A poem for unity by a Shia who is a Sunni – by Ali ibn Abdun Nur
Despite what the foolish ones say, We Shia are your religious kin.
We are your brothers and sisters, and we are not some evil twin
Bent on destroying the fabric of God’s great deen.
But you should know that some folks are stupid and just plain mean.
They have to accentuate the differences in order to feel superior.
Their ranting is an ego trip
That causes folks to lose focus, and skip over that log-sized chip
They’re toting around.
They are passionate, and violent because their logic’s unsound.
Their scholarship is prejudiced, and they’re too tightly wound.
Yet some of you follow them without scrutiny. Are you blind?
It is a Muslim’s duty to be curious, study, analyse, and then find
The Path that is the most balanced.
The path exemplified by the Mercy To the Universe.
But you hear these people…voice toned to terse…
Cursing your living brothers and sisters for having a correct
view of history.
It should be no mystery
That these same people, who call us Kafir, walk hand in hand
With the enemies of God, Jabreel and man.
We Shi’i are your brothers and sisters…
And even though the forces of division blisters
Your Shia siblings reputation, with exaggeration, misinterpretation,
And bald faced, and neatly cropped, bearded lies,
Why do you set a prejudiced limitation on your sense of
Justice and reason, and allow yourself to despise
Us without even a fair hearing of our side of the story?
Will you just keep on keep on thinking everything’s cool
And “honkey-dorey” while they’re murdering us;
Spurred on by government sainted ancient Shaykhs who you blindly trust?
What is our capital crime? What crime have we committed?
We believe in Allah and To Him we’re submitted.
We believe that Muhammad, by Allah, was sent
With a Way and a Book that guides souls to repent
And bear witness. We pray five times a day;
Standing and bowing in the Prophet’s own way.
We believe in the Hajj, in alms, heaven and hell;
Angels and Demons that rose high and then fell.
We believe in the day when the trumpet will sound,
And the folks in the graves will rise up from the ground.
And those in the garden will ask those who fell,
“What brought you to burn in this inferno called hell.”
They will say, “We were not of those who rose for the Prayer.
“We fed not the poor. We were proud and unfair.
“We waded in vain disputes with those who waded in vain disputes,
“Like God was not there.
“And we denied Judgment Day. So we didn’t prepare
“Until the certainty came. Then we were aware.
“The intercession of no intercessor will help them then.”
We believe in all this. So what is our sin?
We believe in Jihad and commanding to right,
And forbidding the wrong, but we don’t worship might.
We do not believe that Quran’s incomplete.
This is certainly not some Taqiyyah deceit
As most of the foolish slanderously say.
We believe in Quran. In its laws we obey.
Yes we pray on a rock or a small piece of clay.
Is not the dust on the beard of a man a great sign
That his face and his hands on the Last Day will shine?
But the brokers of power turned clay floors to “gold”
Hand woven carpets, But us they still scold.
We don’t worship Ali. Nor Hasan, or Husayn.
But it still breaks our hearts and fills them with pain
that our brothers and sisters are so unaware;
too thick to think, and too programmed to care.
Yes we cry and we mourn.
But you ignore us and scorn.
You won’t wonder or ask what caused all this grief.
You just keep living your lives, secure in belief
that nothing can be that bad.
Not even 400 years of slavery, colonialism, and iron clad
Domination by Kufr has made you that sad
And only we Shia can make you that mad.
There are people amongst us who grieve to extreme.
But you grieve not at all, and are too asleep to dream
That a nightmarish death for the Prophet’s close kin,
Brought on by the Muslims is an unforgivable sin,
That rains curses on those who are allied with the perpetrators.
Yet you love those who kill us because we are the demonstrators,
Of the crime that was committed that has brought down the curse.
You’d think killing us is allowed because our lamentations are worse.
It’s hard for you to see the legitimacy of our sect.
You were trained not to be circumspect, not to ponder and reflect
On anything accept what you were taught as law.
Our sect is founded in scholarship that’s deserving of awe.
You take your scholar’s word about what’s right and what’s not.
But with us you’re cautious, acting like our people are part of a plot
But which group is plotting? Whose murdering whom?
Which group of people put prophet’s kin in the tomb?
Our judges can judge by your books and our own.
Your scholars can not, and they teach you that even to listen to us a sin for
which you must repent or atone.
True, it’s a fact that we believe Ali
Would have made a better successor than Aisha’s dad.
But if I lived in those times, though I wouldn’t have been glad,
I’d have been loyal to Abu Bakr. Most of us were.
We didn’t raise much of a ruckus or kick up a stir.
I’d follow Abu Bakr, Omar and Uthman too.
I’d have stayed out of that mess, and away from that goo.
Uthman was slain by murderous men who seemed driven insane.
And the crime that they did was a sin, clear and plain.
But what of those who rose to take the law in their hand;
Who raised ranks of young soldiers to rebel and then stand
Against Ali, the elected leader of the nation?
Is this not a crime; a gross deviation?
But this part of the story was swept under the rug.
Covered like Kufr, all nice, neat and snug.
Who will dare read the story from our point of view?
Or will you laugh and applaud on mechanical cue
Like you’ve been doing?
I, for one, do not see
How anybody knowing the history
Would not wonder about the mystery
Of the alleged legitimacy
Of making war on the governmental agency
Which is supposed to be the last one that was “Divinely Guided.”
How can we be murderously divided
Over such a ridiculously clear point of history?
Why is it such a baffling mystery?
But that’s the real issue, isn’t it?
You don’t know the history. You only know one side of the law.
You hold demonstrations of might in great reverence and awe.
And the ruling class and their bullies are scared that you might link up with us.
Then, you might let loose of some awe, and rethink your trust.
And if enough Sunnis got in sync,
It might cause a stink.
So they made the issue illegal, and you’re too chicken to think,
That the king is un-cool, and a puppet rat-fink,
And his children who hate him are neck deep in the stink.
You’re too ethnocentric to think that mom and dad could be wrong.
Your ego’s real big, but your soul’s not that strong.
I know you love Aisha, a mother of the faithful.
We love Ali, the commander of the faithful.
We recognize Aisha, but we’re trained not to ignore
A wrong when it’s done by even those we adore.
Some Shias act right. Some Shias are wrong.
Some talk polite. Some speak out too strong.
But our views about Ali are based in reason.
So how can it be, that speaking strongly about treason
Committed over a thousand years ago is sane reason
To condemn someone to death?
How could our brothers want to make our mothers bereft
Because some of us say that on Abu Bakr And Umar there’s a curse.
What is worse,
Killing a living human being because of an unpopular point of view (of the misguided very few),
Or being bold enough to express a point of view that doesn’t agree with you?
We’re ostracized and condemned
To excommunication and death
For having a logical historical perspective
That doesn’t agree with a populist point of view.
And that’s all it is; just a historical view.
One school has a view. The other has one too.
A view of the past, impacting on today.
Folks long dead and buried yet you’re unwilling to display
The family linen; fearing those blood spots did not come clean
In the government’s media and historians’ washing machine.
You’re scared that you won’t be able to tell fiction from truth.
After all, you’re only a highly impressionable youth.
You can’t tell wrong from right, or foul from fair.
So you better stay away from us. Don’t you even dare
Read one of our books or hear our Shaykhs preach.
Go to school with those Kafirs,
But don’t let those Shii brothers teach
You anything from their school of thought.
So most of you wouldn’t be caught
Dead with one of us for a friend.
To listen, then reason is a big anti-Shiite sin.
Cuz the enemy of my enemy is my friend,
And the friend of my friend is my friend,
And my friend is my friend.
So how can you be the friend of my enemy and still be my friend.
How can you lend your support to people who would murder my kith and kin,
And still have the nerve to say you’re my friend?
Listen. We follow the Sunnah.
We have good folks and bad.
We have smart folks and dumb folks,
Who can’t even add.
The school where we learned is different from yours.
Is the difference enough to cause destructive wars
That keep us slapping each other like Curly, Larry and Moe?
Is this the Islam that we want to show
To the world? Open your mind.
And resign yourself to the fact that we’re related.
The Prophet of God will be more than elated.
Source: Victory News Magazine
SHIA SUNNI UNITY: SHIA SUNNI DIFFERENCES, SHIA SUNNI CONFLICT
The centuries old Shia Sunni differences are the major obstacle to Muslim unity (Shia Sunni unity). The enemies of Islam to their benefit have always fanned these differences. Unfortunately, some so-called Muslim scholars on their payroll have also played a key role in keeping these differences alive.
Although I was born into a Sayyid Sunni family, I did not know of many differences while growing up as a child. Our families always respected Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) and his parents and participated in ceremonies marking the anniversary of his martyrdom (the 10th day of the month of Muharram which is called Ashura) by reciting the first chapter of the Holy Qur’an (al-Fatihah) and other chapters and verses of the Holy Quran and fasted on the ninth and tenth days of that month.
Now when I give lectures on Islam to non-Muslims, one of the questions they always ask me is if I am Shia or Sunni. I ask them if they know the difference. They have no knowledge, other than what has been given to them by the media. So they say Shias are the ones who are the bad guys, the militant version of Islam, and cause all the trouble in the Middle East these days.
These non-Muslim American audiences of mine are surprised to learn that some of the known tyrants like Saddam Hussain and troublemakers like the PLO and Hamas are all Sunni’s, just as they are surprised to learn that Tariq Aziz (Former Iraq’s Foreign Minister) was Christian and not a Muslim.
This is what I say to them about Shiite. “If Ali ibn Abu Talib (cousin of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)) was a Shia, then I am a Shia. If he was a Sunni, then I am a Sunni [i.e., a follower of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)].” In Islam there are five recognized schools of Divine Law: 1) Hanafi; 2) Shafi; 3) Maliki; 4) Hambali and 5) Jafari.
The first four are called Sunni, and the fifth one, who in addition to following sayings and actions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), also follows those of Ali ibn Abu Talib and consider him as the rightful successor of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), are called Shia. The first four have many major theological differences among themselves and according to a Christian friend of mine, “The only time Sunni’s are united is when they are fighting Shias.” Shiism started as a political movement (Shia means follower or partisan) to help Ali ibn Abu Talib become successor of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
Around every successful popular figure, there are some admirers whose own future interests rest with the rise of their leader. Thus in Indiana, we have “Friends of Lugar Club”, who are hoping that some day Senator Richard Lugar will become a US President. Nationally, we now have a “Hillary Rodham Clinton Fan Club” with 4,000 members! Thus, there were the Followers of Ali ibn Abu Talib Club, which later on became a political movement. During the initial battles with unbelievers, Ali ibn Abu Talib, the Sword of Islam, was in the forefront and defeated and killed many of their leaders whose children and grandchildren, even when they became Muslims, always remembered who killed their father (animosity).
Ali ibn Abu Talib was raised by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as a child so he knew Islam very well. Thus, when Ali ibn Abu Talib became a judge, his judgments were based on strict Islamic principles, much to the disappointment of many who expected him to be lenient to the rich and powerful. Ali ibn Abu Talib was so well respected and trusted by both Caliph Abu Bakr and Umar, that in difficult cases they asked his opinion.
Nevertheless, I tell my non-Muslim audience that both Shia and Sunni have many things in common. They both believe in One God (Allah), follow the same Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as the last Prophet, offer five daily prescribed prayers, perform the prescribed fast in the month of Ramadan, go to Makkah for the Hajj pilgrimage, read the same book of Allah, Holy Qur’an, and pay the poor-due (Zakat).
However, my answers can only satisfy my uninformed non-Muslim audience. The Sunni brothers, misguided by western propaganda, who are ready to embrace non-Muslims (especially the white ones), in the pretext of invitation to Islam, will not do so for Shia. They are ignorant Sunni’s. Our job as a missionary should be to invite both groups to the true Islam and not chase them out. There is a movement in the Sunni world to have Shias labeled as disbelievers. I have been told that Shaykh Bin Baz of Saudi Arabia has declared an edict that the meat of the People of Book (Jews and Christians) is permissible for Sunni Muslims to eat but not the meat slaughtered by Shias.
There are scholars on both sides, like Imam Khomeini and Shaykh Shaltut of al-Azhar who have done their best to minimize these differences and bring unity, but it is not working due to the misinformation prevailing in the common masses of Sunnis about Shiism. Thus I am listing their misconceptions of Shia belief and practices. For answers, I have consulted two Shia scholars in America. Dr. A. S. Hashim of Washington and Imam Muhammad Ali Elahi of Detroit.
Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr wrote to me “to ignore and not waste time in responding to such wrong allegations.” He also mentioned that “a great deal of money and effort is being spent in the last few years to fan the fire of hatred between Shia and Sunni in the Persian Gulf region with obvious political and economical fruits for powers to-be.” However, in the interest of Islamic unity, I must deal with the questions rather than shun them. Please note that Imam Jafar as Sadiq (peace be upon him), founder of the Shia school of law, was the teacher of Imam Abu-Hanifa (peace be upon him).
Misconception #1: Shias have a different Holy Qur’an. They add another 10 chapters to the original Holy Qur’an.
Response: Not true. I have checked many times Holy Qur’an kept in Shia homes and mosques. I still find it the same as the original Holy Qur’an. More recently, I took care of an Iranian lady patient hospitalized here. I saw a copy of the Holy Qur’an by her side. I borrowed it from her and browsed through cover-to-cover. In Arabic it was the same as our Holy Qur’an. Of course, since I did not know the Persian language, I can’t say much about the translation. It is a sin to even say that the Holy Qur’an can be changed or added to by Shia when Almighty God protects it.
Misconception #2: Some Shia considers Ali ibn Abu Talib as God.
Response: Not true. It is disbelief to even think of such a thing. During the time of Ali ibn Abu Talib, some pagan groups called Gholat did consider Ali ibn Abu Talib as Lord. When he found out, they were burned to death.
Misconception #3: Shias have different declarations of faith and they add to the call to prescribed prayer.
Response: The declaration to become a Muslim, as administered to non-Muslims, is the same. Some Shia add to themselves, “Ali ibn Abu Talib is a friend of God or Ali ibn Abu Talib is a spiritual leader of God,” after the call to prescribed prayer, but not as part of the call to prescribed prayer.
Misconception #4: Shias do not perform Sunnah prayers. Sunnah prayers are non-obligatory prayers performed by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
Response: Shias do perform non-obligatory prayers, 36 cycles per day in total, but call it Nawafil and not Sunnah.
Misconception #5: Some Shia believes the Angel Gabriel made a mistake and prophet hood was meant for Ali ibn Abu Talib and not Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
Response: Not true. No Shia thinks of such false claims. “Only demented minds think of such questions.”
Misconception #6: Shias slander and ridicule the first three caliphs (Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman) and Prophet Muhammad’s wife, Ayesha.
Response: Shia considers the first three caliphs as companions and administrators, but not spiritual leaders (Imams). Imam Jafar as Sadiq (peace be upon him), whose mother and grandmother came from the line of Abu Bakr, said of Abu Bakr, “He gave me birth twice.” Ayesha is respected by Shias as the “Mother of Believers,” as Ali ibn Abu Talib respected her when he sent her back from Basra to Madinah after the Battle of the Camel. If some Shia do slander the three caliphs and Ayesha, they do it out of ignorance and should ask God’s forgiveness. (As we have witnessed how Imam Khomeini, The Shia bravely declared death of Salman Rushdie – The author of Satanic Verses who abused the wife of Prophet Ayesha and Shia Leader declared blasphemy, just for his Fatwa the whole western countries became against Iran. See how much price did Shia pay to defend Ayesha – while Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE etc. etc. as the Sunni government were silent they did not defend Ayesha. Now who loves Ayesha?)
Misconception # 7: Shias combine all five prayers into one prayer in the evening.
Response: Not true. In Shia mosques, whether in Iran or the USA, all five daily prayers are performed. Shia do combine noon and afternoon and evening and night, but Shia scholars recommend performing them separately. Such combinations may not be ideal, but better than not praying at all. How can a Sunni who does not pray at all be better than a Shia who combines prayers?
Misconception # 8: Shias do not pay zakat (poor-due).
Response: Not true. They not only pay 2.5% left over from savings as zakat, but also an additional 20% as Khums or general charity. However, they prefer to pay directly to the needy rather than corrupt Sunni government.
Misconception #9: Shias practice temporary marriages (Mutah).
Response: Temporary marriages (Mutah) was allowed during the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and he himself practiced it. Ibn Zubayr was born out of the temporary marriage. Later on Caliph Umar prohibited it due to social reasons as the Islamic world was rapidly expanding. Shias discourage Mutah but do not consider it prohibited. Some do abuse this. As a temporary privilege during travel, it is better than adultery.
Misconception #10: They consider Imams infallible and above the Prophets.
Response: Not true. All prophets are born Prophet but as mentioned in the Holy Qur’an about Abraham that after passing the test, a prophet becomes a leader (Imam). Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is the Prophet (Nabi), Messenger (Rasul) and leader (Imam). Imams are carriers of the message of Islam. Shias consider Ali ibn Abu Talib only as an Imam and not prophet.
With the little knowledge I have, I tried to do my best as a Sunni in defending my Shia brothers in Islam with the hope and prayer to God Almighty that He will “instill love in the heart of the believers” and bring us closer to each other so that we jointly can fight our common enemy, Satan and his followers.
May God forgive my mistakes in this article and this book (Amin).
“Knowledge is better than wealth because it protects you while you have to guard wealth. It decreases if you keep on spending it but the more you make use of knowledge, the more it increases. What you get through wealth disappears as soon as wealth disappears but what you achieve through knowledge will remain even after you.”
Dr. Shahid Athar M.D. is Clinical Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis, Indiana, and a writer on Islam.
http://www.ezsoftech.com/akram/shiasunniunity.asp
Fatwa closes the doors in front of any sedition between the Sunnis and the Shiites
Islam Times- In a wise step that will close the doors on any sedition between the Sunnis and the Shiites on the one hand, and will obstruct American and Israeli schemes on the other, a fatwa was issued on October the 2nd by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Syed Ali Khamenei, which prohibits insulting the prophet’s companions, God bless them, and/or abusing the mothers of the faithful wives of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him and on his household).________________________________________ Khamenei’s fatwa is important despite the fact that dozens of the religious prominent Shiite symbols in Iran have earlier condemned the campaigns of abusing Sayeda Aisha, the wife of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) because he is a very prominent Marja. In fact, Khamenei is also the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which includes the largest number of Shiites in the world.
Islam Times
Translator : Mayssa Hazimeh
Khamenei’s fatwa is important despite the fact that dozens of the religious prominent Shiite symbols in Iran have earlier condemned the campaigns of abusing Sayeda Aisha, the wife of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) because he is a very prominent Marja. In fact, Khamenei is also the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which includes the largest number of Shiites in the world.
In addition, the said fatwa came in response to a letter addressed by a gathering of scientists and intellectuals of Al-Ihsaa in Saudi Arabia, after the Shia cleric Yasser Al-Habib “cursed” recently the Prophet’s wife Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her). Given that Saudi Arabia has a special place in the hearts of the Muslims, Khamenei’s immediate response to the letter sent by the scientists of Al-Ihsaa sends a strong warning to everyone stating that no one, whether a Sunni or a Shiite person, would allow the troublemakers to move ahead. Moreover, the fact that the Sunni scholars have chosen Khamenei, who is considered by some as the highest Shia Marja in the world, was a very smart step to discover Khamenei’s stance whether negative or positive. This puts definitive end to those Shiites cursing Sayeda Aisha on behalf of the Shiite sect, which disowns them.
A gathering of scientists and intellectuals of Al-Ihsaa had sent a letter to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic in Iran. In their letter, they called on him to give his opinion about what was said by the Shiite activist Yasser Habib when he insulted the wife of Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him), the mother of the believers Sayeda Aisha with explicit and offensive language.
In his response to a previous letter, Khamenei stressed that he prohibits undermining the Islamic symbols of the Sunnis, especially the mother of the believers Sayeda Aisha, saying: “Cursing the wives of the prophets and the wives of the Great Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is one of the taboos and prohibitions”.
The text of the survey:
Question:
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Al-Husseini (May Allah prolong his age)
Peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you
The Islamic nation is facing a crisis of an approach, which leads to raising sedition between the sons of the Islamic sects, and not supporting the priorities in favor of uniting the Muslims. Thus, this would be a base for internal sedition and for wasting the Islamic effort regarding the sensitive and crucial issues. This might also leads to disregarding the achievements made by the sons of the Islamic nation in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, Iran and in the Islamic countries. In fact, one of the outcomes of this extremist approach is to put forward what requires insulting the sanctities and symbols of the decent Sunni sect deliberately and repeatedly.
Therefore, what is your opinion on what is being said in media, the satellite and/or the Internet, by some knowledgeable people? We mean here the explicit and overt acts insulting and cursing the wife of the Prophet (PBUH), the mother of the believers Sayeda Aisha, and accusing the wives of the Prophet, the mothers of the believers, God bless them, of what affects their honor and dignity.
We thus hope that you kindly explain clearly the Sharia position on this, for the abuses caused disorder among the Islamic community and created a state of psychological tension between the Muslims who follow the school of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) and the Muslims of other Islamic sects. It is noteworthy that those abuses were exploited systematically by some malevolent agitator troublemakers in some satellite channels and in the Internet in order to disturb and confuse the Islamic arena and to create sedition among the Muslims.
Finally, May Allah prolong your life to continue to be an assist to Islam and Muslims.
Signature
A gathering of scientists and intellectuals of Al-Ihsaa
4/October/1431
Imam Khamenei’s Answer:
In the Name of Allah, The Compassionate, The Most Merciful
Peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you
We prohibit insulting the symbols of our Sunni brothers, as well as accusing the wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him) of what affects her dignity and honor. Moreover, it is forbidden to insult any of the wives of the Prophets and especially their master the Great Prophet (peace be upon him).
Good luck
Al-Azhar’s Welcoming
The said fatwa made the Sunnis feel satisfied at once, not only in Saudi Arabia, but also all over the Muslim world, especially in Egypt. Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Sheikh of Al-Azhar, stressed, in a statement on Saturday October 2, that he appreciats and welcomes the Fatwa issued by Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, which prohibits cursing the prophet’s companions, God bless them, or insulting the mothers of the believers, the wives of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Sheikh of Al-Azhar described in a statement Khamenei’s fatwa as “It was issued based on proper information and deep understanding of the seriousness of what the people of sedition are doing. It expresses his concern over the unity of Muslims”. He said: “What makes this fatwa more important is that it was issued by the world’s senior Muslim scholars and the most prominent Shiite Marja; the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran”.
Al-Tayeb addressed in this regard a sincere tribute to Khamenei for his “precious fatwa”, which according to him came in a timely manner to resolve the rift and to close the doors in front of sedition. He asked God Almighty to make this fatwa a good omen and a beginning of serious work aiming at making the Muslims gather, away from the claims of extremism and away from the advocates of division and disagreement.
Al-Tayeb added saying: “Based upon my knowledge and the reality of the responsibility of the Sharia, I see that it is necessity to seek to unite the Muslims. In fact, the difference between the followers of the Islamic sects should remain in the circle of differences of opinion and of ‘ijtihad’ among scientists, and should not affect the unity of the nation. He noted that Allah Almighty said, and he says the truth, (In the Name of Allah, the compassionate, the most merciful) “… do not dispute and thus lose courage and then your strength would depart; and be patient. Indeed, Allah is with the patient”. (God said the truth) – Al-Anfal verse (46).
In addition, he pointed out that everyone who fuels the fire of strife between the Muslims is a sinner and he deserves to be punished by God and rejected by people. He said: “Al-Azhar Al-sharif calls on the Muslims to hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided, and to unite their efforts to work on upgrading Islam, the unity of the Muslims, and the pride of nations. He also called them to bring peace between the people of different religions, doctrines, and races”.
Regarding Egypt’s role in making the doctrines of Muslims be close to the method of moderation and mediation and meet on common grounds, Al-Tayyeb concluded his statement, saying: “Egypt has always been proactive in this area and it took the initiative to set up a house to bring the sects together. This house merges the elite group of scholars of religion, judgment, culture and politics from various Muslim countries. They gathered based on a noble purpose, a deep understanding, and sincerity, and worked so that to please God Almighty”.
Yasser Al-Habib
Yasser Al-Habib was the founder of the “Khoddam Al-Mahdi” (Servants of the Mahdi) association. He celebrated during the month of Ramadan in London the anniversary of the death of Sayeda Aisha. During the said celebration, he issued inflammatory statements addressing the Muslims all over the world. He described the mother of the believers Aisha bint Abi Bakr as “the enemy of God and the enemy of His Prophet (peace be upon him)”. He also accused her of “killing the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)” and said that she is suffering in hell, is eating carrion, is hanged by her legs, and is eating her flesh”.
Immediately after the previous statements were issued, a storm of anger was triggered in Kuwait. Sunni and Shiite MPs asked the government to detain Al-Habib or to withdraw his Kuwaiti nationality. They also threatened to question the Prime Minister or the Minister of Interior if the government did not take any action.
Indeed, the Kuwaiti government responded to the prior demands immediately. It took its decision on September 20 to withdraw Yasser’s Kuwaiti nationality. In addition, it stressed that it will legally pursue him and will ask the Interpol to arrest his.
Yet, what was striking is that the anger did not come only from the Kuwaiti Shiites, but also the “Ahl Al-Bayt World Assembly” in Iran condemned strongly the “false improper accusations of some of the wives of the Prophet”, stressing that those who are issuing such accusations definitely do not represent the Shiites, the followers of Ahl Al-Bayt.
It seems that the curriculum vitae of the Shiite activist Yasser Al-Habib confirms also that he does not represent the Shiites of Kuwait in particular and the Shiites in general. Many Shiites described him as being pervert, causing sedition, ignorance, and stupidity, and being an agent of Islam’s aggressive forces.
Yasser Al-Habib has been living in London since 2004, after he left Kuwait escaping from a ten years prison sentence because of his offensive comments about the first and the second caliphs.
He used to insult the prophet and his household (Ahl Al-Bayt). Therefore, he became a pariah not only in Kuwait but all over the Muslim world as well.
The power of the Muslim people is in their unity
Khamenei’s fatwa was issued to confirm to everyone that Al-Habib does not represent the Shiites in particular and the Muslims in general.
The important fact that remains is that the power of the Muslims relies in their unity. Therefore, there is no alternative but only to keep the Sunnis and Shiites gathered with one goal in mind i.e. to abort the American and Israeli schemes, which aims at inflaming sedition among them.
http://www.islamtimes.org/vdcgnu9w.ak9yq4j5ra.html
Ayatollah Khamenei’s fatwa was well received by Sunni Muslims most eminent Al Azhar University.
Fatwa is well received by Al Azhar.
04/10/2010 The chancellor of Al-Azhar University of Islamic Sciences welcomed a fatwa issued by Iran’s Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei that prohibits insulting the companions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his wives.
Ahmad al-Tayyib said in a statement issued on Sunday that the fatwa (religious edict), which was issued by Imam Khamenei, was prudent and timely and would help ram the door shut to fitna (creating divisions among Muslims)
“I received the blessed fatwa with appreciation,” he added.
Such insults have always been a source of controversy and disputes between Shia and Sunni Muslims and prevented them from forging a robust unity against common enemies, the Press TV correspondent in Cairo quoted him as saying.
http://www.almanar.com.lb
Fadak TV is owned by enemies of Shia and Sunni. Fadak TV’s fake Shia scholar (agent of enemies) has been condemned by both Shias and Sunnis.
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/5815/spec017khameneifatwa.jpg
Ayatollah Imam Khamenie Fatwa against Cursing Sunni Muslim Figures [urdu sub]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_yeDlXosXQ
Shia versus Sunni, the World’s Longest Running Feud
By Professor Nazeer Ahmed
A hundred years from today, when a chronicler writes about the presence of Islam in North America, he may well record that one of the principal achievements of this presence was the healing of the Shia-Sunni split. It will be recorded that America brought together Shias and Sunnis in its embrace and made them rediscover the commonality of their faith transcending the distractions of history and tradition.
The world’s longest running feud is not over Kashmir or Palestine or Chechnya, nor is it the Catholic-Protestant schism. It is the Shia-Sunni conflict. Measured in terms of historical longevity, it beats the Catholic-Protestant schism by a factor of three and the Palestinian conflict by a factor of more than twenty.
If a traveler from outer space were to visit planet earth, he/she would be astonished at the sheer tenacity of the passions and prejudices that govern human life. And the Shia-Sunni conflict would easily top the list of issues that arouse ugly passions.
Muslims vehemently deny it, but they have made Islam a parochial religion mired in the past. Islam was revealed as a universal deen from the heavens. Muslims have made it a religion based on history. What is preached is different from what is practiced. The transcendence of the Qur’an and the universality of the message of the Prophet have been replaced by the parochialism of those who claim to practice them. The contrast between Islamic precepts and Muslim practices is the most convincing illustration of how divine ideas get compromised when they are introduced into the matrix of human affairs.
The mutual misconceptions between Shias and Sunnis are mind-boggling. Talk to a taxi driver in Johannesburg or a porter in Kuala Lumpur, and you will hear an earful of misinformation about Shia and Sunni beliefs. Some Sunnis believe that the Shias have their own version of the Qur’an. The word Rafzi (a derogatory term meaning deviant) is repeatedly invoked in conversations. On the other hand many Shias believe that the Sunnis are turncoats and apostates who revel in the tragedy of Karbala.
The animosities and scornful labels have been there since the assassination of Ali (r) in the year 661 CE. For a long time thereafter some (Sunni) Umayyads used to take the name of Ali (r) with derision. Caliph Omar bin Abdel Azeez (d 719) put an end to this abhorrent practice. On the other hand, some Shias continue to send tabarra on the names of Abu Bakr (r) and Omar (r) to this day and to show disrespect to the name of Aisha (r ).
The endless dispute is even more astonishing when you consider that it has its basis in history, not in doctrine. The origins of the dispute were forgotten, bitterness was entrenched and became a tool for politics and power. History was later elevated to dogma.
Much of the often bloody history of Shia-Sunni conflicts is well known. The Sunnis believe in the Ijmah of the companions. The Shias believe in the primacy of succession through Ahl e Bait. The former resulted in the institution of Khilafat, the latter in the evolution of Imamat and Wilayat. And the feud has continued long after either institution has ceased to have relevance to the contemporary world.
These differences were contained during the Khilafat of Abu Bakr (r) and Omar (r) but burst into the open with the assassination of Uthman (r). The ensuing civil wars were inconclusive and ended only after the assassination of Ali (r) and the abdication of Hassan (r) in favor of Amir Muawiya. The conversion of the Khilafat into a dynasty brought on the tragedy of Karbala, which is a benchmark in Islamic historiography.
Thereafter, the Shia movement went underground, focusing primarily on the social and the spiritual. The Abbasid revolution (750-51 CE) gave some hope for Shia-Sunni reconciliation. This was not to be. The Abbasids deftly used the Shias in the uprising but abandoned them once they were in power. The persecution of the Shias continued.
The subsequent centuries have been a continuous saga of political rivalries between these two groups. The Sunnis have been the dominant political group but on occasions the Shias have challenged the political primacy of the Sunnis. In 945 CE, the Ithna Ashari Buyids briefly occupied Baghdad only to be expelled by the Seljuk Turks. In the tenth and eleventh centuries, the Fatimids, another branch of Shia Islam, successfully challenged the military primary of the Sunni Abbasids in Baghdad and ruled an empire extending from Morocco to Syria from their capital of Cairo. For over a hundred years, it was Sunni Islam that was on the defensive. There were Shia kingdoms as far away as Multan (Pakistan) and Samarqand (Uzbekistan). The Fatimid power shriveled from within due to its narrow social base (they were not successful in proselytizing the Sunnis) and received its coup de grace at the hands of Salahuddin Ayyubi (1171 CE).
With their political power fading, the Fatimids launched the deadly assassin movement. Many a stalwart historical figure fell to the dagger of the assassin. Included among these were the brilliant grand vizier Nizamul Mulk of Baghdad (1091 CE), Mohammed Ghori , conqueror of Delhi (1206 CE), the Atabeks Maudud (1127 CE) and Zengi (1146 CE) of Mosul. Salahuddin himself narrowly escaped the assassin’s dagger on several occasions.
Following the destruction wrought by the invasions of Timur (1375-1402 CE) and his conquest of India, Persia, Egypt and the Ottoman Empire, there were social and spiritual convulsions in the region of eastern Anatolia and Azerbaijan. Several political-religious movements were born in this caldron. Towards the end of the fifteenth century, Safiuddin, a Persian-speaking Turk, established a military-religious cult around himself and founded the Safavid dynasty of Persia (1499). The Safavids waged a relentless war against the neighboring Sunnis in Samarqand to the North and the Ottomans to the West. Safiuddin adopted the Ithna Ashari version of Islam, persecuted the Sunnis and reduced them to a small minority in the Persian heartland. The Safavids were contained only after the Ottoman Turks defeated them at the battle of Chaldiron (1524). However, warfare continued with the Great Moguls of India over control of Afghanistan (1605-1655) and the Ottoman Turks over control of Azerbaijan (1595-1639). The Safavid-Mogul rivalry, which was an echo of the Shia-Sunni rivalry, extended even to the Sultanates of the Deccan and was a primary reason for the advance of Mogul armies into southern India under Shah Jehan and Aurangzeb (1640-1707).
The Shia-Sunni split takes its deadly toll even today. In Iraq, not a day goes by when rival Shia-Sunni groups take the lives of hundreds of innocent people. Even assuming there are hidden hands behind this anarchy, the carnage is historic in its magnitude and can only result in the death of a nation. In Pakistan, intermittent attacks on Shia and Sunni mosques and places of congregation continue, hardening the ill will between the two communities.
Islam in America has a unique opportunity to heal these wounds. There are over three million Muslims in America. And there are over a million Iranians, a large majority of whom is Muslim. America has produced Muslim scholars of the first rank who have transcended Shia or Sunni labels and have made lasting contributions to Islamic sciences. The name of the eminent scholar Seyyed Hussein Nasr immediately springs to mind. America is the melting pot of nations. Muslims here are cosmopolitan. Shia-Sunni marriages and familial relations are commonplace in this land.
There are also pressures from modern geopolitics. Shias and Sunnis realize that they face common challenges. With this realization there have been attempts on the international scene to reconcile the opposing points of view. In 1959, the eminent scholar Shaikh Mahmoud Shaltoot of Al Azhar issued a fatwa that “the Ja’fari school of thought, which is also known as ‘al-Shia al- Imamiyyah al-Ithna Ashariyyah’ (i.e., The Twelver Imami Shi’ites) is a school of thought that is religiously correct to follow in worship as are other Sunni schools of thought”. It is also recognized that the Zaidiyah school of fiqh is also historically valid. In numerous writings Imam Khomeini encouraged the Ithna Ashari Shias to pray with the Sunnis. Unfortunately, such voices of reason were drowned out in the oil politics of the Gulf and the drum beats of the Iran-Iraq war.
This is not to minimize the obstacles to a Shia-Sunni reconciliation. There are religious leaders on both sides who are so mired in their own rote learning that they cannot separate what is history from what is doctrine. Many a mufti, when asked why it is not possible to have a common Shia-Sunni school of fiqh will throw up his hands in the air and declare: “Their sources are different. How can we even begin?” The process of fiqh is so institutionalized that a solution is unlikely to emerge from the traditional scholars.
Instead, reconciliation will emerge from the educated masses, the men and women of the soil who have their faith in the Qur’an and who love the Prophet. They will find the Shia and Sunni labels to be irrelevant. They will bypass the processes of the different schools of fiqh, but will find commonality in the conclusions, the ethics and the injunctions for akhlaq (good character) derived therefrom. Does it matter what sources were used and what process of deduction was followed to establish the pre-eminence of Adl (justice) and Ehsan (the most beautiful deeds) in social relations? Aren’t Adl and Ehsan dictated by the Divine Word? In the emergence of a common Muslim ethic, transcending the Shia and Sunni brands, the Internet can play a vital role. I urge the educated and qualified Muslim youth in North America to undertake this noble but challenging task using guidance from broad-minded ulema, Shaikhs and Imams wherever they may live and whatever their title may be.
Such a consensus emerged at least once before in Islamic history. Faced with the prospect of near annihilation from the Mongol invasions (1219-1302), the Islamic world turned its vision inwards. Nasiruddin al Tusi (d 1274), a distinguished scientist and man of letters, compiled his famous treatise Akhlaq e Nasiri (1273) as an ethical guide for Muslims. This book, written by a Shia scholar became required reading in the Sunni Mogul courts of India (1526-1707) and to a large extent governed their administration.
This then is our vision: Men and women arriving in America from distant shores wherein they faced prejudice and persecution will fuse together a new personality in this new land on the basis of Adl and Ehsan. They will enjoin that which is good and beautiful and forbid that which is extreme and offensive to others. They will be neither Sunni nor Shia but universal in character and uniquely Islamic believing in and practicing Adl and Ehsan. In Ehsan there is healing. In Ehsan there is forgiveness. In Ehsan there is love. In it there is divine presence.
http://www.irfi.org/articles/articles_551_600/shia_versus_sunni.htm
SHIA sUNNI BHAI BHAI
AMRICA KE SHAMAT AAE