Current sources on the Shi'a

Of the hundreds of contemporary academic sources that address matters pertaining to the Shi'a, "almost all resources used by Europeans in their studies about Islam are Sunni works". Whenever the Qur'an, hadith, history of Mohammad's life, fiqh, and kalām are touched on, it is the opinion of Sunni Muslims exclusively that is often taken as the standard version. It comes thus as no surprise that western scholars describe Sunni'ism as orthodox Islam and Shi'ism as a heretical sect . Sunni historians have always tried to, in the words of M.G.S. Hodgson, "show that all other schools of thought other than their own were not only false but, if possible, less than truly Muslim. Their work described innumerable firqahs in terms which readily misled modern scholars into supposing they were referring to so many heretical sects."

On the other hand, what is often found on the Shi'a in some encyclopedias are full of errors, accusations, and superficial confused statements. Unfortunately, when these works are translated into Arabic, often by Sunni writers, they rarely add any footnotes pointing to these mistakes or shortcomings. This results in the spread of erroneous information that ultimately finds its way into even more sources, albeit inauthentic.

Furthermore, publications by Shi'i scholars remain comparably at low levels. To see this in a more visible light, it is educational to observe Dr. Abul-Jawad Falaturi's statements in this regard:

If we count all books and articles that have been published during the past 25 years in different European languages about Islam and Muslim countries--a task I performed based on Abstracta Islamica which listed all books published about Islam since 1943-- we can easily reach the conclusion that out of every 100 writings on Islam, only two relate to groups other than Sunni ones. Among this small number, one out of every seven work addresses The Twelver Shi'a. This means that out of every 350 books and articles, only one is specifically related to the Twelver Shi'a, a number even far less than The Zaidi or Ismaili Shia.

Perhaps the historical background of the west is the major reason behind this blemish. The west had major direct contact with the Sunni form of Islam on almost all occasions, from Andalusia in the west to the Ottoman Turks in the east. Contacts with the Shi'a were confined to rather secret and rather limited relations with some Ismaili territories in Palestine during the crusades, but the west generally did not have any contact with the Shi'a world before the modern era. Islamic Iran, for example, only came to be known for the first time through the cultural acquaintance of India.

Misconceptions about the Shi'a

Whatever the reasons for this scarcity of reliable sources, the result is the following incorrect misconceptions about the Shia:

• That the Shi'a are a political sect.
• That the Shi'as apply the ancient Persian idea of royal inheritance to Muhammad's progeny and merely replace royal inheritance with Imamah.
• That the Shi'a believe in the distortion of the Qur'an. (In reality, Shias have the exact same Qur'an as the Sunnis.)
• That the Shi'a believe that Gabriel made a mistake in bringing the revelation to Muhammad instead of Ali. That the Shi'a say "Gabriel betrayed"(Arabic: خان امين) after their prayer. (In reality Shias say that "God is the greatest" (Arabic: الله اكبر) after their prayer.)
• That the Shi'a believe in their Imams as equals to the prophet. (The Shi'as believe that their Imams were sent on this earth to continue preaching the message of the Holy Prophet(s); thus a full and exact knowledge of the message is required. Therefore, the Imams, who act as middlemen between God and His followers, must have the same knowledge of the message to be transmitted as the prophets who originally received the message in order to pass it on in its exact form.)
• That, similarly to Christian beliefs about Jesus, the Shi'a believe in the sacrifice of a sacred person by the name of Husayn ibn Ali, to save the Ummah from their sins.
• That the Shi'a are a Sufi sect.
• That the Shi'a are a Jewish sect.
• That the Shi'a believes that Ali is God.
• Shi'a are Persians who hate Arabs .
• Shi'a belive Fatimah had "her own" Qura'an 

Such allegations have encouraged various orientalists and their followers such as Ahmad Amin to attack the Shi'a in their writings. Even the Encyclopedia of Islam has not been immune for these attacks. One can find biased statements from the Belgian Henri Lammens (1862-1937) and the Hungarian Ignaz Goldziher (1850-1921) in this encyclopedia against the Shi'a and their sanctities. According to Nasr, most parts of the two or three other books and discourses that exist in English are the products of the minds of several Christian missionaries "who have spent their lives trying to annihilate and refute the Shi'i thought".

The very opinion of orientalists of the past century that considered the Shi'a form of deviation and heresy from true Islam (bid'ah) has thus come to be accepted in most western circles today . There are those that even consider the Shi'a as an "invention" by some particular groups.

Misconceptions with answers: 

Misconceptions about the Shi'a continued

• Misconception: Shi'a hate the Sahaba

Fact: Shi'a disassociate (Tabarra) themselves from people they consider to be enemies of Allah and Muhammad's progeny (Ahl al-Bayt). The Prophets (AS) were greatest (of them, Muhammad, was the highest), and The Prophets (AS) mentions in a famous hadith that the only recompense he seeks is love for him and his Ahl-ul Bayt (people of his house) (AS). See also Qur'an 42:23 and 33:33. The Shi'a disassociate themselves from people who Sunnis consider to be righteous companions of Muhammad (AS) because the Sunnis' definition of a righteous companion does not adhere with the teachings of Muhammad (AS). More accurately, it can be stated that Shi'a and Sunni differ on who the companions of Muhammad were, and even among those agreed on, Shi'a do not consider all of them to be fully sincere because of their actions and hostile treatment toward the Prophet's family following his death. .

• Misconception: The Shi'a are a political sect

Fact: The Shi'a do not see themselves as a political sect

in fact, some interpretations of the Shi'a state that one should not get involved into politics before the re-emergence of the twelfth imam.

• Misconception: The Shi'as apply the ancient Persian idea of royal inheritance to Muhammad's progeny and merely replace royal inheritance with Imamah.

Fact: Shia's do not believe that Imamat is inherited but instead individuals were chosen by Allah. This is why the brother might be chosen or the youngest child might be chosen which is not the case with royal inheritance.

• Misconception: That the Shi'a believe that Gabriel made a mistake in bringing the revelation to Muhammad instead of Ali. That the Shi'a say "Gabriel betrayed"(Arabic: خان امين) after their prayer.

Fact: Shias say that "Allah is the greatest" (Arabic: الله اكبر) after their prayer and do not believe that angels or God can make mistakes. (For reference, See article http://al-islam.org/underattack/2.htm )

• Misconception: That the Shi'a believe in their Imams as equals to the Islamic prophet Muhammad

Fact: Shi'as believe that the Prophet was the greatest man who was and will be created. They believe the Imams were sent on this earth to continue preaching the message of the Holy Prophet(s); thus a full and exact knowledge of the message is required. Therefore, the Imams, who act as middlemen between God and His followers, must have the same knowledge of the message to be transmitted as the prophets who originally received the message in order to pass it on in its exact form. Also Allah (Swt) promised the people that He would never leave the ummah without a living guide, thus following the death of Muhammad (AS), Imam Ali (AS) was the rightful and appointed successor by the man himself.)

• Misconception: That, similarly to Christian beliefs about Jesus, the Shi'a believe in the sacrifice of a sacred person by the name of Husayn ibn Ali, to save the Ummah from their sins .

Shi'a Answer: False. The words above are twisted and changed entirely with added and wrong meaning to portray a very wrong picture of a Shia scholarly theory that resembles in no way with what has been stated above. Even the original scholarly theory, though completely different in words and meaning, is not an obligatory belief of the Shia.

• Misconception: That the Shi'a are a Sufi sect.

Shi'a Answer: This is a baseless claim.

• Misconception: That the Shi'a are a Jewish sect .

Shi'a Answer: This misconception is commonly used with the claim that ibn-e Saba was a Jew and that it was a Jewish conspiracy. This man was an extremist and his faith and the faith of the people in his small sect (see below) is not within the boundaries of Islam according to both Sunni and Shia schools of thought. See below, 'Ghulat' and 'Ibn Saba' for details. (See reference http://al-islam.org/underattack/5.htm Also see http://www.answering-ansar.org/answers/ayesha/en/chap3.php and http://www.al-islam.org/encyclopedia/chapter10/1.html ),

• Misconception: That the Shi'a believes that Ali is Allah

Fact: Ancient minor sects claimed that Ali was a re-incarnation of Allah, Ali himself rejected this, and Shia and Sunnis both rejected these groups as being outside the bounds of Islam. See 'Ghulat'..

• Misconception: Shi'a are Persians who hate Arabs .

Shi'a Answer: This is again incorrect. Islam has no room for racialism as documented by various books of the sayings of Muhammad. The Shia-Muslims are currently in majority in the Persian lands (Iran). The cruel Ummayyad Merwanid Abbasid Monarchs murdered and oppressed the Shia and the Descendants of the family of Muhammed (Banu Hashim, the clan of Muhammed and the Ahl-e Bayt, the People of the House, which include the 12 Imams) and drove them out of Hijaz, currently Saudi Arabia, long ago (See book, History of the Prophets and Kings, translated by Watt, Montgomery, written by Muhammad Ibn Jarir Al-Tabari, the oldest translations of his book were made in French. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarikh_al-Tabari See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbasid_dynasty Rifts with the Shia). The Shia are not fond of Saddam Hussein as he was an admirer of the Umayyad and Abbasid works and according to him '..The survivors of the Karbala should have been finished with Imam Hussain and this whole matter would have ended there...'. Truth is, the Abbasid came into power using the Shia and when their monarchs, particularly, Al-Mansur ignored the religion of God and busied himself in stabilizing the regime and gaining power, the Shia leadership withdrew their support for the Abbasids. Without religious backing of the scholars, no one could have ruled the Arabian kingdom and thus the Sunni scholars were brought forth and their religious works were adopted as state religion and brutally enforced.

• Misconception: Shi'a believe Fatimah had "her own" Qur'an

Shi'a Answer: False. Any Muslim scholar can write their own Tafsir or detailed explanation of Qu'ran. It may have been a personal collection of explanation of the verses in Qur'an called Tafsir among other prayers which was what she heard from her father, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, through her life. Shi'a believe in the exact same arabic text Qur'an, with 114 chapters, as the one the Sunni possess today (See reference, Works of Sheikh Sadooq, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Sadooq ).

• Misconception: That Ibn Saba founded Shia Islam .

Shi'a Answer: False. See 'Ghulat' mentioned above. In this fictional story woven by the claimants, they also claim that Ibn-e Saba killed the third caliph Usman and instated Ali bin Abi Talib as the fourth caliph of Islam, which is obviously a prepostrous attempt on history. (For reference, see http://al-islam.org/underattack/5.htm Also see http://www.al-islam.org/encyclopedia/chapter10/1.html )

• Misconception: Shi'a slander A'isha, breaking Qura'nic rules..

Shi'a Answer: False. Scroll the page further for an answer. (For reference, see http://www.answering-ansar.org/answers/ayesha/en/index.php)

Such allegations have encouraged various orientalists and their followers such as Ahmad Amin to attack the Shi'a in their writings. Even the Encyclopaedia of Islam has not been immune from these attacks. One can find biased statements from the Belgian Henri Lammens (1862-1937) and the Hungarian Ignaz Goldziher (1850-1921) in this encyclopedia against the Shi'a and their sanctities. According to Nasr, most parts of the two or three other books and discourses that exist in English are the products of the minds of several Christian missionaries "who have spent their lives trying to annihilate and refute the Shi'i thought" .

The very opinion of orientalists of the past century that considered the Shi'a form of deviation and heresy from true Islam (bid'ah) has thus come to be accepted in most western circles today^{[citation needed]}. There are those that even consider the Shi'a as an "invention" by some particular groups. However, these groups ignore history in that their own parent sects were a result of state sponsored Imams who were supposed to endeavor for God, and collect and record the sayings and life works of the Holy Prophet, much later on during the rule of the Abbasid monarchs (See reference, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarikh_al-Tabari ). Shia is not even a proper name for a sect as compared to their own. The name 'Shia of Ali' was what the rebels of those times liked to call those people who followed Ali bin Abi Talib, the fourth Caliph of Islam. The term 'Shia' has been carried on since then and the Arabic word 'Shia' can also be found in the Qur'an, e.g. 'Shia of Moses' (See Qur'an 28:15).

 Arguments against the Shi'a

These are some arguments made against Shia's based on common misconceptions:

 Sahaba

• Claim: There could not be any hypocrites amongst those who Sunni consider Sahaba, since Muhammad or God would have known this. Claiming that the Sahaba were unrighteous equals making the same accusations against Muhammad and God

Shi'a Answer: The Shia believe that Muhammad, through Divine guidance, knew that some of the companions were hypocrites so this claim is baseless. The chapter of Qur'an called The Hypocrites is proof that there indeed were hypocrites in the vast company of the Holy Prophet. The reason why most of these people were not pointed out is due to the delicate state Islam was in at it's birth, as it needed care and nurturing so the message could ultimately reach all of humanity.

• Claim: Shi'a are contradicting themselves by insulting Abu Bakr and his daughter, but regarding his son as a good person, especially since he "does not have any contribution in raising Islam".

Shi'a Answer: Shia do not believe that his son had "no contribution in raising Islam." Furthermore, not having a major contribution in "raising Islam" does not mean that you are a good or bad person. Instead it is purposely hindering of the true Islamic movement that reveals your bad intentions which is what Abu Bakr and Aisha did according to the Shia. God says 'We bring forth peace from chaos and chaos from peace'. No one calling themselves a Muslim scholar can deny the untainted works of early historians like 'Al-Tabari' that support Shia views.

• Claim: By insulting Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman, Shi'a are destroying Islam, since Islam is transmitted through them .

Shi'a Answer: Islam is transmitted and preserved through the Prophets successors the 12 Imams who have maintained the sanctity of it's original principles (e.g., doing Justice in all things in life) and in their original form as instructed by the Holy Prophet. Human nature itself suggests that the modern day Sunni idea that the character of all the companions of the Prophet is examplarily pious, infallible and not open to comment is all but very doubtfull. Especially when that idea is contradicted by our holy book, the Qur'an, as mentioned above.

• Claim: Shi'a are disbelievers for being enraged by the Sahaba .

Shi'a Answer: A fair claim with some supportive evidence.

• Claim: Shi'a curse Muhammad by cursing the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs .

Shi'a Answer: A baseless claim with no supportive evidence.

• Claim: Shi'a curse Ali by cursing Umar, since Umar was Alis son-in-law .

Shi'a Answer: Marital relations do not make one idealistically synonymous especially during those times. However, Umar was not Ali's son-in-law. The husband of umme kulthum (Ali's daughter) was Aun bin Ja'far and not Umar.

• Claim: Shi'a curse Hasan by cursing Muawiya, since they negotiated peace .

Shi'a Answer: Imam Hassan, son of Ali ibn Abi Talib, was never fond of Muawiya because of his treachery and Muawiya later got him assassinated like his father before him. Muawiya's worst action was empowering his son Yazid who's notorious character and action is known to all and well documented even today. This also corrupted the very basic Islamic idea, that should have been the life support of it through time, that only the best of the Momineen, character and piety wise, can be Caliph, the rightly guided Imams, are qualified to be Caliphs of the Islamic state, but certainly not the power hungry monarchs who preceded Yazid and severely damaged Islam. This is the very basic Shia view of running the state and has been made the bone of contention by the Islamic state run by monarchs.

 Muhammad's wives

• Claim: Shi'a curse Muhammad's wives, "the most important part of his family" .

Shi'a Answer: Another baseless claim. Shia do not have negative views about all of Muhammads wives instead they view them as individuals who are responsible for their actions just like everyone else. But Shia do believe that the first three caliphs were usurpers and ignored the Khumm-e-Ghadeer public announcement by the Prophet that Ali bin Abi Talib is to succeed him. As Aisha, the daughter of the first caliph Abu Bakr, supported them, they do not take kindly to her, as she also raised an army against the fourth caliph and her son-in-law, Ali bin Abi Talib. Ali forgave Aisha but many Shias do not. The resulting civil war by the rebellion of Muawiya, the governor of Syria, claimed the lives (and perhaps faith) of a great many number of Muslims. (For reference, see http://www.answering-ansar.org/answers/ayesha/en/index.php )

Aisha daughter of Abu Bakr and Hifza daughter of Umer, were both disobedient wives of prophet Muhammad. They tortured him, and therefore Allah scolded them in Quran. Read the commentary or tafseer of the following Ayat's in Quran, "O, you two wives of the prophet, your hearts are twisted".

Ahl al-Bayt

• Claim: Shi'a insist that Ali was robbed of his power, especially considering he had the upper hand, in contrast to Ali fighting for Islam when he was among the few in Mecca.^[6].

Shi'a Answer: Imam Ali was never robbed of his power. No one can rob him of successorship just as no one can rob the prophet of prophethood. When he was entrusted with the Caliphate, in order to undo the innovations of the earlier Caliphs, Ali needed full public support, understanding and trust due to the delicate nature of such things. This could not be done because a lot of prominent companions of the Prophet were being martyred in the civil war, and most of this time was wasted by rebellions, until he himself was assassinated and Muawiya gained control after negotiating peace with Ali's son, Imam Hassan, who at that time did not have public support and favor like his father once did. Hassan was later poisoned and assassinated and the times of monarchy ensued. Earlier, after the death of the Holy Prophet, Ali, the Lion of God, did not use the sword in the matter, as he was forbidden to do so, for the sake of development of Islam.

• Claim: Shia also take their Imams as gods other than Allah.^[6].

Shi'a Answer: Absolutely false. Our Imams are of the family of the prophet and rightly guided and true guidance may only be received through them. These are people who spent their lives in poverty and adverse conditions, always threatened by the Arabian monarchs. They are servants of God and guides to humanity. That is our faith.

Are Shia Muslims? www.al-shia.com

The following are accusations against the Shia by an Ignorant Muslim

How powerful can propaganda be in this age? Flooded by publication in so many language, the Shi'a, for so many years, continously uttered falsehood as truth. For those who are ignorant of the Shi'a Beliefs, as every Muslim's duty, Sipah-e-Sahaba-USA intend to enlighten our brothers and sisters especially the REVERT MUSLIMS trying to understand the difference between being a Muslim and being a Shi'a.

Shi'a Beliefs according to their own BOOKS.

• Belief of the Immamat. The standard of Immamat is higher than the Prophethood. ( Hayatul Qaloob Vol. 3 pg. 10)
• Angels bring WEHI to the Immamas:every Friday, they go to MIRAJ ( Asool-e-Kaafi pg. 135, 155)
• Every year the BOOK reveals on the Immam of the Time of the night of the Qadr ( Comt. Asool-e- Kaafi Vol. 2 pg.229)
• Their Immams got higher status, that can't be achieved by the Angels nor the Prophet. ( Khomeini . Hakoomatil Islamia pg.52)
• Alteration in the Qur'an. A big part of the Qur'an is missing (Sani Comt. Asool-e-Kaafi Vol. 6 pg. 75)
• Like the Torah and the Bible, they claim that the Qur'an is also corrupted and there were changes made in it. (Fazal-ul-Katab pg.70 )
• Shi'a beliefs of 17,000 ayats (verses) in Qur'an ( Asool-e-Kaafi pg 671)
• Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Umer were never became true Muslims according to the Shi'a. ( Jal'l Ayuoon pg. 45 )
• After the Prophet ( Sallalahu Alayhis Wasallam) passed away, all the Sahabas left Islam except for three. ( Qur'an Kaafi Vol. 3 pg. 115 )
• Mutt'a ( temporary marriage) In the name of Mutt'a, Shi'a faith allows its followers to commit adultery. They allow man and woman to have sexual relations without having the NIKKAH. Mutt'a is a temporary Nikkah whereby you do not need witnesses. If the man and woman agreed, they can do Mutt'a. Mutt'a could be performed for ONE hour, ONE day, ONE month or whatever time limit was agreed upon by the two consenting parties. Mutt'a could be done with any women even professional prostitutes. (Froaiy Kaafi Vol.2 pg.189) Mutt'a is higher than SALAT, FASTING, and HAJJ. When after performing Mutt'a , man and woman take Ghussul ( bath) , Allah(swt) forgive their sins in the amount of the hair in their bodies those became wet during the Ghussal ( Minal Yahderul Faqih pg. 431)
• TAQIYYAH (lying) is an act of IBADAH ( worship ) in SHI'ASM. One who hides the faith (Shi'a), will be disgraced by Allah(swt). (Asool-e-Kaafi pg. 485) Taqiyyah is wajib(mandatory) . One who does not do Taqiyyah has no iman (faith) (Asool-e-Kaafi pg484) Who can say these above mentioned aquaid (beliefs) to be Islamic? This is nothing but KUFR... Do not be mislead ! To the Muslim Ummah , SIPAH-e-SAHABA-USA, Inc. ( guardians of the SAHABA) urge all Believing Muslims to participate in this GREAT JIHAD, that Shi'a are not MUSLIMS...

  Reply to the above accusations.

  In the name of Allah, Most Beneficient, Most Merciful,
  Was Salamu Ala ManiTtabaa'l Huda

  A write up by K. Zafar of Sipahe Sahaba (U.S.A.) entitled 'Are Shia Muslims?' has found its place in the internet, loaded with the time worn objections and arguments against the Shia sect of Islam. These have been adequately and amply answered time and again by the Shia scholars, but the zeal of Sipahe Sahaba to create dissention and disunity among the Ummah of Islam remains unabated.

  Two cardinal points have to be clarified before we proceed with answering the objections raised by the writer:

• It must be borne in mind that according to Shia belief, every book authored by a human mortal can be subject to error, and, therefore, unlike the Sunni brothers, they do not consider their books of Ahadith as 'SAHIH' or fully authentic and sound. While the Sunni school has 6 books labelled as 'SIHAH', eg SAHIH OF BUKHARI and MUSLIM etc., the Shias believe that the only book which can be classified as pristine and unsullied is the Book of Allah, the Holy Qur'an.
• The quotations given by K Zafar are wholly inadequate. She does not quote from Usool al Kafi by giving Chapter and Hadith numbers, and contents herself by giving page numbers. As there are various editions of Usool al Kafi and the other books quoted by her, it is indeed difficult to verify their accuracy.

  K Zafar says:
  (1) "Belief of the Imamat. The standard of Imamat is higher than the Prophethood".

  It is impossible to find anything objectionable in this belief, because it is based on the Holy Qur'an, see verse 124 of Sura Al Baqarah: "And when Ibrahim was tried by his Lord with certain Words, and he fulfilled them, He (Allah) said: Surely I will make you an Imam to the people,..."
  This verse clearly states that the elevation of status to Ibrahim, peace be upon him, came in the form of a WAHY (a revelation). This means that he was being promoted from Nubuwwah to Imamah.

  (2) "Angels bring WEHI (sic) to the Imams: every Friday they go to MIRAJ(sic)".

  The writer may like to consider the following verses from the Holy Qur'an:
  "And your Lord sent WAHY to the bee to build its cells in hills...." (al Nahl, verse 68)
  "So We sent WAHY to the mother of Musa that suckle him...." (al Shua'raa, verse 7)
  "And we made them Imams, guiding men by Our command and We sent WAHY to them to do good deeds..." (al Anbiya', verse 73).

  From the verses quoted above, it is evident that WAHY is used by the Holy Qur'an to mean inspirations, intuitive knowledge, apart from the WAHY in the form of a revelation to the Prophets. WAHY to Imams came as the inspirations as vouched by the Holy Qur'an. That is the meaning of revelation on the night of Qadr, coming to the righteous Imams.

  (3,4) "Their Imams got higher status, that can't be achieved by the Angels nor the Prophet"

  This objection is very surprising. For both Sunni and Shia schools agree that not only the Imams, but also an ordinary MU'MIN, following the Shariah of Islam can achieve higher status than the angels. Angels do not have emotions, passions and desires. Humans have to combat all the evils to achieve purity. Therefore, when he frees himself from base desires and obeys his Master, he has a higher place.

  As for our Prophet, peace be upon him and his proginy, no Shia scholar has ever claimed a higher status for any Imam.

  (5,6,7) These deal with quotations from Shia sources saying that the Holy Qur'an has had omissions or changes.

  At the very outset, I made it clear that such reports are not accepted as sound. We, Shias, unlike our Sunni brothers do not accord the status of 'SAHIH' to any book other than the Holy Qur'an. Every report is subjected to a meticulous study, based on the laid down standards of RIJAAL and SANAD. Time and again we have reiterated that the Holy Qur'an as it exists is the WHOLE book, having no interpolations at all.

  It might interest K Zafar and other partisans of Siph-e-Sahaba to consider the following reports from SAHIH books of Sunni school:

  (i)"Reported from Caliph Umar(Rad.) who said from the pulpit: Surely Allah sent Muhammad, peace be upon him, with Truth, and sent down to him the Book, and among the things revealed therein was the verse of RAJM. We read it, understood it and assimilated it. (That is, the verse about stoning the adulterer: tr.) The Prophet stoned the adulterer and we did the same after his passing away. So, I fear that with the passage of time, someone may say that we do not find this verse in the Book of Allah, and thus go astray by not practising that which has been ordained. The mention of RAJM in the Book of Allah is truth for the one who commits adultery." (Al Bukhari,Vol4/120. The chapter of Rajmul HUbla min al Zina. Kitabul Hudood).

  According to this report appearing from Al Bukhari, which is SAHIH according to SUNNI school, a verse from the Holy Qur'an is missing.

  In the SAHIH of Ibn MAJAH, Ayesha, the wife of our Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, is reported as under:

  "The verse of RAJM and about suckling a child at least 10 times, had indeed been revealed and they were written on a page which was under my bed, but when the Prophet died, while we were occupied with the tragedy, a domestic animal entered and ate the page up." (SUNAN ibn MAJAH: Hadith no 1944 and 2553).

  Hadhrat Ayesha tells us of the irretrievable loss of a verse from the Holy Qur'an.

  In spite of the above reports from their own sources, which they consider as 'SAHIH', K Zafar and her likes have the audacity of throwing stones while living in glass houses. We, the Shias, believe that these reports appearing in Al Bukhari and Ibn MAJAH are false, and neither SUNNI nor SHIA believe in any change having occured in the Holy Book.

  (8,9) About the SAHABA being true Muslims.

  We Shia believe that Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Umar were MUSLIMS. And the SAHABA who survived the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, were MUSLIMS. The qualifying term "true" is judged by the actions of an individual.

  10. K. Zafar's hue and cry against MUTA'H is very amusing. This practice of MUTA'H was ordained by the HOLY Quran is its verse:

  " And for the pleasure you derive from them, give them their dowers, as prescribed...... "(al Nisa, V 24)

  In order to understand the verse from SUNNI sources, refer to Tafseer of al-Tabari elucidating the verse from a report by Habib b. Ali Thabit. Also see al Bayhaqi in his SUNAH 7/205, Sharah of SAHIH MUSLIM by al-Nawawi 9/179, al-Kasshaf by Zama Khshari 1/519, Tafseer of Ibn Katheer 1/474, and also al-Durr al Manthoor of Suyuti 2/140-141.

  Now, in order to explain to K. Zafar what MUTA'H actually means in the FIQH of ISLAM, I quote herebelow from TAUDHIHUL MASAIL according to the Fatawa of Shia scholars, because she has levelled allegations against the Shias.

  "Whether marriage is permanent or temporary, the formal formula must be pronounced; mere tacit approval and consent, or written agreement, is not sufficient. And the formula (Sigha) of the marriage contract is pronounced either by the man and the woman themselves, or by a person who is appointed by them as their representatives to recite it on their behalf.

  "If a woman with whom temporary marriage is contracted, makes a condition that her husband will not have sexual intercourse with her, the marriage as well as the condition imposed by her will be valid, and the husband can then derive only other pleasures from her. However, if she agrees to sexual intercourse later, her husband can have sexual intercourse with her, and this rule applies to permanent marriage as well.

  "A woman with whom temporary marriage is contracted, is not entitled to share the conjugal bed of husband, and does not inherit from him, and the husband, too, does not inherit from her. However, if one or both lay down a condition regarding inheriting each other, such a stipulation is a matter of Ishkal as far as its validity is concerned, but even then, precaution should be exercised by putting it into effect.

  "If a wife of temporary marriage goes out of the house without the permission of her husband, and the right of the husband is in anyway violated, it is haram for her to leave. And if the right of her husband remains protected, it is recommended precaution that she should not leave the house without the permission.

  "If a man contracted a temporary marriage with a woman, and the period of her Iddah has not ended yet, he is allowed to contract a permanent marriage with her or renew a contract for temporary marriage with her."

  From those ramifications, it is easy to observe that MUTA'H is a contract, just like NIKAH in a permanent marriage, it has a formula to pronounce, and it has certain responsibilities. This was ordained to prevent MUSLIMS from committing adultery and fornication, and from demeaning the status of MUSLIM women. Today, this ordinance is even more pertinent and relevant.

  In his MUSNAD, Imam Ahmed b. Hanbal reports from Abu Saeed al-KHUDARI, who said: "We contracted MUTA'H during the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him, in lieu of the cloth. (see MUSNAD of AHMAD 3/22).

  In the SAHIH of MUSLIM, a report from ATA' appears who said: "JABIR b. Abdillah once came for Umrah, and we met him in his house. People gathered there asked him a few things, and then they mentioned MUTA'H. He said: "Yes, we contracted MUTA'H during the times of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and of Abu Bakr and Umar" (see SAHIH MUSLIM. KITAB AN-NIKAH, Hadith No. 1405, page 1023).

  It was Umar b. Khattab, who later forbade MUTA'H, and opened the gate of vices for MUSLIMS. In his Tafsir al-Kabir, Imam Fakhr Al-Razi says: "Had it not been for Umar who forbade MUTA'H, no one would have indulged in fornication except the wretched one". (see Tafseer al-Kabir - 3/200 in the exegesis of the Ayah).

   

  11. K. Zafar has totally misunderstood the meaning of Taqayyah. It is not lying. It is hiding ones faith in a situation which justifies it.

  The Holy Quran says:-
  "A believing Man, from among the people of Pharaoh who had concealed his faith said...." (al MO'MIN v. 28)

  For the one who was concealing his faith, the verse says he was "RAJULUN MOMINUN". So, what is wrong if one has to conceal his faith if circumstances warrant? The early history of Islam is fraught with incidents when the early converts had to conceal their faith. The most glowing example is that of Ammar b. Yasir. And yet, when he came to the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, ashamed of what he had done by way of simulation, the Prophet said: "Faith has covered Ammar from his heed to his toes".

  Inshallah, these explanations will allow Sipahe Sahaba to understand Shia beliefs dispassionately. Let the Ummah of Islam be saved from the unscrupulous hands, and from the enemies within and without, Amin.

  Our final prayer is that "All Praise belong to the Lord of the worlds".

  Asgharali M.M. Jaffer