What Mohammedanism did for the Arabs, Bolshevism may do for the Russians. As Ali went down before the politicians who only rallied to the Prophet after his success, so the genuine Communists may go down before those who are now rallying to the ranks of the Bolsheviks.

 I don’t know how much Bertrand Russell knew about Islam – and I strongly disagree with the sentences that precede and proceed this–, but it is interesting to note what he wrote here.

  In the Holy Quran, amid the volumes of powerful verses which exist within it, one verse truly grabs the attention of the reader because of its powerful and descriptive imagery. The verse is found in Surah 49 verse 12 of the Quran and reads as follows: 

 . . .  [N]either backbite one another. Would one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Ye abhor that (so abhor the other)! And keep your duty (to Allah). Lo! Allah is Relenting, Merciful.

 The imagery is powerful. Here one sees just how abhorrent the sin of backbiting is considered within the religion of Islam. But such imagery isn’t only reserved for the Quran, the book of hadiths are also filled with equally articulate admonishments:

 The Prophet (s) said: “No fire is faster in consuming dry wood than gheebah in consuming a devotee’s virtues.”

Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) narrated from the Prophet (s) who said: “The havoc wrought on the believer’s faith by backbiting is swifter than the one wrought by aklah (a disease that consumes the flesh) in the side of his body.”

Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) narrated from the Noble Messenger (s) who is once said to have forbidden both backbiting and listening to it. Then he (s) said: “Lo,whoever does a favour to his brother by refuting his backbiting upon hearing it in a gathering, God shall save him from a thousand kinds of evils in this world and in the Hereafter. And if he does not do so despite his ability to refute it, on him shall be the burden of one who commits his backbiting seventy times.”

The Prophet (s) said: “The listener is one of the two backbiters.”

  As one can easily see from the above hadiths, backbiting is truly considered to be a great sin in Islam. It is not merely an unnecessary and unfortunate thing; it is a sin which destroys the very fabric of a Muslim. It consumes him in sin, and tears his good nature, and it because of such affects that the Lord of the Worlds and his chosen representatives have warned against it.

Side note: I have not given the citation for any of the hadiths found above. The hadiths can all be found here. The reason is because since I did not find the sources myself, it would be unfair for me to use them as if I did, and therefore would like all my brothers and sisters to go to the actual source.

In a private correspondence with Sayed Amar he shared with me the reason for his banning. According to him – and I am convinced that this in fact is the case – his lectures will no longer be played because he spoke positively about Dr. Ali Shariati, a popular lecturer on Islam.

If this is the case, two questions seem important to ask: firstly, what is so wrong with Dr. Ali Shariaiti? As a person who has read his works, albeit not at length, I can, on a personal level, say that his works seem to be of high calibre. Secondly, even if there are some controversial aspects to his works, though none have been pointed out so far, who really cares? Is it really ‘good for the cause’ to ban one of the most influential speakers within our religion today, whose positive reach and influence to the young members of this current generation can easily be attested to, simply because of a disagreement on personalities within the Shia School of Thought?

Since knowledge of this case has become known, I’ve tried to contact the ABTV Network, but as of yet no response has come back to me. When others have tried, whether by e-mail or phone, they met the same silence from the other side. But, in the spirit of fair discussion, I should say that the silence from the ABTV Network should not, necessarily, be taken as a sign of anything other than their unwillingness to speak about a controversial topic on a large scale. It wouldn’t be fair for me to hold a highly negative view of a network based upon one version of the purported events. But, if the silence continues, and the responses are delayed, people cannot be blamed for coming to their own conclusions on the situation.

Even though the heads of the ABTV Network have the full right to ban who they choose to ban, it truly is a saddening episode within this television networks young history. Not only has Sayed Amar been instrumental in making this channel quite popular, but serious questions about the shows integrity seem more then relevant now.

Instigating a campaign of censorship against scholars and speakers for such irrational reasons can hardly be defended. Better yet, if one is to listen to the many lectures by the Sayed, as I have, one rarely hears the name, or the beliefs, of Dr. Shariati propagated (if one could even use such a word).

I can only recall one  time when Sayed Amar mentioned Dr. Ali Shariati in one of his lectures. It was at a lecture I personally attended. The topic was on Shariati’s work entitled ‘’Fatima is Fatima’’. If you would like to see what sort of beliefs this man has then read the book which Sayed Amar used as a starting point for his lecture.

To me it appears the situation will remain as is, but from other sources that have reached me (such as friends of mines who claim to have spoken with the Sayed), it also seems that a reconciliation of sorts is in the works.

Before moving on with the discussion, let me quickly post the relevant verses; they read:

 [080:001] He frowned and turned his face away,

[080:002] Because a blind man came to him (and interrupted him).

[080:003] You don’t really know! Perhaps he would (shed his disbelief, and) grow in faith.

 [080:004] He might heed (the warning); perhaps the reminder would benefit him.

[080:005] (Instead), the one who displays indifference,

 [080:006] You attend to.

(Yusuf Ali’s translation for the first verse appears like this:  ‘’(The Prophet) frowned and turned away[.]’’

__

     Now according to Sunni tradition this verse was revealed about the Prophet of Islam. In opposition to such views is what our hadiths say, primarily, that this verse wasn’t revealed about the Prophet, but rather, about someone else. When I stated this point my friend wanted to know who I thought this verse is specifically referring to. From the traditions we have, which aren’t many, I couldn’t recall if there was a specific person for who this verse was revealed about, but I only remembered that it was for one of the Prophets companions, and not about the Prophet himself. After I mentioned this my friend burst out in anger. He began to ostracise me, saying how typical it was for Shias to always insult the Prophets companions and so forth. So I asked him, why is it insulting if I attribute this to the Prophets companions? He replied because it shows the companion(s) in a bad light, and Shias always try to insult the sahaba(s) by showing them in a bad light.

    His anger resided in this fact: that by arguing that this verse was revealed about the sahabas that we, the Shia, are insulting them. How dare we do such a thing? Why is it so typical of us to insult the Prophets companions? And on he went.

   Rather than focusing on his claims, I want to ask him this: does he not realize what an incredibly insulting thing he said? If attributing this event to the sahabas is insulting, is it not then doubly insulting to attribute this to God’s Prophet? If one should get angry about this story being revealed about one of his idols, should not a person be irate when it is accepted as a fact about his Prophet?

   If it is insulting to a sahabaha, then it is doubly insulting to the Prophet of Islam, yet, my friend has no problem in believing it (or, rather, has no choice but to accept it).

    A second point worth highlighting is what this exchange revealed. It revealed one of the glairing differences between our madhab and his. More specifically, it revealed how we view our Prophet and his character, and how his sect does. Whereas we refuse to accept such stories like this toward the Prophet, he has no problem in doing so, and will even debate with many to prove that it in fact was revealed about the Prophet.

  I most likely will write an article dealing with the actual issue at hand—who is God reprimanding in the verse—but I will do that later on.

 (The Shi’ah are the real Ahl al-Sunnah- Dr. Muhammad Tijani).

Side Note

I will be calling the author of the article that I am refuting with the nickname MBA

Millatibraheem.wordpress.com States:

The “Qaem” or Imam Mahdi of the Shi’a will rule according to the Laws of David and the family of David, according to the Shi’a Hadith in Al-Kafi, the most reliable of the four books of Shi’a Hadith. All of the following Shi’a Hadith come from the same section in Al-Kafi reported by Al-Kulyani, located in Al-Kafi (Volume No.1, p.387-398): Narrated Ali ibn Ibraheem -from his father-from ibn Abi Umair-from Mansour-from Fadhl al Aour-from Abi Ubaidah who reported:

“When the Qaem of the household of the Prophet appears, he will rule according to rule of David and Solomon.”

Muhammad ibn Yahya-Ahmad ibn Muhammad-Muhammad ibn Sinaan-Abaan who reported: “I heard Abu Abdullah[as] saying: ‘The world will not fade away unless a person from us appears who will rule according to the rule of the family of David’”

Ahmad–Ahmad ibn Muhammad–Ibn Mahboob–Hisham ibn Salim–Ammar as Saabati who reported: “I asked Abu Abdullah [as] : ‘On what will you rule if you are made the rulers.’ He replied: ‘By the rule of God and the rule of David. And if we are confronted by a situation which we cannot solve, Gabriel (Ruh al Quds) will reveal it to us.’”

Muhammad ibn Ahmad–Muhammad ibn Khalid–Nazr ibn Suwaid–Yahya al Halabi–Imran ibn Oueiyn–Jaeed al Hamdani–Ali ibn al-Hussein [as] said: “I asked him by which law will you rule?” He said: “By the rule of David, and if there is something which we are unaware of, Gabriel (Ruh al Quds) will reveal it to us.”

Ahmad ibn Mahran [ra]–Muhammad ibn Ali–Ibn Mahboob–Hishaam bin Salim–Ammar as Saabati reported: “I asked Imam Abu Abdullah [as]: ’By what will you rule?’ He replied: ‘By the rule of God, and by the rule of David.’”</

Our Response:

Deception # 1 exposed

The author of the article fails to even provide a proper reference for his claim. No chapter title, not even a chapter number. Simply this: Al- Kafi (Volume No.1, p. 387-398). (You will see how important the chapter title is soon).

So let us go to the actual hadith chapter, and also see the title of it (the two things he failed to show anyone), and show you the significance of his actions.

Here is the title name and the chapter number:

Kitab Al-Kafi: Chapter 99

When the Imams will Rise with Divine Authority They will Judge among People as David And his People had done in that they will not Ask any Witness to Testify (May the peace and Blessings of Allah be up on them)

______

So as we can see, by simple looking at the chapter title, Imam Mahdi (as) will not rule with the law of David, but he will rule like David- meaning he won’t ask any witness to testify.

Let us now cite a few hadiths which can be found under chapter 99 to see how the author of the other blog deliberately played around with the hadiths he posted:

H 1035, Ch. 99, h 2

Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn Sinan From Aban from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following. “The world will not end before the rise of a man from us who would judge among people the way the family of David had been judging them. He will not ask any witness to testify.

Ch. 99, B 4, H 3

Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (p) was asked: How do you pronounce judgment in the cases brought to you?

The Imam (p): By the order of God, just like Prophet Dawood (David) (p) used to do. Whenever we come across any problem which is beyond our understanding, we are inspired through the Holy Spirit (a form of revelation by God).

____

We can now see why the author of the other blog did not cite the true source, because if he did his entire argument would be exposed for the lie that it is. We kindly ask MBA to be more honest next time.

In conclusion, Imam Mahdi (as) will rule like David in the sense that he will not ask any witness to testify.

Side note from the author

Simply reading an online, or book version, of the hadith would have easily shown the truth of the matter.

Millatibraheem.wordpress.com States:

According to the Shi’a, the Jews will also be the followers of Imam Mahdi: Sheikh al-Mufeed has reported in his Al-Irshaad from al=Mufadhaal ibnu Umar that Imam Abu Abdullah [as] has reported: “There will appear along with Imam Mahdi…people from the tribe of Moses.” [Al-Irshaad of al-mufeed at Tusi p.402]

According to Shi’a Hadith in Al-Kafi, the Hidden Imam learns from a book called al-Jafr, which contains the knowledge from the Israelites: The Imams (a.s.) remained silent for a while and then said, “With us there is al-Jafr (the parchment). What do they know what al-Jafr is?” I then asked, “What is al-Jafr (the parchment or a container)?” The Imams (a.s.) said, “It is a container made of skin that contains the knowledge of the prophets and the executors of their wills and the knowledge of the scholars in the past from the Israelites.” [Al-Kafi, Hadith 635, Ch. 40, h 1]

Our Response:

Deception # 2 exposed

Unfortunately for MBA I actually own a copy of Kitab Al-Irshad, and I know for a fact that there is no such thing as ‘’Al-irshad of al-Mufeed at Tusi.’’ Sheikh Al-Mufeed was a teacher of Sheikh Tusi which is the only connection between the two, but as far as a book goes there is no such thing. So in summary MBA basically made up a reference.

Sadly the lies do not stop there. MBA, as we shall soon see, purposefully deleted and added words to their Kitab al-Irshad reference in order to deceive their audience.

They quote Kitab Al-Irshad as stating the following:

“There will appear along with Imam Mahdi…people from the tribe of Moses.” [Al-Irshaad of al-mufeed at Tusi p.402] (MBA)

That is what the MBA article says, but allow us to see what the actual reference says.





Here is what the actual reference says:

‘’There will come with the Qa’im, peace be on him, from the outskirts of Kufa, twenty-seven men. Fifteen of the people of Moses, who shed their blood for the truth and remained true to it, seven people from the cave, Joshua, Salman, Abu Dujana al-Ansari, al-Miqdad and Malik al-Ashtar. They will act as helpers (ansar) and judges in his presence.’’ (Kitab Al-Irshad of Shaykh al-Mufid page 554)

___

As we can demonstrably see MBA has clearly distorted the text, and left out the most important aspect of their reference.

In conclusion MBA first creates a reference, but then go on to delete the words to convince the audience of there lies. Why did MBA feel it necessary to purposefully delete the main part of the hadith? Why did their deception continue with the addition of the word Jew which never existed in the text?

The hadith is clear that those who will be with the Mahdi will be the ones who shed blood their blood for the truth and remained true to it, and they are from the tribe of Musa (as).

Millatibraheem.wordpress.com States:

Hebrew

Furthermore, the 12th Imam will speak in Hebrew:

Reported to us Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Saeed al Uqdah who said: Narrated to us Ali ibn al-Hasan at-Taymali who said: narrated to us al-Hasan and Muhammad the sons of Ali ibnu Yusuf, from Sa’daan ibnu Muslim, from rajaal, from al-Mufadhaal ibn Umar who said: Abu Abdullah [as] reported: “When the Imam Mahdi calls out, he will supplicate to God in Hebrew.” [Al-Ghaybaa of an Numani, p.326]

Our Response:

First and foremost this is not even an argument, just because the Imam can speak various languages this makes him the prophesized dajal?

But let us say that the above is true, and that if the Imam does speak Hebrew he is the Dajjal, the mentioned hadith is weak and cannot even be trusted. The chain of narration is weakened for two reasons: number one being that Al-Mufdal bin Omar is in the chain of narration and he is known to be weak (Rijal Najashi pg 416) and secondly there are two unknown narrators Ali Bin Al Hussein Altimli and Rajjal (which means man).

Deception # 3 exposed:

For arguments sake let us say that the Imam will supplicate in Hebrew why does MBA need to lie to their audience? MBA is quoted as saying the following

‘’ Furthermore, the 12th Imam will speak in Hebrew’’

But the reference he gives only says that he will supplicate in Hebrew.

Special thanks are due to Jonbdab_Azdi for providing me with references and information in respect to the Isnad. May Allah (Sawt) bless him for his deeds

____

Millatibraheem.wordpress.com States:

According to Shi’a Hadith in Al-Kafi, the Hidden Imam learns from a book called al-Jafr, which contains the knowledge from the Israelites:

The Imams (a.s.) remained silent for a while and then said, “With us there is al-Jafr (the parchment). What do they know what al-Jafr is?” I then asked, “What is al-Jafr (the parchment or a container) ?” The Imams (a.s.) said, “It is a container made of skin that contains the knowledge of the prophets and the executors of their wills and the knowledge of the scholars in the past from the Israelites.” [al-Kafi, Hadith 635, Ch. 40, h 1]

Our Response:

Deception # 4 exposed:

MBA claims that Imam Mahdi (as) learns from a book which contains knowledge of the Israelites. What he fails to say is that al-Jafr contains the Injil, which is the book of Isa (as), the original Torah of Musa, (as) and the Psalm of David (as). So according to MBA’s logic is the Imam now a Christian Dajjal since al-Jafr contains the gospel of Isa (as)?

As we all know the Torah and the Gospel were all books of God, and the books that the Imam contains are not the corrupted books but are the original ones. Let us cite some hadith on this topic:

Kitab al-Kafi Hadith 637 Ch. 40, H 3

A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn al-Hakam from al-Husayn ibn abu ‘Ala’who has said that he heard abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) say the following. “With me is the white Jafr.” The narrator has said that he asked the Imams (a.s.) “What is in it?” The Imams (a.s.) said, “In it there is the psalm of David, the Torah of Moses, The Gospel of Jesus, the Books of Abraham, the laws that explain the lawful and unlawful.

Kitab al-Kafi Hadith number 637 Ch.40, H 5

Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Mahbub from ibn Ri’ab from abu ‘Ubaydah who has said that the people from our group asked abu ‘Abdallah (a. s.) about Jafr and the Imam (a.s.) said the following. “It is the skin of a bull which is full of knowledge.“

_

In hopes of proving their case MBA fails to tell the readers that the knowledge in al-Jafr is not only of the scholars of the Israelites, but is also the knowledge of the book of Isa (as) and Musa (as) and David (as).

________________________________________________________________

Editing the conclusion found on MBA

As we have conclusively proven millatibraheem.wordpress did nothing more than purposefully lie and distort the information that they produced to their readers.

Let us cite their conclusion and then cite our own conclusion in the same format:

Millatibraheems conclusion

1. He will rule according to the system of the family of David, using the Talmud.

2. His language will be Hebrew.

3. His followers will be of the Jews and Israelites, for he is the king of the Jews.

4. The Hidden Imam learns from the Talmud which is contained in the “Jafr.”

ShiaCrescent.com conclusion

1. Imam Mahdi (as) will rule in the same method as David (as) in the sense that he will not ask any witness to testify

2. The hadith used is weak and cannot be trusted, but even so the report does not say that he will speak in Hebrew, but rather he will supplicate in Hebrew. Even if the hadith were to be trusted the argument is an incredibly weak one.

3. When Imam Mahdi (as) returns, the followers of Musa (as) (fifteen in total) who accompany him will be the ones who remained close to the truth and died for it.

4. Al-Jafr contains the Psalm of David (as) the Injil of Isa (as) and the Torah of Musa (as) which are all books of God. The books are the original books from God before their corruption. I do not know of a single Muslim who would not want to have these sources alongside the Quran.

Conclusion

MBA’s graphic art states the following ‘’ …Truth has come and falsehood has vanished’’ after reading this article can we really have that quote associated with MBA’s blog?

As-Sallamu-Alaykom

]]> http://www.shiacrescent.com/2011/02/01/defending-the-imam-of-our-time-revised/feed/ 1 http://www.shiacrescent.com/2011/01/05/imamzayn-al-abidins-praise-of-god/ http://www.shiacrescent.com/2011/01/05/imamzayn-al-abidins-praise-of-god/#comments Wed, 05 Jan 2011 21:14:03 +0000 bfoali http://www.shiacrescent.com/?p=540 1 Praise belongs to God,
the First, without a first before Him,
the Last, without a last behind Him.

2 Beholders’ eyes fall short of seeing Him,
describers’ imaginations are not able to depict Him.

3 He originated the creatures through His power with an origination,
He devised them in accordance with His will with a devising.

4 Then He made them walk on the path of His desire,
He sent them out on the way of His love.
They cannot keep back
from that to which He has sent them forward,
nor can they go forward
to that from which He has kept them back.

5 He assigned from His provision to each of their spirits
a nourishment known and apportioned.
No decreaser decreases those whom He increases,
no increaser increases those of them whom He decreases.

6 Then for each spirit He strikes a fixed term in life,
for each He sets up a determined end;
he walks toward it through the days of his span,
he overtakes it through the years of his time.
Then, when he takes his final step
and embraces the reckoning of his span,
God seizes him to the abundant reward
or the feared punishment
to which He has called him,
That He may repay those who do evil for what they have done
and repay those who do good with goodness,27
7 as justice from Him
(holy are His names,
and manifest His boons).
He shall not be questioned as to what He does,
but they shall be questioned.28

8 Praise belongs to God, for,
had He withheld from His servants the knowledge to praise Him
for the uninterrupted kindnesses
with which He has tried them29
and the manifest favours
which He has lavished upon them,
they would have moved about in His kindnesses
without praising Him,
and spread themselves out in His provision
without thanking Him.

9 Had such been the case,
they would have left the bounds of humanity
for that of beastliness
and become as He has described in the firm text of His Book:
They are but as the cattle—nay, but they are further astray from the way!.30

10 Praise belongs to God, for
the true knowledge of Himself He has given to us,
the thanksgiving He has inspired us to offer Him,
the doors to knowing His Lordship He has opened for us,
the sincerity towards Him in professing His Unity
to which He has led us,
and the deviation and doubt in His Command
from which He has turned us aside;

11 a praise through
which we may be given long life
among those of His creatures who praise Him,
and overtake those who have gone ahead
toward His good pleasure and pardon;

12 a praise through which
He will illuminate for us the shadows of the interworld,31
ease for us the path of the Resurrection,
and raise up our stations
at the standing places of the Witnesses32
on the day when every soul will be repaid
for what it has earned -
they shall not be wronged;33
the day a master shall avail nothing a client,
and they shall not be helped;34
13 a praise
which will rise up from us to the highest of the ‘Illiyun35
in a book inscribed,
witnessed by those brought nigh,36

14 a praise whereby
our eyes may be at rest when sight is dazzled,37
our faces whitened when skins are blackened,38

15 a praise through which
we may be released from God’s painful Fire
and enter God’s generous neighbourhood,

16 a praise by which
we may jostle the angels brought nigh
and join the prophets, the envoys,
in a House of Permanence that does not remove,
the Place of His Generosity that does not change.

17 Praise belongs to God,
who chose for us the good qualities of creation,
granted us the agreeable things of provision,

18 and appointed for us excellence
through domination over all creation;
every one of His creatures submits to us
through His power
and comes to obey us
through His might.39

19 Praise belongs to God,
who locked for us the gate of need
except toward Him.
So how can we praise Him?
When can we thank Him?
Indeed, when?

20 Praise belongs to God,
who placed within us the organs of expansion,
assigned for us the agents of contraction,
gave us to enjoy the spirits of life,
fixed within us the limbs of works,
nourished us with the agreeable things of provision,
freed us from need through His bounty,
and gave us possessions through His kindness.

21 Then He commanded us that He might test our obedience
and prohibited us that He might try our thanksgiving.
So we turned against the path of His commandments
and mounted the backs of His warnings.
Yet He hurried us not to His punishment,
nor hastened us on to His vengeance.
No, He went slowly with us through His mercy,
in generosity,
and awaited our return through His clemency,
in mildness.

22 Praise belongs to God,
who showed us the way to repentance,
which we would not have won save through His bounty.
Had we nothing to count as His bounty but this,
His trial of us would have been good,
His beneficence toward us great,
His bounty upon us immense.

23 For such was not His wont in repentance
with those who went before us.40
He has lifted up from us
what we have not the strength to bear,41
charged us only to our capacity,42
imposed upon us nothing but ease,
and left none of us with an argument or excuse.

24 So the perisher among us is he who perishes in spite of Him
and the felicitous among us he who beseeches Him.

25 And praise belongs to God
with all the praises of
His angels closest to Him,
His creatures most noble in His eyes,
and His praisers most pleasing to Him;

26 a praise that may surpass other praises
as our Lord surpasses all His creatures.

27 Then to Him belongs praise,
in place of His every favour upon us
and upon all His servants, past and still remaining,
to the number of all things His knowledge encompasses,
and in place of each of His favours,
their number doubling and redoubling always and forever,
to the Day of Resurrection;

28 a praise whose bound has no utmost end,
whose number has no reckoning,
whose limit cannot be reached,
whose period cannot be cut off;

29 a praise which will become
a link to His obedience and pardon,
a tie to His good pleasure,
a means to His forgiveness,
a path to His Garden,
a protector against His vengeance,
a security against His wrath,
an aid to obeying Him,
a barrier against disobeying Him,
a help in fulfilling His right and His duties;

30 a praise that will make us felicitous
among His felicitous friends,
and bring us into the ranks
of those martyred by the swords of His enemies.
He is a Friend, Praiseworthy!

]]> http://www.shiacrescent.com/2011/01/05/imamzayn-al-abidins-praise-of-god/feed/ 1 http://www.shiacrescent.com/2011/01/03/the-plight-of-the-shia/ http://www.shiacrescent.com/2011/01/03/the-plight-of-the-shia/#comments Mon, 03 Jan 2011 06:37:20 +0000 bfoali http://www.shiacrescent.com/?p=532
]]> http://www.shiacrescent.com/2011/01/03/the-plight-of-the-shia/feed/ 0