Introcution
منذ 3 سنوات
637
It was about two years ago that I received a long letter from an Iraqi student in Egypt. Briefly speaking, the writer of the letter had had an exchange of views with some eminent scholars of al-Azhar. Perhaps they talked about Najaj al-Ashraf, the scholars of that seat of learning and their ways of sudies and also about those devoted to the spiritual atomosphere at the mausoleum of Hazrat Ali (a.s.).
There is no doubt, of course, that the educated class of Cairo are all praise for the great seat of learning at Najaf and are also well impressed with the intellectual advancement of its scholars. In spite of all this they do not refrain from saying: "Oh! What a pity! They are Shi'as."
The writer of the letter says that he was very astonished and often used to plead with them, "Gentlemen! The Shi'as are a Muslim sect and a part of the Muslims community." But their reply was, "No, Sir! The Shi'as are not Muslims. What has Shi'ism to do with Islam? It is wrong to count it as a sect among the sects and a religion among the religions of the world; it was a plan devised by the Iranians and a political stunt to overthrow the Umayyad rule and bring about the 'Abbasid Caliphate. What has it to do with the ways prescribed by God?"
After this, this young man writes: "Respected Sir, at present I am young and have no knowledge of religions. I know neither the philosophy of religious growth, nor do I know the history of its flourishing. Consequently I have entertained some doubts."
Accordingly I considered the reply necessary and wrote to him in a letter answering him according to his intelligence. I must admit, however, that my own worries were more than the doubts of this youth.
I thought to myself: how is it credible that a cultured country like Egypt -the cradle of Islamic learning, the centre of the Arabs, nay, of all the Muslims in such a state of ignorance and hostility among its intelligentsia! It was by chance that a book entitled "Fajru 'l-Islam" by the famous writer Ahmad Amin reached my hands. I started reading it but when I reached the place where he wrote about the Shi'as, I felt that the learned author was not writing a book but building castles in the air. During the present age, even if a man from the distant regions of China had written such irresponsible things, he could not be easily forgiven.
Anyhow, I now felt satisfied that all that the Iraqi student had written was quite correct and instantly it struck me that if the people used to writing like Ahmad Amin have such a mentality, what can be the condition of the illiterate or half-literate masses; according to the spirit of the times, however, every Muslim of today supports unity and brotherhood among the Muslims and also believes that without such unity our life as well as death will be without meaning.
In truth, if our Muslim brothers were of the reality of the Shi'a religion and also proved to be just, such literature
Let us study this passage of "Fajru 'l-Islam" and consider its reprecussions:
"The truth is that Shi'aism was the refuge of the destroyers of Islam." p.330.
The writer is not innocent. He knew that the pen of the critics would pursue him and also knew that his aggressive tendency would injure the feelings of a nation which comprises tens of millions of people and is a very great power in the Islamic world.
It was thus quite a surprising event when last year (1349 A.H.), a cultural delegation from Egypt, comprising thirty members, came here and included Ahmad Amin himself. All the members of the delegation came to my residence. It was the month of Ramadan, night time, and the gathering was large. No sooner had I seen Ahmad Amin than "Fajru 'l-Islam" came to my mind, since this book had already been seen by a number of our scholars. We raised objections, but with respect, in a very mild and soft tone, so that it might not hurt his feelings. On this occasion the strongest explanation that Ahmad Amin offered was a lack of information and a dearth of books. To this we said, "Sir, when someone starts writing on some topic, he first gathers relevant material and then he fully examines the matter; otherwise the writer has no right to touch upon the topic at all."
Consider the libraries of the Shi'as. How well stocked they are! Examine our own library. It contains about five thousand volumes and most of the books are written by Sunnis: This is the collection of books in a small city like Najaf; strange how Egypt with its many large libraries
Of course, these people know nothing about the Shi'as, but never hesitate in writing anything about them that they wish.
It is even stranger that the fellow Sunni brothers of Iraq living in our neighborhood are unaware of the Shi'as! Only a few months age a promising Shi'a boy of Baghdad wrote in a letter that recently he happened to go to Daylam (just adjacent to the Baghdad district). Most of the people there are Sunnis. The correspondent became intimate with them and attended their assemblies. Since the people of Daylam were unusually impressed by the excellent behaviour and high morals of the stranger, they warmly welcomed him. But when they came to know that the person in whom they were taking so much interest was a Shi'a, their wonder had no bounds. "We were under the impression that the people of this sect were deprived of even the smallest light of civilisation and culture -quite wild, totally savage!" Such were their whims and speculations.
At the end of the letter this young boy appealed to my conscience that, through the endeavours of my pen, I should remove the misunderstanding in the minds of such people and introduce a true picture of Shi'ism.
After some time the same youth went to Syria to spend the summer there. From there he went to Egypt. From Cairo he wrote another letter, telling me that the condition of Egypt was not different from that of Daylam. He wrote: "Here also the same views about the Shi'as are common. So, it is requested that you may perform your duty of informing them of the truth. Believe me, the views that the common people of Islam have formed about the Shi'as are intolerably obnoxious."
And this is not all. The false imputations, which are being continuosly published in the journals of Egypt, Syria, etc. are no less grievous; those under attack are as innocent as Joseph, but unfortunately ignorance and fantacism have no remedy.
However, silence in the face of trangression is synonymous with the acceptance of injustice, so I had an obligation to speak out. But it should be made clear that I do not wish to reply to the slanderers of the Shi'as but rather to remove that veil of ignorance from the eyes of the rest of the Muslims so that the truth may be clearly visible to them; moreover it may serve as the last word to the elements hostile to Shi'as and as a true picture of Shi'aism. We hope it may also remove the mutual discord among the Muslims, so that writers like Ahmad Amin may never get another opportunity to indulge in destructive activities. The author of "Fajru 'l-Islam" writes "The truth is that Shi'ism was the refuge of those who wished to destroy Islam through enmity and baseless talk, and it was the place of shelter for those who wanted to introduce their ancestral teachings of Israelite, Christian and Zorostrian religions into Islam". Again he writes: "Thus the faith in "raj'at" (the returning) is what the Isra'elites believe in. The Shi'as believe, moreover, that the fire (of hell) is "haram" (unlawful) for them. The Israelites also say that the fire will not touch them except for a few counted days.
"Christianity's infulence appeared likewise in the way in which some of the Shi'as have given the same relationship for the Imam to God as is given for Christ to Him. They also say that the Imam is the confluence of 'Lahut' and 'Nasut' (where divinity and earthly beings meet). Also, according to their faith the continuance of prophethood and risalat (messengership) is unbreakable. They hold the
For fear of destroying the unity of the Muslim community and inciting hatred I will refrain from replying. Otherwise it would be quite easy to show how those people were who introduced un-Islamic ways into Islam to undermind and divide the Muslim community!
Of course I should like to ask the author of "Fajru 'l-Islam": Respected Sir, which was that group of Shi'as which had decided to detroy Islam? Was it the first group, which include the selected companions of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.*), for instance: Salman Muhammadi, Abu Dhar al-Ghifari, al-Miqdad, Ammar, Khuzayma, Dhul sh-Shahadatain, Abu Tihan, Hudhayfah Yamani, az-Zubayr, al-Fadl ibn al-'Abbas and his respectable brother 'Abdullah, Hashim ibn 'Utabah, al-Marqal, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, Aban and also his brother Khalid, the sons of Sa'id ibn al-'As, Ibn Ka'b and Anas ibn al-Harith who had heard the Holy Prophet saying: "My son Husayn (a.s.**) will be martyred at the place known as Karbala'. So any one of you, present at time of that tragedy must go to help him." Accordingly Anas drank the cup of martyrdom on the 10th of Muharram, (see "al-Isabah fi ma'rifati' s-sahabah" and "al-Isti'ab fi ma'rifati' s-sahabah". These two books on the lives of the Companions are the most authentic compilations of the Sunni community.)
If we were to attempt a list of the Shi'a companions and begin to prove their Shi'ism, it would require a complete and voluminous book. And the fact is that the noble efforts of the Shi'a 'ulema have made it
But I believe that, from the books on the lives of the Sahaba like "Isaba", "Asadu 'l-ghaba" and "Isti'ab" we have collected the names of about three hundred distinguished companions and it is possible some scholarly person may compile a longer list than this.
Were these persons desirous of ruining Islam? If the Imam of the Shi'as, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.), of whom the "Thaqalayn" (the book of God and the Ahle Bayt) are the witnesses, had not used his sharp-edged sword in the battles of "Badr", "Uhud", "Hunayn" and "Ahzab" Islam would not have flourished or attained an imposing height. Abdu 'l-Hamid Mu'tazali begins his poem of praise: "Ila innama al-Islam law la hisamahu ..." (if his sword had not been there, Islam ...)
Yes, if "Zulfiqar" (Hazrat 'Ali's sword) had not been there, if the lion of God had not taken the lead, as he did before and after the hijrat, if there had been no sincere help from Hadhrat Abu Talib the illustrious father of 'Ali (a.s.) and if Hazrat 'Ali Murtadha (a.s.) had not offered extraordinary support in the holy lands of Mecca and Medina, the rebellious group of the Quraysh and the blood-thirty wolves of Arabia would have nipped Islam in the bud.
Muslims pay little respect for Abu Talib's (a.s.) services in that they do not seem prepared to call him a Muslim. On the contrary when they talk of Abu Sufyan, the root cause of all the troubles of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) they are prompt in endowing him with Islam, although everyone knows that he had very reluctantly and unwillingly aligned himself with the Muslims. When Hazrat 'Uthman got the Caliphate, it was Abu Sufyan, who cried out: "Sons of Umayyaah! Just catch hold of the caliphate as you would a ball. I swear by him by whom Abu Sufyan can swear that there is neither heaven nor hell!"
In short, according to the verdict of the Sunni majority, Abu Sufyan is a Muslim and as to Abu Talib the great supporter of Islam (whose beliefs are apparent from these lines: "In my knowledge the religion of Muhammad (s.a.w.) is the best of all religions in the world") he is labelled as a non-Muslim! Was Abu Talib (a.s.) either so helpless or of such a weak intellect that he knew that Muhammad's (s.a.w.) religion was the best of all religions and did not follow it for fear of the people? It should be clearly understood that he was at the center of all Mecca's forces and strengths.
Now let us again examine the story of the subversion of Islam. Now were these people (about whom we have just been talking) the persons who subverted Islam, or it was the later group, which is known as the "tabi'in" (the followers), in which are included Ahnaf ibn Qays, Suwayd ibn Ghuflah, Atiyah, Ufi, Hakam ibn Salah, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, Sa'id ibn Musayab, Asbagh ibn Nabatah, Sulayman ibn Mohran, and Yahya ibn Ya'mar 'Adwani? After them come the personalities of the 'ta'binu 't-tabi'in" (the followers of the followers) who laid the foundation of Islamic teachings
Among those who laid the foundation of the teaching of "Hadith" is Abu Rafi', who was the freed slave of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) and the author of the book, "al-Ahkam wa s'-sunan wa 'l-qadaya". He had a special relationship with Amir al-mu'minin (a.s.); during the caliphate of the Holy Imam (a.s.) he was in charge of the Treasury at Kufa, his sons also were both remarkable personalities. 'Ali ibn Rafi' was the secretary of Amir al-Mu'minin (a.s.). He was the first person after his father who began writing on "fiqh" (jurisprudence) and his brother, 'Abdullah ibn Rafi' took the lead in the writing of history and the recording of events in the Muslim community.
Abu Hashim ibn Muhammad ibn Hanafiya was the first to write about the nature of Islamic beliefs. Many fine books on this topic have been written by him. We may examine also the works of 'Isa ibn Rawzah who lived up to the time of Abu Ja'far (Imam Baqir). It should be noted that the above persons lived before Wasil ibn 'Ata and Abu
Next we may reflect upon two eminent Shi'as, Qays an-Nasir and Muhammad ibn 'Ali Ahwal, (known as Mu'min at-Taq"), Hisham ibn al-Hakam and an-Nawbakht. The latter was an exalted family who continued serving the cause of Islam for more than a hundred years. Among their works, "Faslu 'l-yaqut", is of extraordinary importance. Also among the pupils of Hisham Ahwal, and an-Nasir, the names of Abu Ja'far Sakak Baghdadi, Abu Malik Zuhak Khazrami, Hisham ibn Salim and Yunus ibn Ya'qub deserve special mention. There were the persons who undertook masterly debates with sages of other religions and provided irreputable arguments on topics like the unity of God and the Imamate.
If all their scholastic subjects of discussion, particularly the debates of Hisham ibn Hakam, were collected together, it would make an excellent book. Similarly, if we included all the Shi'a philosophers and scholars, a great number of voluminous compilations will be required.
I request therefore that the author of "fajru 'l-Islam" tell me whether these men wanted to ruin the religion of God, or whether they were so conscientious that they worked day and night to record historical facts and events and collect together reports of matters relating to the life, miracles, battles, and the purity of character of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.).
One of the finest scholars in this connection is Aban ibn 'Uthman al-Ahmar Tabi'i (died 140 A.H.). He was a pupil of Imam Ja'far Sadiq (a.s.). After him Hisham ibn Muhammad, ibn Sa'ib Kalbi, Muhammad ibn Is'haq Matalabi and Abu Makhnaf Azdi continued in this particular
If we examine a list of historians, we will find that all the distinguished writers were Shi'as; for instance, the compiler of Kitab al-Mahasin, Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid Barqi, Nasr ibn Muzahim Manqari, Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Sa'd Tahaqafi, 'Abdu 'l-Aziz Juludi Basri Imami, Ahmad ibn Ya'qub (whose book Tarikhu 'l-Ya'qubi has been published in Europe), Muhammad ibn Zakariya, Abu 'Abdillah Hakim, al-Ma'sudi, author of "Muruj adh-dhahab" Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Taba'taba, the author of "Adabu 's-sultaniyah" and hundreds of other scholars like them, who cannot be included here.
Among the men of letters, the Shi'as are also in a majority. The literary men are of different groups. The first group is that of the companions. All the famous men of letters belonging to this class are attached to Shi'ism. Nabigha Ju'di, for instance, took part in the battle of Siffin on the side of 'Ali (a.s.) and the "Rajaz" (rousing verses) that he composed for the occasion are very well known; 'Urwah ibn Zayd al-Khayl was also with the Holy Imam (a.s.) in the battle of Siffin (see al-Aghani). Some people acknowledged that Lubayd ibn Rabi'ah 'Amiri was of the Shi'a faith; Abu Tufayl 'Amir ibn Wa'ilah, Abu 'l-Aswad Du'uli, and Ka'b ibn Zuhayr, the author of "Banat Sa'id" are likewise but a few of the Shi'a men of letters we have room to mention here.
The second group is contemporary with the Tabi'in. In this class al-Farazdaq, Kumayt, Kathir, Sayyid Humayri and Qays ibn Dharih have a very prominent place.
The third group belongs to the second century of the hijrah: Abu Nawas, Abu Tamam, Bahtari, Da'bil Khuza'i, Dik al-Jin, 'Abd as-Salam, Abu sh-Shaysh, Husayn ibn
Similarly among the celebrated poets and men of letters of the fourth hijra century were many Shi'as: Mutanabbi Maghrib ibn Hani Andalusi, ibn at-Ta'awidhi, Husayn Hajjaj (the author of "al-Majnun"), Mahyar Daylami, Abu Faras Hamdani, (about whom it has been said that poetry began and ended with him); we may cite also Kashajum, Nashi Saghir, Nashi Kabir, Abu Bakr Khwarizmi, Badi' Hamadani, Tughra'i, Ja'far Shams al-Khilafah, 'Ammarah al-Yamani, Wida'i Zahi, ibn Basam Baghdadi, Sibt ibn Ta'awidhi, Salami, Nami who were all Shi'as.
