god but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah."
42. Zakaah is the obligatory alms-tax assessed on accumulated wealth, and
distributed among the poor.
43. The Nusairis (also known as 'Alawis) are a Shi'ite sect that has a particularly
fanatic devotion to 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). They hold that Allah appears in
the form of certain persons on the earth, and since there were no persons after the Pro-
phet of Allah better than 'Ali and his sons, Allah manifested Himself in them and spoke
with their tongues.
44. Abdul Qaahir Al-Baghdaadi states the Sunni position in Al-Farqu bainal-Firaq:
"They unanimously agreed that the ruling of disbelief must be made regarding a person
who has called a kaafir any of the ten Companions whom the Prophet (may Allah's bless-
ings and peace be upon him) testified would be among the inhabitants of Paradise." He
also said that it is waajib (compulsory) to give a verdict of kufr (heretical disbelief) in the
case of anyone who considers any of the Companions to be disbelievers.
45 Cur an 43:86
46 Ibn Katheer. Al-Bidaayah wan-Nihaayah Vol. 8. p. 233.
47 The Companions of Muhammad are considered the best of creation after the
Prophets and Messengers of Allah.
48. Many of them would disclaim their doubt regarding the authenticity of the
Qur'an: it is not possible to give a ruling regarding them and their views on his matter
since they fervently believe in and practice taqiyyah . We do know for sure, however that
they claim that parts of the Qur'an have been deleted, and that in itself suffices as a proof
of their doubt in the Qur'an. for any doubt in a part of it implies doubt in, and rejection of
the whole.
49. It will be readily apparent to a critical scholar of hadeeth, that a chain of
transmission such as the one quoted above has a number of 'ilal (deficiencies), which
render it da'eef weak), or even mardood (rejectable). For example, the use of the terms
an and anna in relating the hadeeth indicates a break in the chain of transmitters. These
missing links in the chain could be persons who were considered unreliable for some
reason or other, which would thereby bring the authenticity of the hadeeth into qustion.
Furthermore, in two places majhool (unknown) persons have been mentioned (viz "a
man" and "some of our friends"). thus rendering the hadeeth unacceptable.
50. It is a Shi'ite tradition that Taqiyyah is my faith and the faith of my forefathers.
They also say that whosoever does not practice taqiyyah. he has no faith. ' Further. it is
mentioned in Al-lslamu Sabeelus-sa'aadah was-salaam that "If a person expected harm to
befall him or his wealth in the general public order. it is incumbent upon him to abandon
the order of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil. This ruling is one of the
peculiarities specific to the Shi'ites, and is called at-taqiyyah." Clearly. if this were to be
followed to the letter, even jihad (holy war for the sake of Allah) could be abandoned.
and this would be definitely in contradiction to the command of Allah the Exalted.