Differences between Shia and Muslims belief

 Differences between Shia and Muslims belief

Differences of Muslims  with the icna ashari shia(اثناعشری شیعہ) are on fundamental principles and not only on secondary or practical aspects. Allamah taajud deen subki (777 a.h.) has fulfilled the responsibility of tacking this question many years ago. He says :

"the error of the mu’tazilah and shia is with regards to the clear-cut matters of islam and their difference with the ahlus sunnah is definite ( and not mere conjecture). 1

Because of their (shia) al-aqaa’idus sab’ah – seven basic tenets, the scholars have always considered them to be out of the fold of islam. The scholars did not remove them from the fold of islam – when were they ever in the fold of islam that they could be removed ? If a person is within the fold of islam , no one can remove him from it. Confession and accusation is one aspect and strictly adhering to kufr(کفر) and admitting it is something else. In these diffferent cases , the rule will also change. The kufr (کفر) beliefs of the shia have been confirmed by them time and again and they continue confessing them openly. The seven basic tenets on account of which the scholars have considered them to be out of the fold of islam are as follows:

1- Rejection of the belief that the present quran is free from any blemish (alteration, interpolation, omissions, etc.).

 2-Rejection of the finality of prophethood khatmun nubuwwah (ختم النبوۃ) in the sense that this divine chain of commissioned souls (prophets) has come to an end.

 3-The belief that the imaam is superior the the prophets.

 4-Rejection of the imaan of hadhrat abu bakar and hadhrat umar ( radiallahu anhu ). The fact that both of them are sahabis(اصحاب) both of them have acquired the pleasure of allah and his rasul sallaliahu alayhi wosallam and the fact that both of them are jannatis (dwellers of paradise) is definite (established by clear proofs).

5- Holding the belief of accusation (of adultery) against ummul mu’mineen hadhrat a’ishah radiallahu                    anho.

6- Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was not successful in his mission during his era........

7- Holding the belief that Allah’s promise of establishing a khilaafah that continued immediately after 

rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was not fulfilled.

If some of the ulama at any time considered them to be muslims, then the reason for this is that the word "shia"( شیعہ) has several meanings. Their definitions are different and so are the different groups of shia. In the first twelve centuries of islam, there was no different of opinion with regards to the ithna ashari shia. (اثناعشری شیعہ) If at any time any of them rejected their accepted beliefs, then this was done through the principle of "taqiyyah ".( تقیہ) This is something that is not unknown to any learned person (aalim).

Those scholars who have not studied the beliefs of the ithna ashari shia(اثناعشری شیعہ)  from their original source books and merely issue a fatwa after reading (the above-quoted) question, then such a fatwa cannot be considered to be valid with regard to them. Questions of this nature should be referred to those ulama who have made an in-depth study of the shiah, or , who have some knowledge of the original sources.

The ithna ashari sect of the shia hadn’t been established till the. This sect established itself after the disappearance of its twelfth imam (who was born in 256 a.h. and disappeared in the year 260 a.h.). They formulated their sect in the beginning of the fourth century hijri. Although the tafseer of ali bin ibrahim al-qummi (307 a.h.) . Which is the basis of this sect, was written at the end of the third century , it remained concealed until the middle of the fourth century. Thereafter , the student of ali bin ibrahim al-qummi , muhammad bin ya’qub al-kulayni (328 a.h.) , compiled the first book of hadith of this sect. Initially , this book also remained concealed later , it made its appearance.

In those days , shi’ism was known only from this aspect that few persons, under the influence of jews and sabeans, bore hatred towards all the sahabah ( radiallahu anhu )m. Because it has been established from the quran and other absolute proofs that the sahabah ( radiallahu anhu )m have earned the pleasure of allah and that they are the best of the ummah and the best of all eras (khayrul qureen), bearing any hatred towards them was always considered to be something that necessitated kufr.

From thet very beginning allamah sha’bee rahmatullahi alayh did not even consider them to be muslims. He did not take them out of the fold of islam. Instead , he used to say that when did these people ever enter islam that we can remove them from its fold ? They hadn’t entered islam considering it to be a true religion. From the very beginning , their goal was to create internal strife. Hafiz ibn taymiyyah rahmatullahi alayh (728 a.h.) quotes from allamah sha’bee rahmatullahi alayh:

" sha’bee said : ‘i warn you of those lead astray from among the ahlul bid’ah (اہل بدعۃ ) The worst among them are the rawaafid(روافض). They did not enter islam on account of seeking the truth, nor out of fear of allah, but on account of their enmity and hatred towards the muslims."

In this book , tanbeehul wulaat wal hukkaam, hadrat allamah shaami rahmatullahi alayh (1253 a.h.) quotes from allamah abus sa’ud (982 a.h.) the fatwa of imam abu hanifah , imam sufyaan thauri and imam auzaa’ee rahmatullahi alayhim :

" if these people repent and enter islam , they will not be killed . Just like the other kuffaar , they will be forgiven after they repent."

Based on this, the fatwa of imam abu hanifah rahmatullahi alayh : " kill the unbeliever secretly because his repentance is not known, " will mean that if you arrest him prior to him repenting , his repentance at that time will not be accepted and that punishment for disbelief will be meted out to him.

Imam malik (rm) has issued a fatwa in which he states that based on the quran , all those who bear any hatred towards the sahabah ( radiallahu anhu )m are kaafir. In the verse of the quran " it fills the unbelievers with rage at them. " (surah al-fath, verse 29), the reason for regarding the shia as kaafir is mentioned . Let alone the a’immah mujtahideen, even imam ibn hazm zaahiri rahmatullahi alayh (456 a.h.) has stated the same fact :

" the shia is a group which has treaded the path of the jews and christians in lying and kufr. The shia are certainly not muslims.

This is something that was uttered in the fifth century. Is there any uncertainty in it ? Is there any difference of opinion with regared to the kufr of the ithna ashari shia ? Imam malik rahmatullahi alayh has also issued a fatwa that if any wealth comes into the hands of the muslims as booty, the shia will not receicve any share of it . The famous maliki muhaddith and jurist, qadi iyaad maliki (524 a.h.), writes :

" imam malik says:’whoever has degraded any one of the companions of the prophet sallahu alayhi wa sallam has no claim in the booty

What other reason could there be apart from the fact that such a person is not a muslim and therfore does not receive any share from the wealth of the muslims. When he issued this fatwa , none of his contemporary ulama, mujtahideen and students (such as imam muhammad and imam shafi’ee rahmatullahi alayhima) rejected this fatwa . Instead , one group of ulama openly supported him. Haafiz ibn kathir rahmatullahi alayh (774 a.h.) writes:

" a group of ulama agreed with him in this matter , may allah be pleased with all of them for this .

 At another place , allamah qadi iyaad rahmatullahi alayhi writes:

" we certainly regard such a person to be a kaafir who considers the entire ummah to be astray and all the sahabah to be kaafir

With regards to the sahabah, whose being jannatis has been established by tawaaturand certainty, allamah sarakhsi rahmatullahi alayh (483 a.h.) writes the following:

" whoever defames the sahabah is a heretic. He has cast aside the sheet of islam. If he does not repent, the treatment for him is the sword."

Imam fahkrud deen razi razi rahmatullahi alayh (606 a.h) is a respected scholar of the sixth century. He also writes:

" the claim of the shia that additions, subtractions, alterations and interpolations entered the quran is such a belief that it renders their islam null and void. (it is not correct to say that our previous scholars did not know about their beliefs regarding the quran).

The following with regards to rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam has been established by tawatur:

He was successful in his mission and allah completed his favours upon him.

Truth prevailed in makkah and falsehood vanished. And the sovereignty of islam was established there.

People entered the religion of allah in large numbers.

This success did not cease with the demise of rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Instead, it continued and allah’s promise of khilaafah was fulfilled.

The first three khulafaa’ (i.e. hadrat abu bakr, hadrat umar and hadrat uthman ( radiallahu anhu )m) were believers and they had enjoyed the full confidence of rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

The fourth khalifah, hadrat ali al-murtada ( radiallahu anhu ), became a khalifah in succession to them and maintained his khilaafah on the basis of his predecessors.

Hadrat hasan’s ( radiallahu anhu ) handing over of the khilaafah to hadrat mu’aawiyah ( radiallahu anhu ) was done on the basis that the former considered the latter to be a muslim. He was not handing over the affairs of the muslims to any kaafir.

These factors constitute a part of the fundamental treasures of the muslims and they have been established by a consecutive and unbroken chain of narrators. Can any learned person have any doubt regarding the kufr of those who reject these factors unhesitatingly and hold the belief that after the demise of rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam all the sahabah, apart from a few became murtad? Apart from this, isn’t the person who has a doubt regarding them (shia) being kaafir also guilty of having evil thoughts about the sahabah ( radiallahu anhu )m? You have learnt the opinion of the muslims of the sixth century in the words of allamah qadi lyaad rahmatullahi alayh. Now let us learn the opinions of the seventh century by haafiz ibn humaam rahmatullahi alayh (861 a.h). He writes:........................................................

" the person who considers hadrat ali to be better then the (preceding) three khulafaa’ is a bid’atee. If such a person rejects the khilaafah of hadrat abu bakr and hadrat umar ( ( radiallahu anhu )ma ) (which has been promised in the quran), then he is a kaafir  (if this is the ruling with regards to such a person, what will the ruling be with regards to the person who considers hadrat ali ( radiallahu anhu ) to be superior than the previous prophets?)..................................................................................................................................

Shaykhul islam haafiz ibn taymiyyah rahmatullahi alayh (728 a.h.) is a great scholar of the seventh century. He has written on each of the groups that are opposed to the sahabah ( radiallahu anhu )m. With regards to the shia, he has the following to say:.......................................................................................................

" there is no doubt in the kufr of the opinion that all the sahabah except for a few whose number does not even reach ten had become murtad, or that the general masses had all become faasiq. The reason for this is that such a person is rejecting that portion of the quran in which they (the sahabah) have been praised (this does not appear in one place but in several plaes in the quran). In fact, kufr has found a place in one who doubts the kufr of such kuffaar (i.e. the shia).....................................................................................

Ibn taymiyyah rahmatullahi alayh quotes the following from qadi abu ya’la: ......................................

"all the jurists agree that it is kufr to speak ill of the sahabah if this (speaking) is considered to be permissible.........................................................................................................................................................

Let us now go to the eight century. The fatwa of imam malik ( rahmatullahi alayh ) is being echoed over here as well. The commentator of the quran. Hafiz ibn kathir ( rahmatullahi alayh ) (774. A.h.) writes:

"based on this verse, according to one narration , imam malik has passed a ruling of kufr on the shia because they bear malice towards the sahabah. He said this because the shia hate the sahabah. And whoever hates the sahabah is a kaafir, on thebasis of this verse.

This is not the evidence of any ordinary mufassir or jurist. Instead , it is the evidence of imam malik ( rahmatullahi alayh ) who is a mujtahid-e-mutlaq. His conclusion from this verse that those who bear enmity and malice towards the sahabah is a kaafir is a very fundamental and weighty conclusion.

The only reason for the shia being regarded as separate from the muslims and being the enemies of islam in the 6th, 7th and 8th centuries was that under the shade of malice towards the sahabah, they were enemies of the political power of the muslims. Just as the jews and christians hoped for the upheaval of the khilaaf, the shia from within the ranks of the muslims also hoped for this . They always looked for the opportunity to destroy the muslims in whichever way possible.....................................................................

and seventh centuries . When the tartars 9under the leadership of hulagu khan) invaded the islamic lands and killed many muslims , the number of which is known only to allah , they (the shia) were from the severst of people in enmity towards the muslims and in aiding the kuffaar.........................................................

Prior to this . Haafiz ibn taymiyyah ( rahmatullahi alayh ) had also written the following :

" in them you will find ignorance and oppression , especially in the shia , from among those who follow their passions and desires. They (the shia) are the greatest in ignorance and oppression . They bear enmity towards the closest friends of allah after the prophets, i.e. The first and foremost from among the muhajireen and ansaar and those who followed them in good , may allah be pleased with them and they with him . They (the shia) befriend the kuffaar and the munaafiqeen from among the jews, christians, polytheists, various types of heretics like the naseeriyyah, isma’eeliyyah and other groups that are astray."

Now you decide for yourself that when such people sided openly with the kuffaar, who utter words of hatred all the time against the first muslims, i.e. The sahabah, when the muslims have to face any great danger from the kuffaar, they side with the kuffaar, when the historical destruction of the muslims at the

Ibn taymiyyah ( rahmatullahi alayh ) writes in another book of his :

" the person whose belief is that many verses have been reduced from the present quran 9by humans) and that they have been concealed ….. And those who have gone futher and hold the belief that after rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, apart from a few , all became renegades or that most of the muslims became faasiq , then there is no doubt in the kufr of such a person . This is because he is rejecting the several verses of the quran wherein allah mentions that he is pleased with them (the sahabah) and wherein he praises them . In fact , the person who doubts the kufr of these people (the shia) , his kufr itself has been established . This is because the crux ofthis opinion is that all those who conveyed the quran and sunnah to the ummah were either kuffaar or faasiq , allah says : " you are the best ummah created for the people ". And we known that the best ummah is the first era. When they regarded all of them to be kuffaar or faasiq , it would mean that they regard this verse to mean : " you are the worst ummah" and that those people of the ummah who remained are also evil – then it has become obviously apparent that this belief in the religion of islam is nothing but kufr . Therefor you will find that generally , the heresy of those who hold this belief will be apparent ….....................................................................................................................................................

Now you see for yourself that the beliefs of the shia which ibn taymiyyah ( rahmatullahi alayh ) has considered to be kufr , are they the beliefs of the ithna ashari shias or not ? If these are really are really the belief of the ithna ashari shia, isn’t there consensus on their kufr ? Hasn’t the evidence of kufr been established against them ? Son’t they hold each of these kufr beliefs ? The ithna ashari scholars are also not unaware of this bitter reality that this verse : " you are the best ummah created for the people " has become a big joke in their circles . It is obvious that the person who reaches such a level of mockery towards the quran as the ithna ashari beliefs have reached with regards to this verse , can in no way remain a muslim . And that the person who regards them as muslims despite all this , has also established kufr for himself ..................................................................................................................................................................

Is this "the best ummah" which became murtad after rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam ?

Someone read the verse " you are the best ummah" in the presence of imam ja’far saadiq . So he said : " can that ummah be the best ummah when it killed ameerul mu’mineen and hasanuayn ?" the person who was reciting said : " may i be sacrificed for you ! ( tell me) how was this verse revealed ? " he replied : " it was revealed in this manner : " you are the best imams created for the people ." (translation of mulla maqbool dehlawi. P75.).....................................................................................................................................

The ithna ashari commentator , ali bin ibrahim al-qummi (307 a.h.) also writes the same thing :

" so abu abdullah said : ‘can that ummah be the best ummah when it killedameerrul mu’mineen and hasan and hysayn ?" the person who was reciting said : ‘may i be sacrificed for yo ! (tell me) how was this verse revealed ?" he replied : ‘it was revealed in this manner : you are the best imams created for the people. " ( tafseer qummi, vol. 1. P. 110, beirut.)..................................................................................................................

(in orther words) how can they be the best ummah ? Can that ummah be the best ummah which kills the imams ? Definitely not . It is actually the worst ummah . ( nastaghfirullah)

Hadhrat ali’s (radiallahu anhu) opinion with regards to the belief in the astrayness of the entire ummah

The opinion of hadhrat ali-al-murtada 9rz) with regards to the belief in the astrayness of the entire ummah is even worse than considering him to be astray ( ma’azallah). This is an open conflict with the quran . When the khawaarij(خوارج) insisted that hadhrat ali (radiallahu anhu) was wrong in accepting the arbitration and they openly announced that he was astray , he left his personal feelings aside and made a very emotional appeal to them by saying that on account of me , you should not label the entire ummah as being astray . Why are you regarding the entire ummah to be astray because of me ? . The astrayness of the entire ummah is not any minor sin.

Can that ummah which allah has referred to as " the best ummah" fall into the pit of astrayness ? Can the question of khilaafah go contrary to the will of prophethood ? At least ponder over the direction you are taking . In addressing them ( the khawaarij), he said :

" if you are not prepared to accept anything except that i have erred and that i have gone astray from the staight path , then why are you redarding the general ummah of muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam as being astray on acccount of me ? On account of my mistakes , why are you considering the ummah of muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam to be kuffaar ?." ( nahjul balaaghah , vol, p. 242. Egypt)

We can gauge from this that accrding to hadhrat ali (radiallahu anhu), the belief in the astrayness of the entire ummah is more dangerous than considering him to be astray and that because this belief is in direct conflict with the verse " you are the best ummah ", this is therefore definite kufr ................................

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