SHIRK (POLYTHEISM) AND THE SHI’ITE DILEMMA It is not a hidden fact that the basis upon which the whole teachings of Islam lie and the core issue of its message is the full realization of Tawheed - the worship of Allah alone, as the One and only God. To him the servant should dedicate all his deeds, his sayings and even his thoughts. His hopes, his fears, his trust, prayers, supplications, cries for help, asking for forgiveness, his true and perfect love and all other aspects of ibadah must solely be towards gaining the pleasure of Allah. ((Say: Truly my prayer, my sacrifice, my life and my death are all for Allah, Lord of the worlds)) [Al-Anaam 6:162]. In this regard we find that the definition of the term ibadah to mean ‘everything that Allaah the Most Exalted loves and approves of from the apparent and hidden sayings and deeds’ is not out of place. It is for this and only this purpose Allah created man and jinn. Allah says: ((And I created not the Jinn and men except that they should worship Me (Alone) [Surah Al-Dhariyaat: 56]. All other activities of life engaged by these two models of creation are of a secondary importance and are meant to help them achieve the goal of pleasing Allah to the fullest and the most perfect level possible. And it is for this purpose Allah sent all His messengers. Allah said: ((And We did not send any Messenger before you but We revealed to him that: None has the right to be worshipped but I, so worship Me)) [Al-Anbiyaa: 25]. It has therefore been made clear by Allah Ta’ala that all messengers were sent with Tauhid. In another verse He said: ((Ask the messengers whom We sent before you: Did We appoint any deities other than (Allah) Most Gracious to be worshipped)) [Az-Zukhruf: 45]. He furthers says: ((And Verily, We have sent among every nation a messenger (proclaiming): Worship Allah (Alone) and avoid all false deities)) [An-Nahl: 36]. THE MEANING OF SHIRK Shirk is the most grievous offence Allah has prohibited, and the punishment attached to it is a permanent stay in the torment of hell. Allah Has decreed that He will not forgive one who dies committing shirk. He says: ((Verily Allah does not forgive that Shirk be made with Him, but He forgives whatever is below that to whomever He wishes)) [An-Nisaa: 48]. He also said: ((Verily whosoever associates partners with Allaah, then indeed Allaah has made Paradise unlawful for him, and his station is the Fire. And the transgressors will not have any helpers)). [Al-Ma‘idah: 72]. Shirk nullifies all good deeds, as Allah the Exalted said in respect of the most noble of His creation, that is the prophets and messengers: ((…But if they had joined in worship others with Allah, all that they used to do would have been nullified)) [Al-An’aam: 88]. With this same warning He addressed the best of His creation, Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, saying: ((And it was already revealed to you and to those before you, that if you should associate anything with Allah, your work would surely become worthless, and you would surely be amongst the losers)). [Az- Zumar: 65]. If a heavy warning such as this would be addressed to our noble prophet, even though Allah Has already perfected him and made him infallible against shirk and other sins, what will you say about other individuals and nations of his ummah? So the meaning of shirk is to associate a partner with Allah, either in worship, that is by directing any form of ibadah to someone or something other than Him, which is called shirk of ‘Uluhiyyah’ (worship), that is by prostrating, calling for help in times of trouble, seeking forgiveness of sins, seeking relief from any hardship or illness, asking for one to enter paradise or be saved from entering hell or slaughtering an animal all in the name of other than Allah. It may also be in terms of Rububiyyah (Lordship), that is, the belief that someone or something apart from Allah has any share in the creation, sustenance, governance of the world or granting lives or fertility to humans and non-humans etcetera. It may also be in terms of Al-Asmaa and Sifaat (Names and Attributes), that is to believe that one other than Allah can be named or described with the exclusive attributes of Allah. But as regards the legal ruling on the person committing shirk, scholars have divided shirk to be of two or three types: The major Shirk, the performance of which causes one to be out of the fold of Islam and abide in the hell fire forever, such as the acts listed above. The minor Shirk; which does not render one who commits it out of the fold of Islam. Things such as swearing in the name of other than Allah, showing up (Riyaa), etc fall in this category. There is much detail pertaining these and should be read from their special sources. ORIGIN OF SHIRK In the beginning the human society was free from Shirk. Allah created Adam and Hauwa as Muslims, their children followed their religion and believed in one God, and this single family grew into a great nation, all in Islam and in the worship of Allah alone. Shirk only came later on after mankind deviated from the teachings of the Prophets. That is because Allah creates his slaves and guides them through what is called Fitrah (the primordial nature, the inbuilt instinct and the natural inclination to believe in a Supernatural Being, a Creator, a Sustainer). This nature is only diverted by some external and alien forces that may either be as a result of what may be called an ‘environmental pollution’ that brings new ideas, thoughts and teachings, and subsequently changes it to something different. Allah the Most Exalted said: ((Mankind was one Ummah, then Allah sent prophets bringing good news and warnings)) [Baqarah :213]. Ibn Abbas - radiallaahu anhu - said: “Between Nuh (Noah) and Adam were ten generations, all of them were upon Shareeah (law) of the truth, then they differed. So Allah sent prophets as bringers of good news and as warners” Related by Ibn Jareer at-Tabaree in his tafseer (4/275) and al- Haakim (2/546) who said: “It is authentic according to the criterion of al-Bukhari” Adh- Dhahabee also agreed. As against the claim of some historians and philosophers that the origin of man is polytheism, and that Tauheed visited him later. Ibn Urwah al-Hanbalee (d.837 H) said: “This saying refutes those historians from the People of the Book who claim that Qaabil (Cain) and his sons were fire-worshippers” Al-Kawaakibud- Duraaree fee Tarteeb Musnadul-Imaam Ahmadalaa Abwaabil-Bukhaaree (6/212/1). Allah the Most Exalted said in a hadith Qudsi “I created all my servants upon the true Religion (upon Tawheed, free from Shirk). Then the devils came to them and led them astray from their true Religion. They made unlawful to people that which I had made lawful for them, and they commanded them to associate in worship with Me, that which I had sent down no authority”. [Related by Muslim (8/159) and Ahmad (4/162) from Iyaadh ibn Himaar al-Mujaashiee radiallaahu anhu]. The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam also said: “Every child is born upon the Fitrah but his parents make him a Jew or a Christian or a Magian. It is like the way an animal gives birth to a natural offspring, have you noticed any born mutilated, before you mutilate them?” Abu Hurayrah said: Recite if you wish (the verse): ((Allahs fitrah with which He created mankind. There is to be no change to the creation (Religion) of Allah)). [Surah ar-Rum 30:30]. Related by Al- Bukhaaree (11/418) and Muslim (18/52). One important thing to be noted in this regard is that shirk came to mankind through one and only one avenue: Al-Ghuluww (exceeding limits, and excessive love) in respect of some pious individuals and righteous worshippers, believed to be closer to Allah. This is understood clearly from the interpretation of the statement of Allah: ((And they have said: You shall not forsake your gods, nor shall you forsake Wadd, nor Suwaa, nor Yaghooth, nor Yaooq, nor Nasr)). [Nuh: 23]. It has been related by a group from the Salaf (Pious Predecessors) in many narratives, that these five deities were righteous worshippers. However, when they died, Shaitan whispered to their people to retreat and sit at their graves. Then he whispered to those who came after them that they should take them as idols, beautifying to them the idea that you will be reminded of them and thereby follow them in righteous conduct. Then he suggested to the third generation that they should worship these idols besides Allah - the most high - and he whispered to them that this is what their forefathers used to do!!!. So Allah sent to them Nuh alaihis salatu was salam, commanding them to worship Allah alone. However none responded to his call except a few. Allah the Most Exalted related this whole incident in surah Nuh. Ibn Abbas relates: ‘Indeed these are five names of righteous men from the people of Nuh. When they died Shaitan whispered to their people to make statues of them and to place these statues in their places of gathering as a reminder of them, so they did this. However, none from amongst them worshipped these statues, until when they died and knowledge was forgotten. Then (the following generation) began to worship them’. Related by al-Bukhari (8/534). It is therefore clear from this that those people, when they started worshipping those idols, did not have in their minds that they were worshipping the physical structures of the idols they made with their own hands. But rather they used to reflect in their inner minds the pictures of those pious and righteous worshippers. And if they ever brought to mind that they were worshipping idols, they definitely did not believe that those idols were their creators who gave life and sustenance to them. They rather worshipped them for one purpose and that is for those pious and righteous servants of Allah (now in the form of statues) to bring them also near to Allah. This fact has been dealt with so clearly in the Qur’an as to leave no doubt in the mind that the Mushrikun whom have been addressed by Allah in the Qur’an did not believe in any creator other than Allah, but nevertheless they worshipped their idols Laat, ‘Uzzah, Manaat, Hubal and a host of others (historians relate that about 360 of them were inside the Ka’abah alone) that they might make them draw closer to Allah. Allah the Most Exalted said: ((And if you were to ask them: “Who has created the heavens and the earth and subjected the sun and the moon?” they will surely reply: ‘Allah’. How then are they deviating?)) [Al-‘Ankabuut: 61]. He also said: ((Say: To whom belong the earth and all the beings therein? If you know? They will say: ‘To Allah’. Say: “Will you not then remember?”. Say: Who is the Lord of the seven heavens, and the Lord of the Great Throne?” They will say: ‘Allah’. Say: “Will you not then fear Allah?” Say: “In Whose Hand is the sovereignty of everything, and He protects (all), while against Whom there is no protector, if you know?”. They will say: ‘All that belongs) to Allah’. Say: “How then are you deceived and turn away from the truth?” [Al-Mu’minun: 84-89]. So none of them ever believed that it was the idols who sent down rain, fed the people, or governed the world. This clearly shows that their Shirk is only borne in the fact that they had set up some personalities other than Allah whom they loved just as they loved Allah, whom they feared just as they feared Allah, whom they ask for their personal needs. And nevertheless Allah called them Mushrikun, Kafirun (polytheists and unbelievers) and made it obligatory upon the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam to fight them until they profess that there is no Ilah (DEITY) - mark it here very well, deity not creator - but Allah. Therefore to claim that one can call someone among his dead saints, pious worshippers or his Imam to grant him the type of help none but Allah can do, and claim that not to be called shirk because he ‘did not believe them to be lords, creators etc’ is baseless and utterly false. If that is the case, would they allow one to prostrate to an idol or any statue and ask him to give health to his ill relative or son, or seek its help in emergencies like earthquakes, floods and other calamities as long as the person does not believe the idol to be his lord and creator? DU’AH (CALLING) OTHER THAN ALLAH IN HARDSHIPS Many people among the callers of other than Allah for help in times of hardships mix up issues and fail to distinguish between two distinctive things. They absurdly ask: “Is it polytheism to make requests of other people for the fulfillment of our desires? If this were true, the whole of humanity is polytheistic. If to seek help from others is polytheism, why did the Prophet seek help from people?” It must be noted here that they make these types of questions just to make room for their polytheistic and innovated types of du’ah to be accommodated within the tenets of Islam. Otherwise they fully know that there is clear and unqualified difference between what they practise and what the Shari’ah allows. It is allowed for one to ask the help of his fellow human being that is alive, present and able, either in times of hardship or otherwise. We find this in the story of Musa alaihis salam when he entered Median ((…at a time of unawareness of its people: and he found there two men fighting, - one of his party and the other of his foes. The man of his party asked him for help against his foe, so Musa struck him with his fist and killed him…)) [Al- Qasas: 15]. The Arabic word used here is ‘Fastaghathahu’ (asked him for help), and he gave the help. This is not shirk because Musa was there present, alive and able to help and had indeed helped. No where something like this has been called shirk. The examples are so many in the Qur’an and Sunnah. What is not allowed is where one calls upon a dead person in his grave, or an absent person or a stone, a tree, a statue, a necklace, a cow, a string etc.. and seeks his/its help on matters none can do anything about but Allah, like asking him to cure your illness or forgive your sins or save you from the effects of the evil eye, or ask him to guide you, or make you enter paradise, or save you from the torment of fire, or intercede and solicit for you on the day of judgement, or increase you in wealth, or save you from the dangerous and harming plots of your enemies against you …et cetera. All these are things no dead man – not even the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam - has the right and ability to hear or answer, not to talk of some others. As regards At-Tawassul (that is, seeking nearness to Allah) through other means, scholars have classified it into two main categories: The lawful, which is according to the sunnah, and the innovated (bid’i). The lawful is of three types: To ask Allah through invoking His Most Beautiful Names and Attributes To ask Allah by virtue of some good deeds one has performed himself To ask a live pious servant to supplicate Allah on your behalf The innovated one is to ask Allah by virtue of the personality of a human being or any of Allah’s creatures. Such as to say: O Allah, forgive my sins because of my Sheikh or Imam or for his position in your sight. This clearly shows us that the issue of ‘Umar radiyallahu anhu when he came to ‘Abbas during the famine and made tawassul with him, falls within the third type of the lawful category, that is seeking the du’ah (supplication) of a pious person. And ‘Abbas was pious without any doubt and also a member of the family of the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam. But the people of Bid’ah only mix these things up knowingly so as to cast doubts in the minds of the ignorant. From the foregoing it is clear that what is termed Shirk is to call other than Allah on issues none can help but Allah. That is why Allah censured the polytheists for calling and worshipping those idols instead of Him. And the usual answer was that they worshipped them so that they make them draw closer to Allah. To have a clear picture of what Tawheed means let every Muslim ponder upon the meanings of the following verses: Allah said: ((Say: ‘Call unto those besides Him whom you pretend (to be gods). They have neither the power to remove the adversity from you nor even to shift it from you to another place. Those whom they call upon, they themselves seek and desire the means of approach to their Lord, as to which of them should be nearest and they hope for His Mercy and fear His Torment. Verily the Torment of your Lord is to be feared)) [Al-Israa (17): 56-57]. Meaning that those people to whom the polytheists supplicate themselves are desiring and seeking means of approach to draw close to their Lord. Ibn Abbas and Mujahid said, “They are ‘Isa and his mother, ‘Uzayr, the Angels, the sun, the moon and the stars” Ibn Mas’ud said, A group of people used to worship a party of the Jinn. The Jinn then accepted Islam and the people who used to worship them were unaware of this and stuck to their worshipping them so Allah condemned them. Therefore according to all the opinions concerning the meaning of this verse, Allah censured whosoever supplicated to a created being when in fact that created being itself worships Allah and seeks to draw closer to Him - hoping and fearing Him. Included in this are all of the Angels, the Prophets and the righteous from amongst mankind and Jinn. So if it is not permissible to supplicate to these creatures that have been exalted and are close to Allah then it is even more the case that those disobedient to Allah, such as the devils and jinn, cannot be supplicated to. The verse refers unrestrictedly to all who supplicate to other than Allah. He made clear that the person who is supplicated to is not able to remove any harm from the one who supplicates or even shift the harm to another place saying, ((Say: ‘Call upon those whom you assert (to be gods) besides Allah, they possess not even an atoms weight - either in the heavens of the earth, nor have they any share in either, nor is there for Him any supporter from among them. Intercession with Him is of no avail except for him who He permits)) [as-Saba (34): 22-23] Therefore Allah explained that the created being does not have the sovereignty just as he does not have any share in it and just as he does not help Allah in any form or fashion. All he can have is the ability to intercede but this intercession is of no avail unless Allah grants him permission to intercede. Allah said: ((And they worship besides Allah things that hurt them not, nor profit them and they say: ‘these are our intercessors with Allah.’ Say: ‘Do you inform Allah of that which He knows not in the heavens and the earth?’ Glorified be Allah, Exalted is He above all that they associate with Him)). [Yunus (10): 18] ((And warn therewith those who fear that they will be gathered before their Lord, when there will be neither a protector nor an intercessor for them besides Him)) [al-An`aam (6): 51]. ((But remind them with (the Qur`aan) lest a person be given up to destruction for that which he has earned, when he will find for himself no protector or intercessor besides Allah)) [al- An`aam (6): 70] ((Allah, it is He Who created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in Six Days, then He Rose over the Throne. You have none besides Him as a protector or an intercessor, will you then not take heed? [as-Sajdah (32): 4]. ((Surely, your Lord is Allah Who created the heavens and the earth in Six Days and then Rose Over the Throne, disposing the affair of all things. No intercessor (can plead with Him) except after His leave. That is Allah, your Lord; so worship Him (Alone) so will you not take heed?)) [Yunus (10 ): 3] ((Who is there that can intercede with Him except after His permission?)) [al-Baqarah (2): 255] ((And how many are the Angels in the heavens whose intercession will be of no avail except after Allah has given leave for whomsoever He Wills and Pleases)) [an-Najm (53): 26]. Then here we come to another issue, which is the striking difference between the polytheists of the older generations, that is, those of the time of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam – who were addressed in the Qur’an directly and those of this generation. We will find the former only worshipped their false gods in times of happiness and ease. But in times of hardships they immediately turned to Allah for they knew really that He alone can save them. Nevertheless Allah called them Mushriks and unbelievers and called them to quickly redress the issue and make the situation one, by calling upon Him alone in all times. Read the following verses and think over them for a while. Allah said: ((Take not two gods in worship. Indeed He is One God then fear Me (and Me Alone). To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth and to Him belongs perpetual sincere obedience. Will you then fear any other than Allah? Whatsoever of blessings and good things you have, it is from Allaah. Then, when harm touches you, unto Him you cry aloud for help. But when He has removed the harm from you, behold! Some of you associate others in worship with their Lord. So (as a result of this) they deny the favours We have bestowed on them! Then enjoy yourselves but you will soon come to know!)) [An-Nahl : 51-55]. He further said: ((And when they embark on a ship, they invoke Allah, making their Faith pure for Him only: but when He brings them safely to land, behold they give a share of their worship to others)) [Al-‘Ankabuut: 65]. But look at some people now. They turn to their Sheikhs, Imams, Saints at all times, even at times of hardships. SHIRK IN SHI’ISM In this section I will prove – from authentic and reliable Shi’i sources (not the internet) – that the Shi’ites surely condone and practise shirk. Not only the shirk of calling Imams in times of calamities like earthquakes and the like, but shirk even in the case of Rububiyyah (believing that there are other lords beside Allah and have share in His attributes of governance). First, it is very important to know that the fundamental pillar upon which the Shi’i religion is based – (mark that whenever the word Shi’ism is used in this time of ours it refers to the Imami or Twelver Shi’ites) - is the issue of Imamah. In this regard we would not be surprised to find that the Imamah of Ali radiyallahu ‘anhu and his progeny is more important than Tauheed, and it will be seen from their books that the Qur’anic texts ordering the worship of Allah alone, have been changed to mean the Imamah of Ali and the Imams, while the texts forbidding shirk have been made to mean associating others with the Imams in Imamah. In their commentary on the statement of Allah: ((And it was already revealed to you and to those before you, that if you should associate anything with Allah, your work would surely become worthless, and you would surely be amongst the losers)) [Az-Zumar: 65], they say: “Meaning: if you should associate another with him in Wilayah (leadership), surely…” (These are the words of Al- Kafi of Kulaini vol. 1 p. 427 No. 76). But in the Tafsir of Al-Qummi (vol. 2 p. 251) it is said: “If you order for the leadership of anyone together with the leadership of ‘Ali after you, surely your works would be useless”. The author of the Tafsir of Al-Burhan cited four narratives to this effect. (See Tafsirul Burhan vol. 4 p. 83). They further quoted as the basic reason for the revelation of this verse a tradition: “…that when Allah revealed to His Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa aalihi to appoint ‘Ali as a sign for men, Mu’aadh ibn Jabal sneaked to him and said: ‘Join together with his leadership, the leadership of the First and the Second (meaning Abubakar and ‘Umar) so that people will whole-heartedly accept your view and trust you’. So when Allah revealed: ((O Messenger! Proclaim (the Message) which has been sent down to you from your Lord)) [Al- Ma’idah: 67], the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wa aalihi reported to Gabrael saying: ‘People will deny me and would not accept it from me’, upon which Allah the Most Exalted sent down: ((if you should associate anything with Allah, your work would surely become worthless, and you would surely be amongst the losers)). [Tafsir Al-Burhan vol. 4 p. 83]. Somewhere else, in their commentaries on the verse: ((Is there any ilah (god) with Allah? Nay, but most of them know not!)) [An-Naml: 61], they report from Abu Abdillah (Ja’afar As-Sadiq) that he said: ‘Is there any Imam of guidance and another of false in one era?)) [Biharul Anwar vol. 23 p. 391 and Kanzu Jami’il Fawa’id p. 207. They also changed the meaning of Allah’s statement: ((And of mankind are some who take others besides Allah as rivals (to Allah). They love them as they love Allah)) [Al-Baqarah: 165], to mean: “They are the friends of So-and-So who took other Imams instead of the one appointed for people by Allah”. (See Al-Ghunyah by An- Nu’mani p. 83; Biharul Anwar vol. 23 p. 359 and Al-Burhan vol. p. 172). This is just to cite one or two examples, otherwise the Shi’ites distorted the meanings of many – if not all of the – verses on Tauhid and prohibiting shirk, to mean the affirmation and belief in the Imamah of ‘Ali and ahlul bait, and prohibiting any association with them. To make clear the meaning of Shirk according to them, they said: “Whoever joins the Imamah of the one whose Imamah is from Allah with that of the one whose Imamah is not from Allah is a MUSHRIK (polytheist)” (See An-Nu’mani, Al- Ghaibah p. 82 and Biharul Anwar vol. 22 p. 78). Ibn Babawaihi Al-Qummi whom they call As- Saduq says: “Allah will not leave the Ummah at any point in time without an infallible Imam. So whoever worships a lord who did not set the unmistakable proof (concerning Imamah), is only worshipping other than Allah” (See the book ‘Ilalus Shara’i’i p. 14, and Beharul Anwar vol. 23 p. 83). Meaning that whoever believes in Allah as his Lord and worships Him sincerely, but believes that Allah Has not evidently made ‘Ali an Imam and did not expressly mention him to be the Imam after the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, is just worshipping other than Allah!!!. And these are exactly the words of Al-Majlisi, the author of Biharul Anwar where he said: “Let it be known that wherever the word ‘Shirk’ or ‘Kufr’ is used (meaning in their books) it refers to the one who does not believe in the Imamah of Amirul Mu’minin (‘Ali) and the Imams from his offspring, and prefers some other people over them, which indicates that they are unbelievers, and Hell is their abode” (Biharul Anwar vol. 23 p. 390). According to the Shi’ites, Allah will only accept the deeds of a person if he believes in the Imamah of Ali irrespective of what his other deeds are. They say: “Allah has appointed ‘Ali as a sign between Him and His creation. Hence, whoever affirms him is a ‘Mu’min’ (believer); and whoever denies him is a ‘Kafir’ (unbeliever); and whoever is ignorant of him has gone astray. But whoever appoints any other with him is a ‘Mushrik’ (polytheist); whoever comes (on the day of Judgement) believing in his Imamah will enter paradise” (Usulul Kafi vol. 1 p. 437). Statements to this effect are numerous in their reliable books, even though whenever you discuss with them or visit their web sites they display something else – based on Taqiyyah - or even disclaim these ideas, but none of them dare claim that the mentioned books are not reliable to them and up till this time after hundreds of calls from some deluded Muslims, who usually fall prey to their deception, that the Shi’ites should disown these books and go back to the Qur’an and Sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, no one will answer their call. We now come to the issue of calling upon their Imams in times of hardships. After knowing fully what these so-called Imams stand for in the Shi’i tenet, one will not be surprised to find that the Shi’ites regard them also to be their intermediaries between them and their Lord, and that whoever calls them for help in whatever situation he finds himself they will answer him on behalf of Allah; and whoever calls Allah and asks Him in their names, Allah will surely answer him. That is why they dedicated duties to each one of their Imams as regards conferring benefits and inflicting harm to people. They thus said: “As far as Ali bin Al-Hussein is concerned, his name should be invoked to save people from tyrant rulers as well as from the evil whispering of the Devil. Muhammad bin Ali and Jaafar bin Muhammad, will be responsible for the terrors of the Day of Judgment and what it deserves in terms of guiding people to the true way of worshipping Allah the Omnipotent and obeying His commandments. Musa bin Jaafar, was assigned the duty of mediation to God Almighty for those who seek good health from Him. As for Ali bin Musa, you should seek through him safety when travelling either by land or sea. As regards Muhammad bin Ali, through him sustenance will be proceeding from God Almighty. While through Ali bin Muhammad’s name, the optional acts of devotion, nice treatment of brothers toward each other, and all other acts of obedience and worship of Allah Almighty will be accepted. Regarding Al-Hassan bin Ali, his duty and obligation is specifically for the hereafter. Whereas the responsibility of the Master of the Time (i.e. the Mahdi the last Imam), is to rescue the people who are about to be stabbed to death, if they appeal for his assistance” (Biharul Anwar vol. 94 p. 33). The author then illustrated in his book the supplication to be said earnestly when appealing for the aid of the Imams within the scope of their duties and obligations as elaborated above. In this respect, Al-Majlisi concluded that the Imams are the greatest medicine and means of cure for whosoever intercedes with them. Hence, the Shi’ites’ prescribed supplications are made in the aforementioned pattern of placing their hope in their Imams and seeking their assistance. They therefore turn to them for aid when in distress and invoke their names respectively, as has been reported in one of their awaited Imam’s narrative, in the following text: “O pillars of the land, judges of all rulings, gates of faith, and granters of help, it is decreed that by you the execution of His Will is obligatory and inseparable. Nothing comes from Him without you being its reason and the obvious way towards its occurrence. There is neither deliverance nor resort from fear except by taking shelter in you, and there is no way we can do without you, O eyes of God that never relent” (Bihar Al-Anwar vol. 94 p. 37). Why then should one be surprised to hear them saying ‘O ‘Ali come to our aid’, O ‘Ali provide supplies’, O Husain save our people from so and so? Or name themselves Abd Al-Husaini, Abd Ar-Rida etc. In fact, the originators of this blasphemous ideology were so audacious and bold enough to assert in one of their reliable sources of Hadith, the claim that: “Supplications of all the prophets and messengers of God Almighty were accepted to Him by solicitation and mediation of the Imams (May peace and blessings of God be upon them all.) (Bihar Al-Anwar vol. 26 p. 319). Al-Majlisi even made this statement the title of a chapter in the mentioned book, and quoted many narratives to confirm the claim. One of them says: “It was reported that Imam Ridha [on him be peace] said: “When Prophet Nuh alaihis salam was about to drown in the flooding waters, he invoked God Almighty by our names. Hence God Almighty came to his rescue. When Prophet Ibrahim alaihis salam was thrown into the scorching fire, he prayed to God through our names, and God Almighty ordered the fire to be cool and a means of safety for him [Ibrahim]. When prophet Musa alaihis salam struck the Sea with his rod in quest of a path, he invoked God with respect to our names and God made the sea dry out. Finally when the Jews plotted to kill Isa [Jesus] alaihis salam, he supplicated to God by mentioning our names and was rescued from death. God eventually raised him up” (Biharul Anwar vol. 26 p. 325; and Wasa’il As-Shi’ah vol. 4 p. 1143). But despite all these, the Shi’ites always try to delude people in making them believe that they are not practising shirk, falsely asserting that one is only considered a polytheist when he calls upon something and believes it to be his lord. I have discussed this earlier and proved that it is baseless. Nonetheless, let us go through Shi’ite sources to see whether we can easily take their words. Do the Shi’ites ascribe lordship (Rububiyyah) to their Imams? In Mir’aatul Anwar, quoting from Basaa’ir Ad- Darajaat by As-Saffar, they falsely attribute to ‘Ali (radiyallahu ‘anhu) that he said: “I am the lord of the earth, by whose strength it stays firm” (Mir’aatul Anwar p. 59). And they cunningly claim that he meant: ‘I am the Imam of this world’, and mischievously believing that to be the interpretation of the verse: ((And the earth will shine with the light of its Lord)) [Az-Zumar: 69]. In the same book and page, the author quoted another narration on the interpretation of the verse: ((As for him who does wrong, we shall punish him, and then he will be brought back unto his Lord, Who will punish him with a terrible torment)) [Al-Kahf: 87], saying that: ‘He will be brought back to Amirul Mu’minin who will punish him with a terrible torment’. Al-Kulaini gave the following title to one of the chapters of his book Al-Kafi: ‘That the whole of the earth belongs to the Imam’ (Usul Al-Kaafi vol. 1 p. 407). In the chapter he mentioned a narrative: from Abu Basir from Abu Abdillah alaihis salam, that he said: “Do you not know that the world and the hereafter all belong to the Imam; he puts it where he so wishes; he gives it to whom he so wishes; all this is lawful to him from Allah…” (Usul Al-Kaafi vol. 1 p. 409). These and thousands of other narratives are all contained in reliable Shi’i sources for whoever wishes to see for himself. In conclusion I ask Allah the Most Exalted to guide the whole Ummah to stick to the message He gave Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, the message of Islam, the message of Tawheed. May He in His infinite Mercy throw His light in the minds of the deluded. Lastly I advise my Muslim brothers that each and every one of us should save a little of his time to read the Qur’an on a daily basis – in any language he can understand, and ponder upon its meanings. It is really a message addressed to him, personally to him. It is a book of understanding. When one comes upon something the meaning of which he fails to grasp, he should not make quick conclusions, but ask who know. Read the hadiths of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. In these are the light to guide you to the path of pleasing your Lord, the One and only God deserving to be worshipped. Wa sallallahu wa sallama wa baraka ‘ala Nabiyyina Muhammadin wa ‘ala Aalihi wa Sallam. Ur Bshr mhd idrith hdj
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 07:30:54 +0000
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