By Cyril Anderson

Part 1/3

In my encounters in Shia-Sunni dialogue online, (which more often than not is a misnomer label for what can best be described as verbal fistfights) one of the most heated areas of debate is the position of the sahaba, specifically Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman within the opinion of the two groups.  Ignorant and extreme opinion flares up on both sides, making real reasoned analysis next to impossible.  The Shia extremists seem almost to try to irritate the Sunnis by bad-mouthing, sometimes in the most disgusting, un-Islamic fashion, people that Sunnis are taught from childhood to revere as heroes.  At the same time, the Sunni extremists refuse to make any meaningful examination of history, insisting on the similarly questionable assumption that all the companions were angels, and that even questioning their intentions and actions is tantamount to apostasy. 

The shameful part of this, apart from the often dangerous fitna involved, is that a real appraisal and examination of the ahlilbait (as), whose greatness all Muslims can agree on, and the heritage that they have left to Muslims to this day, are lost in the shuffle.  Which is the great irony of the behavior of many Shias, who think, in some twisted way that by goading Sunnis into such anger, they are doing some sort of good deed, some sort of favor to the ahlilbait (as).  Even when it is clear that the anger stoked often serves to drive away even open-minded Sunnis before they have a chance to hear anything positive the Shia have to share about the ahlilbait (as) and their legacy.  It is to me one of the inscrutable mysteries of God’s infinite wisdom that he would place the most important of legacies in the safe-keeping of hands so often utterly incapable of handling it with any semblance of competence.  To Sunnis who read this, let me apologize for the crudeness of some of my Shia brethren, and let me assure you that our school of thought is not about putting down Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ayesha.  Our school of thought is about giving due praise to Muhammad (saws) and his family (as) as the best examples of living according to the principles of Islam, and about sharing their legacy with each new generation.  Let me try, in this brief article, to do my humble best to share some small aspect of this legacy.

The purpose of the imamate, according to the Shia school of thought, was to carry the torch of guidance brought by Muhammad (saws) forward after his death.  Muhammad (saws) tried to bring the followers a path to reach the kind of connection with God that drove him forward, a light within that guided his way.  He sought to lay out a map to believers so that such a fire would be lit in their hearts as well.  But while Muhammad (saws) came from inside out, the believers came from the outside in, trying to work back to the same goal of life-changing direct religious experience by following his example. 

 But in the aftermath of Muhammad’s (saws) death, the people were left incomplete in knowledge, incomplete in this connection with God.  This connection is the real goal of religion, because it provides an internal compass that is more effective than any external law, which is only second best, and complementary to this internal reform.  The imams were thoroughly purified individuals who possessed such a connection.  As such, these were the best spiritual and practical guides to the community.

 The general companions of Muhammad (saws), however, despite their evident zeal and love for and obedience to the prophet largely did not possess this same level of spiritual elevation and connection with God as Muhammad.  They saw such a genuine light within Muhammad (saws), and that is why they flocked to him.  They loved Muhammad (saws) for this light, and Muhammad (saws) loved them for their love and zeal.  But they themselves did not possess the same light, but rather, struggled to achieve it, sometimes finding it, sometimes missing it.

 Ali ibn Abu Talib (as) possessed such a light, as is evident from the historical record of his actions and words.  There was a similar light within his heart that lit his way before him, and lit the way of anyone who followed in his footsteps.  This light was not the same intensity of light as the prophet’s, just as the light of Muhammad (saws) pales in comparison to the infinite light of God.  But if God is the source, Muhammad (saws) is a lens that channeled and directed that light, while the imams that came after, starting with Ali (as), are mirrors that reflect that light to the ordinary believers. 

Because he carried that light with him, Ali (as) was able to find his way in dark situations where others could only grope and stumble.  While other companions, through their zeal and obedience and loyalty to the prophet were able to follow Muhammad’s (saws) clear and unambiguous example, Ali (as) could use his reason, illuminated by the light of God, to steer a proper course in new and more complex situations for which there was no clear precedent from the time of Muhammad (saws), understanding how to derive general principles from the specifics of Muhammad (saws) and work out the application in new situations.  While others could only scratch the surface of the Qu’ran (z’aahir), Ali (as) could plumb the depths of the deeper meanings of the book (baat’in), showing the deeper meaning of the Qu’ranic ayat that only the purified could truly “touch”, that is, understand fully.

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