A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Shaykh Nur ad-Din  Abu ‘Ubadah   ‘Ali ibn Juma’ah wrote, examining the Imamate according to Shi‘ism, that lexically, the word, “Shi’ah” means, “ answar ”, “adherent”, such that the related word, “ tashayyu ”, “partisanship”, denotes “ al-intiswar ”, “the victory of one over another”.   Historically, the word, “Shi’ah” refers to the supporters of Sayyidina ‘Ali ibn Abu Thalib ( k.w. ).   In the sectarian sense, the term refers to the explicit conviction that the right to the caliphate fell only to Sayyidina ‘Ali ( k.w. ) and his children.   They differed thereafter as to which among his descendants had priority: the Zaydiyyah asserted the Imamate through the third-generation descendent, Imam Zayd ibn ‘Ali ash-Shahid ( q.s. ); the Isma’iliyyah asserted the Imamate through the seventh-generation descendent, Imam Abu Muhammad Isma’il al-A’araj ibn Ja’far asw-Swadiq ( q.s. ) and the Itsna’ Ash’ari , Twelver, Shi’ah asserted t...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ What is the primary and real difference between Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah and the Shi’ah ?   What beliefs and actions are kufr ? ”   The definition of what constitutes the Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah is not as straightforward, but that is a distinct discussion.   Sunni Islam has four main schools of ‘aqidah , creed.   They are the Ash’ari, Maturidi, Thahawi and the Hanbali Atsari.   The Atsari creed here is not the same as the Neo-Atsari creed of the Wahhabi sect, which is considered an outright heresy, and their beliefs are kufr due to their anthropomorphism.   The Shi’ah themselves are not a monolithic group, with dozens of sects.   The two largest are the Twelver Shi’ah, named because they follow the 12 a’immah of the Ahl al-Bayt in succession; and the Zaydis, named after the fifth imam they followed, Imam Zayd ibn ‘Ali ash-Shahid ( q.s. ).   Eve...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ Is it permissible for a Sunni to marry a Shi’ah? ”   The Shi’ah are a group of sects, which widely divergent theological positions, some of which are outright shirk , and out of Islam.   An example would be the Fatimid belief that Allah ( s.w.t. ) appears in the form of a golden man.   These groups are extinct.   What we have left are the mainstream sects, such as the Itsna’ ‘Ashari or the Zaydi, and not the ghuluw groups.   They are Muslims, they perform the haj , and they adhere to the Qur’an.   There is no prohibition against marriage between Sunnis and these Shi’ah.   All the prohibitions are cultural ignorance and prejudice, not grounded in the religion.   If Sunnis can marry Wahhabis, whose beliefs are outright kufr and shirk , they cannot complain about marriage with the Shi’ah.

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ What is the Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah ? ”   The term literally means, “The People of the Sunnah and the Majority.”   It is based on the line from the last sermon of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) where he said, “I leave you two things: the Qur’an and my sunnah .”   Some versions of this same narration state “the Qur’an and my family,” which is essentially the same thing.   The sunnah is the way of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ).   The family of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ), the Ahl al-Bayt , literally, “the People of the House”, is the exemplification of it.   The basis of the sunnah is also found in the Qur’an:   سُوۡرَةُ الاٴحزَاب لَّقَدۡ كَانَ لَكُمۡ فِى رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُسۡوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ۬ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرۡجُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلۡيَوۡمَ ٱلۡأَخِرَ وَذَكَرَ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرً۬ا (٢١)   You have, indeed, in the Messenger of Allah, a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for anyone who...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ Are Shi’ah non-Muslims? ”   The Shi’ah are not a sect, but a group of sects.   When we consider the mainstream Shi’ah, they go for haj .   If they were considered out of the fold of Islam, they would be banned from the haj , and they are not.   So, why would you think they are non-Muslims?   Which specific point of theological doctrine is so egregious that it would nullify the shahadah ?   Do you know which group was banned from the haj ?   The Wahhabi sect.   They were banned for 300 years until the British helped the Wahhabis conquer Makkah and Madina.   If there is any group that should be banned, wand who are definitely not Muslims, it is this sect.

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ Why are the Mu’tazilah concerned whether the Qur’an was Created or Uncreated? ”   The Createdness of the Qur’an has implications on the Divine Attributes, and its relationship with free will.   This is a long and complicated story, but we can summarise it here for simplicity, and mention the salient points.   Firstly, if the Qur’an is Uncreated, what is Its relationship with Allah ( s.w.t. )?   It cannot be from the Dzat , Essence, so it has to be Swifat , an Attribute. Are these Attributes Co-Eternal, as Sunni Islam believes?   If that is so, does it imply a sort of shirk , as the Itsna’ ‘Ashari claim?   My belief is that of Sunni Islam’s that the Attributes, though Co-Eternal, does not imply a multiplicity of godheads, but an immensity of the Divine Absoluteness.   Secondly, the contention is that if Allah ( s.w.t. ) Exists beyond time and space, ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ How are the ‘Alawiyyah different from the Shi’ah? ”   The ‘Alawiyyah sect is an offshoot of Twelver Shi’ah Islam. They were once considered ghuluw , an extreme group beyond the fold of Islam; some still consider them out of the fold for various doctrinal reasons.   The ‘Alawiyyah are named after Sayyidina ‘Ali ibn Abu Thalib ( k.w. ).   There is some confusion amongst many since there is a separate ‘Alawi sect in Anatolia and the Balkans, known in Turkish as the Alevi , and there is a Sunni Sufi Order known as the ‘Alawiyyah or the Ba ‘Alawiyyah .   They are not related to each other.   In the early days of the sect, they were known as the Nuswayriyyah , named after Abu Shu’ayb Muhammad ibn Nuswayr, a disciple of Imam Hasan ibn ‘Ali al-Askari ( r.a. ).   However, due to the fact the ‘Alawi have traditionally practiced an extreme form of taqiyyah suc...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ What is at the root of the Sunni/Shi’ah conflict in modern Islam? ”   The root cause of the Sunni/Shi’ah schism is the dispute regarding succession after the passing of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ).   It is an issue of history and politics, and not religion.   Unlike the Khwarij , the Mu’tazilah , the Murji’ah and others, Shi’ah Islam did not originally arise due to major theological differences.   The word “ Sunni ” mans that they are people of the sunnah , the ways, of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ).   The word “ Shi’ah ” refers to the fact that they are known as “ Shi’at ‘Ali ”, the partisans of Sayyidina ‘Ali ibn Abu Thalib ( k.w. ).   According to Sunni Islam, succession was passed to Sayyidina Abu Bakr ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Utsman asw-Swiddiq ( r.a. ), his closest confidant, and the first adult male to become Muslim.   He was selected by the shura’ , consultative committee ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ What are the ideological differences between the Shi’ah sect, and the Qur’anists ( Mu’tazilah )? ”   The Shi’ah ; the Mu’tazilah ; and the Mukar al-Ahadits , the “Qur’anists”, are distinct groups.   The Shi’ah are a group of sects that disputed with the group that came to be called Sunnis, on the succession of the caliphate, after the demise of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ).   Sunni Islam contended that it should be Sayyidina Abu Bakr ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Utsman asw-Swiddiq ( r.a. ), whereas the Shi’ah contended it be Sayyidina ‘Ali ibn Abu Thalib ( r.a. ).   It began as a dispute on political succession, and evolved into jurisprudential and theological differences.   There are half a dozen or so major Shi’ah sects.   Some of them, such as the Itsna ‘Ashari , the Twelvers; and the Zaydi ; are very close to Sunni Islam in many issues.   This is natural since th...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ Was Sayyidina ‘Ali ibn Abu Thalib ( k.w. ) practicing the same Islam as Sayyidina Abu Bakr ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Utsman asw-Swiddiq ( r.a. ) and the rest of swahabah?   If yes, then how did Shi’ah deviate from Sunni Islam? ”   Why would the Islam of the son-in-law of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) differ from Islam of the father-in-law of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ), when they both followed the same prophet, adhered to the same Qur’an, and worked together?   Slander of Sayyidina ‘Ali ibn Abu Thalib ( k.w. ) is an attack against the Prophet ( s.a.w. ), and an act of kufr .   The dispute between the Sunni and Shi’ah branches of Islam arose out of a difference of opinion pertaining to the succession of the Prophet ( s.a.w. ), in ruling the nascent Madinan state.   It was a political difference first, before it became a theological one.   Those theological differences became pronou...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ Do Sunni Muslims think that Shi’ah Muslims go to heaven? ”   Does that really matter?  No one can claim, with any certainty, that they are guaranteed Salvation.   In such a case, why would anyone want to play God and decide who is, or is not going to be Saved?   Is that not another form of shirk ?   Muslims should let God be God, and focus on themselves.   A Merciful God Finds excuses to put everyone on Jannah, and fools find reasons to damn each other.

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Tashbih is the position that there are similarities beyond analogies between Allah ( s.w.t. ) and His Creation.  Tajsim is the related position that imputes a bodily form to Allah ( s.w.t. ).  Tashbih emerged before Islam among certain Jewish and Christian sects, and then spread to certain radical sects in Muslim lands; its more prominent proponents include certain Shi’ah groups, the Karramiyyah , and the Hashwiyyah .  It is based on a particular understanding of those scriptural verses whose apparent meaning expresses similarities between Allah ( s.w.t. ) and Creation.   The Shi’ah ghuluw , extremists, who took such a position include Mughirah bin Sa’id, who claimed that the one he worshipped was a man of light with a crown upon his head and limbs, unlike a man; and Bayan bin Sam’an, who maintained that the one he worshipped was a human being enveloped in light but for his face.   The Karramiyyyah were named after ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ More Muslims in Singapore should come out against discrimination and hate rhetoric against the Shi’ah community.  When there is some disagreement online or offline, one of the phrases trotted out is some version, often less polite, of “That person is Shi’ah”.   Who said the Shi’ah are out of Islam?  They go for haj and ‘umrah , pray five times, fast in Ramadhan, and give zakat , in addition to holding on to the shahadah .  This normalisation of prejudice is unacceptable.  This takfir is a Wahhabi disease that should not be tolerated.  And so what if someone is Shi’ah?  I know a certain Muslim students’ organisation that excludes them.  I know of two couples who had problems at ROMM because one of them is Shi’ah.  I know entire groups in Singapore which make takfir of them.  I never noticed any Muslim organisation, or major ustadz come out against this.  In fact, I know of several who perp...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The Zaydiyyah follow Imam Zayd ibn ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn ( r.a. ), and are the Shi’ite denomination most similar to the Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah .  They agree with the Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah , and contend with the Twelver Shi’ah that the question of imamiyyah is a branch of religion which does admit rational interpretation and is, likewise, subject to independent judgement.  The Twelver Shi’ah hold their opinion to be established through express textual support, that is, authentically-narrated reports indisputably indicating the person of the imam .  Zaydiyyah recognise texts indicating the person of the Imam but hold them to be less definitive, both in their transmission and their signification, and to describe the attributes of the Imam but not specify him by name.   Further distinctions between the Twelver Shi’ah and Zaydiyyah are logically entailed by these differences, in that the former hold that one who denie...