During these times of unsettling religious disputes especially between Sunni and Shi ‘ah factions and the world that we live in that tends to dull the senses about things which are right and proper, it is necessary to look at the origins of certain practices and see how they relate to the founding fathers of religious thought. That is, how can fact meet up with fiction to blend together and form corrupted religion?
There are at least two main competing factions for the ‘Muslim heart’: Shi ‘ah type Islam and Sunni type Islam.
Modern Shi ‘ah thought, as preached by Shi ‘ah scholars of today, is dysfunctional and some of this nonsense can be traced back to a man called ‘Abdullah ibn Saba. This is basically denied by Shi ‘ah thinkers due to the fact that it weakens their cause or spread of their various sects.
Truthfully, this devil, ‘Abdullah ibn Saba DID EXIST and he eventually did have a big influence on Shi ‘ah faith. Dr. Sa’di al-Hashimi’s book Ibn Saba: Haqiqh La Khayal (pp. 25-28) has even listed over 20 Shi ‘ah sources testifying to the evil Ibn Saba’s existence. Notice these are Shi ‘ah sources not Sunni propaganda.
So if there is a question in one’s mind concerning the basics of Shi ‘ah thought one should put the strength of one’s decision based on the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (pbh) to guide one to the truth between these two competing philosophies (Sunni vs Shi ‘ah thought).
One way to avoid such a quagmire is to take what Prophet Muhammad (pbh) said about his various Companions and cross-reference these things as to the competent character of his Companions. This would provide balance of thought and keep the bar of honesty open and clear. For example, what did he declare about the quality of Abu Bakr or ‘Umar or ‘Uthman? Well, quite frankly he (pbh) said some excellent and praiseworthy things about those individuals and do those sayings mesh well with taught beliefs?
Certainly, the Prophet (pbh) was NOT blind, ignorant or mentally or spiritually deficient! If people ignore the names of the “10” promised ones concerning their place in Paradise or the various attributive sayings by the Prophet (pbh) in the section called ‘MERITS OF’ SO AND SO of the Companions, then they are indirectly alluding to their damnable belief in the incompetence of Prophet Muhammad -THE SPECIALLY CHOSEN MESSENGER AND INHERITER OF THE HIGHEST HONOR AMONGST THE CREATION INSHA ALLAH!
Why have various sects appeared in Islam or in any religion for that matter? Because after the purity of the Millstone goes around, there are devious people who create DIVISIONS and DEVIATIONS based on empty-minded philosophical wanderings. And because people are people as a famous hadith declares, “you will certainly follow the practices of your predecessors” (Jews and Christians) until it becomes the norm.
That seems clear enough but people are assailed by some tricky so-called logic which seeks to take the weak believer on a ride of make believe fantasy.
Here is one of the tricks employed by this type of religious nonsense. WE HAVE SCHOLARS!!! Yes, you have people who are passed off as scholars who use the famous line of circular reasoning which goes forth to prove the contention that is being made.
How can reasonable people fall for any of this stuff and nonsense? It boggles the imagination that so much lunacy and chicanery is taken as pure, unadulterated fact. An example of this twisted circular reasoning used to confound the careless followers of any crooked and illogical belief system follows:
This idea is true because our scholars have stated it. And our scholars have stated it because it is true. Therefore, it is true! See how valid that becomes or how about this:
All of the moons in the universe are made of green cheese. The Earth, which is in the universe, has a Moon. Its Moon therefore is made of green cheese.
One of the so-called unassailable points the Shi ‘ah propound is that of the fanatical belief of the pure and perfect ‘Imamate’. Basing one’s philosophy on the ‘Imamate’ is like what the Catholics did in basing a lot of their religion on Christ crucified and the Pope’s so-called ‘Infallibility’ on religious matters which can be proven wrong by a concentrated historical outlook.
The crucifixion, which was a minor topic in the earliest part of Christianity, became a central force from which a lot of doctrines were made. Yes, there was a crucifixion, several of them in fact, going on at that time but by manufacturing an event and then weaving some yarn around it, a new story can be manufactured out of whole cloth and new inventions can be formulated thus altering the original truths.
The key here is the phrase ‘new inventions’ which equates to moving away from original doctrine and creating so-called facts after the original spokesperson is not around.
The Shi ‘ah doctrine of the Imamate was NOT fully elaborated until the tenth century. Other dogmas were developed still later. One characteristic of Shi ‘ah Islam is the CONTINUAL exposition and reinterpretation of doctrine.
The most recent example is Khomeini’s expounding of the doctrine of velayat-e faqih, or the political guardianship of the community of believers by scholars trained in religious law. The concept of velayat-e faqih thus provides the doctrinal basis for a theocratic government, an experiment that Twelver Imam Shi ‘as had not attempted PRIOR TO the Iranian Revolution in 1979. That would be ‘odd’ considering their supposed ‘infallibility’.
From the time that Twelver Shi ‘ah Islam emerged as a distinct religious denomination IN THE EARLY NINTH CENTURY, its clergy, or Ulema, have played a prominent role in the development of its scholarly and legal tradition; however, the development among the Shi ‘ah clergy OF A DISTINCT HIGHERARCHY dates back only to the early nineteenth century.
Since that time the highest religious authority has been vested in the mujtahids, scholars who by virtue of their erudition in the science of religion (the Quran, the traditions of Muhammad and the imams, jurisprudence, and theology) and their attested ability to decide points of religious conduct, act as leaders of their community in matters concerning the particulars of religious duties.
Furthermore, Shah Ismail, the founder of the Safavid dynasty, who established Twelver Shi ‘ah Islam as the OFFICIAL RELIGION of Iran at the beginning of the SIXTEENTH CENTURY, effectively displacing Sunni Islam, was revered by his followers as a Sufi master.
Although Sufis were associated with the early spread of Shi ‘ah ideas in the country, once the Shi ‘ah clergy had consolidated their authority over religion by the early seventeenth century, they {only then} tended to regard Sufis as deviant.
What does all this mean? It means we can now trace with clarity the flaws of any mistaken beliefs as the trail, no matter how light, has been laid down for those who desire to ponder about the truth.
We have seen in these writings certain ways the uncaring and the unwise are trapped by their own presumptions. Are we, as loyal subjects to ALLAH, following the system of worship sent down by ALLAH or do some expect that ALLAH will follow our desires?
‘Imraan bin Husayn declared that the Prophet (pbh) said: “Verily the best among you (to follow) is my generation (the Messenger Muhammad (pbh) and his Companions, then those who follow, and then those who follow them…” (Muslim)
The best people, of course, that understand Islam and what it is about will come from the first generation in Islam – the Messenger Muhammad (pbh) and his Companions and these people are the people of the highest standing in Islam.
“And whosoever contradicts and opposes the Messenger after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the ‘Believers’ way, WE shall KEEP HIM IN THE PATH HE HAS CHOSEN and land him in Hell – what an evil destination!” Q (4: 115)
Ibn ‘Umar reported ALLAH’s Messenger (pbh) as saying, “When you see people who revile my Companions (as do the Shi ‘ah especially the first generation of Companions) say, “Allah’s curse be on your worst ones.” (Tirmidhi)
Why have various sects appeared in Islam or in any religion? Because after the purity of the Millstone goes around, there are devious people who create divisions and deviations based on empty-minded philosophical wanderings. And because people are people “you will certainly follow the practices of your predecessors” {meaning the Jews and Christians} such that it becomes the normal procedure.
