Mukhtaṣar A`lām al-Ḥanafiyyah min Ahl-ul-Bayt” Scholars of Ahlul-Sunnah from Ahlul-Bayt (Part 1)

http://www.alradhy.com/as/hst.htm

Question: Some narrations say that Abu Lu’lu’ was a Muslim and that he was absolutely the best Shi`a, so is this sahih?

Answer: What is established historically is that Abu Lu’lu was a Majus (Zoroastrian) and had nothing to do with Islam, and Shi`ism is free of him.

Comment: Nice to see that some shia scholars are using their brains, instead of leading masses to absolute destruction in hate.

Poetic Justice – Ibn Taymiyyah and Minhāj As-Sunnah

February 9, 2011 at 5:59 pm | Posted in History, On books and authors | Leave a comment

 

 

 

 

 

 

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By Ejaz Taj

All Praise is to Allāh, Lord of all that exists. Sustainer of the heavens, the earth, and all that exists within them. Most High and Exalted is He who sent messengers to many communities calling their people back to the worship of the One True God, Allāh, alone, without any partners, and to abandon the worship of people, stars, planets, idols, rocks, graves, trees and anything else, which itself has been created similar to the one worshipping it. It is only out of His Mercy and Compassion that He sends down the guidance as a criterion, a carrier of glad tidings and a stern warning to those who reject the message; those who continue to futilely wander across the land in darkness and delusion carried by the winds of desire and worldly gain.

Worthy of All Praise is He, who supported His last and final Messenger, Muḥammad b. ‘Abd Allāh al-Quraishī, the most truthful and the most trustworthy, with His Divine Help. Most Wise is He who gathered around the seal of the prophets, men and women whose hearts, purified by the lofty ideals and heavenly scripture, he propagated and freed from the shackles of ancient traditions and idol worshipping, became the impenetrable fortress of Islamic propagation and eminent, exemplary examples for generations to come.

 

“Men whom neither trade nor sale diverts them from the Remembrance of Allāh, nor from performing Salāh (prayer) nor from giving the Zakāh. They fear a Day when the hearts and eyes will be overturned.” [1]

 

Thus, any individual who is blessed and tried with the heavy responsibility of prophethood, will have many who will be his most vehement rejecters and many will become his strongest and most ardent supporters. Many may once have been his fiercest opponents, however when the light of Allāh finally penetrated their constricted hearts, they experienced an equivocal freedom. They dedicated their lives to propagating the faith so that others may also taste the sweetness of it, based upon truth and far removed from mere conjecture.

 

Looking back in history, at the struggles of the previous prophets before the advent of Muḥammad (ṣallallāhu `alayhi wa-sallam), we see that many of the greatest amongst them were fortified with a group of students and companions who would shadow his every step, memorise his every word and live by every one of his teachings. Musā (`alayhis-salām) was sent on his mission accompanied by his brother Hārūn (`alayhis-salām), and they were later accompanied in their mission by a number of righteous companions from the Children of Israel, who had not forgotten the meaning of gratitude. The Word of Allāh, ‘Īsā b. Maryam (`alayhis-salām) (Jesus the son of Mary) was given the companionship of his Hawāriyyūn (disciples). Similarly was our Messenger, Muḥammad (ṣallallāhu `alayhi wa-sallam) blessed with a people, his Saḥābah (Companions), who lived with him, learned from him, were expelled from their lands with him, migrated with him, fought alongside him, sacrificed with and for him and tasted every hardship and rejection that their most beloved faced. Such was his love for these men and women of intense loyalty and unshakeable faith that he declared,

 

“Do not curse the Saḥābah, for by the One in Whose hand is my soul, if any one of you were to spend the equivalent of Mount Uhud in gold, he would not attain the level of any one of them, or even come half way.”[2]

 

Despite this, Satan, may he be cursed, was forever relentless; dispatching his soldiers to the east and the west in order to steal souls who would otherwise be next to the Creator’s Messenger (ṣallallāhu `alayhi wa-sallam) on the Day of Reckoning; defiling their beliefs and corrupting their actions until their blackened hearts would send them headfirst into the Fire of Hell, doomed to an accursed companionship with the desolate one himself. Preying upon the weaknesses of humans, a person’s unceasing quest for fame, status and a heart that is constantly ablaze with the fires of pride, envy and jealousy, he sought the formation of an evil, new creed. A creed whose origins sprung forth in part from the blackened actions of a person named ‘Abd Allāh b. Sabā; a creed that would sweep across all corners of the Muslim world. A creed that was in actuality nothing but a conduit directly leading to the everlasting abode of torment, burning fiercely for those who fall into it, and disregarding clear signs and warnings away from it. It burns to this day, sucking the unwary and indiligent as well as the downright stubborn who are intent on fanning its flames, right before they too are consumed by it.

 

This sordid creed is none other than that of the Path of Rejectionism (or raf

in Arabic), its adherents are known as the Rāfidah or the Twelver Imāmiyyah Shi’a. It is in this creed that the mandatory love, respect and honour for those whom the Prophet (ṣallallāhu `alayhi wa-sallam) himself declared his love for, is purposely defaced and disrespected. They sought to curse, to insult, to slander, to cast doubts upon the honour and righteousness of these individuals. [They] accuse them of thievery, cheating, bad manners, dishonesty, immoral behaviour, corruption, and injustice; worst of all they place the charge of disbelief upon the vast majority of them, while raising their own Imāms to a level above that of even the prophets; attributing to them infallibility in all matters.  They plan and Allāh too Plans and Allāh is the Best of Planners. How can one ever drink from a mirage when the truth of what is in front of you has already been made abundantly clear?

 

The spread of this ideology would be constantly refuted and kept in check by the established Muslim scholarship of every generation, and this still continues to this day. It was in 661 ah that the Almighty gave life to an individual, a reviver of the religion whose scholarship, works and selfless service would ensure that his legacy would remain alive for generations to come. He was a towering intellect with a wealth of knowledge in every Islamic science, dedicating his life to propagating and clarifying the true and pure Islamic creed, while refuting the various deviant ideologies. A man whose name would echo throughout history and send waves throughout Islamic scholarship for centuries to come, Aḥmad b. ‘Abd Al-Ḥalīm b. ‘Abd As-Salām b. Taymiyyah Al-Harrānī, better known as Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah.

 

Amongst the most prevalent deviant ideologies of his time was this creed of Rejectionism. Sometimes between 704 ah and 709 ah, it was brought to Ibn Taymiyyah’s attention that a Shi’ī scholar by the name of Muttahhir Al-Hillī [3] had authored a treatise in defence of the Rafidite concept of Imamate. The book was written specifically for the Mongolian ruler of Persia of that time named  Oljaitu, he was also called Khudā-bandā (Man of God) by his people, and it was also being widely distributed to the many sub-rulers and laypeople who had little to no firm grounding in their religion. Oljaitu was born a Christian, even being baptised, but later in life he accepted Islam along with his brother. Later on he had another change of heart and develop an affinity for Shiaism, partly due to a marital incident that occurred in his life but mainly due to the influence of Mutahhir Al-Hillī, with whom he had developed a close relationship. Al-Hillī wrote for Oljaitu a work entitled, Minhāj Al-Karāmah fī Ma’rifat al-Imāmah (The Blessed Pathways in Recognition of Imamate). In it he extolled the virtues of the core Shi’ite belief of Imamate (as opposed to the core tenets of Islam laid down in the Qur’ān and authenticSunnah) in an attempt to sway his belief away from mainstream Sunni Islam to that of Rejectionism; he was fully aware how easily influenced Oljaitu was in religious affairs due to his lack of having a firm grounding in this area of study. He eventually succumbed and adopted Shiaism around 709-710 AH as well as announcing it as the official state religion of the time, even necessitating the mention of the 12 Imāms from then onwards in the Friday sermon.

 

The book itself was distributed far and wide and when it was brought to the attention of Ibn Taymiyyah by the sincere ones from among Ahl us-Sunnah, he was urged by them to answer and refute the misconceptions and outright falsehoods found within it. Ibn Taymiyyah being felt bound by the heavenly covenant taken by those blessed with knowledge and entrusted with the inheritance of the prophets, mentions at this juncture:

 

“When those (who brought Minhāj Al-Karāmah to my attention and) kept pushing me for a refutation to this clear misguidance, they mentioned that not doing so would be a disgrace to the believers and that the people of transgression (from whom these ideologies originated) would begin to think that we are unable to provide answers in the face of these slanders. So I wrote, what Allāh made easy for me, in answering them and by way of fulfilling the promise that He has taken from the people of knowledge amongst the believers; they stand up for justice and in bearing witness to Him. As Allāh says, “You who believe, stand firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allāh, even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, Allāh is a Better Protector to both (than you). So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you may avoid justice, and if you distort your testimony or refuse to give it, verily, Allāh is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do. ” [4]

 

Thus distorting [al-Layyu from wa lā talwū in the āyah] is changing one’s testimony and refusing to give it, is in actuality, to conceal it. For Allāh the Most Exalted has ordained truthfulness and speaking it, while He has forbidden lying and concealment of it in as much as what is needed to make it known and for it to be understood.” [5]

 

This short translated extract is taken from the very beginning of what would be Shaykh al-Islām’s monumental nine volume work called: Minhāj As-Sunnah An-Nabawiyyah Fī Naqd Kalam ash-Shī’ah Wal Qadariyyah (The Methodologies of the Prophetic Sunnah in Refutation of the Sayings of the Shi’a and the Qadariyyah). It stands till this day as a standard work of reference and an academic discourse, debate and thorough refutation of every doubt and issue raised by Al-Hillī in Minhāj Al-Karāmah as well as the beliefs of Ahl ar-Raf

in general. Sheikh Muḥammad Ayman ash-Shabrawī in the introduction to his edition of Minhāj as-Sunnah states:

 

“This book, Minhāj As-Sunnah An-Nabawiyyah, of Ibn Taymiyyah was written with the intended purpose of serving as a thorough reply and refutation to what was said in (Al-Hillī’s) Minhāj Al-Karāmah. You will find in it a comprehensive refutation of deviant groups, specifically the Twelver Imāmiyyah Shi’a who are identified by their extremism in their beliefs regarding theirImāms. Namely their raising them to a level above even that of the angels and the messengers. They are also known by their belief that the Qur’ān has been distorted (taḥrīf al-Qur’ān), and of course their outright cursing of the honourable and upright Companions of the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallallāhu `alayhi wa-sallam). The very companions, who strove with their lives and their wealth in the propagation of the True Religion and in raising the Word of Monotheism (Kalimat At-Tawḥīd) throughout the regions of the earth.”

 

The book itself is a marvel to behold. The sheer depth of Ibn Taymiyyah’s knowledge of history,fiqh, ḥadīth, tafṣīr, language, philosophy, human psychology, logic and knowledge of the internal workings of the various sects and religions is in and of itself breathtaking. Many of his other works will generally focus on a specific area yet in Minhāj As-Sunnah you will see him draw upon every science and every angle to answer hundreds of issues in defence of the pure creed of Ahl us-Sunnah.

 

It is a work that I would highly recommend to everyone, however because of its length and the lack of any translation efforts for it, it still remains in Arabic. This would definitely be another reason to learn the Arabic language and then study it, devoting both time and seriousness (apart from of course understanding the Qur’ān and aḥādīth).

 

In keeping with the core purpose of this book, Ibn Taymiyyah, in one of my favourite chapters, composes an extremely beautiful poem in refutation of a poem written by Al-Hillī through which he encourages the disavowal of Islamic scholarship in favour of Shi’ī narrations; their narrations are in reality full of unknown and untraceable narrators, huge gaps in their chains and many have no chain. Regardless, Ibn Taymiyyah composes this poem as a beautiful reminder of the characteristics of the ‘Straight Path’ made clear for one who possesses a pure heart and an unswerving sincerity in seeking the truth. This poem, with its simple but timeless message, is the intended purpose of the writing of this short article. From it we derive the very methodology by which we live our lives and view this blessed religion of ours.

 

إذا شئتَ أن ترضى لنفسك مذهباً[6] – تـنالُ به الزلفى وتنجو من النارِ

When you wish to content yourself with a creed –

Receiving by which, a closeness (to Allāh) and deliverance from the Fire

فـدن بكـتاب الـلـه والسـنة التي – أتت عن رسول الله من نقل أخيار

Then profess (a creed) made from the Book of Allāh and the Sunnah which

Has reached us by way of the Messenger of Allāh and was conveyed by the very best (of people)!

ودع عنك ديـنَ الرفض[7] والبـدعَ التي – يـقودك داعـيها إلى النار والعار

Abandon innovation and the religion of Rejectionism which –

Would only serve to lead you, the caller to it, to the Fire of Hell and a shameful disgrace


وسـر خلف أصحاب الرسول فإنهم – نجوم هدى في ضوئها يهتدي السارى

Rather follow behind the Companions of the Messenger (in their path) for indeed they are

The stars of guidance, the very light which guides those traversing the Path

وعجِّ[8] عن طريق الرفض فهو مـؤسَّس – على الكفر تأسيساً على جُرُفٍ هار[9]

So depart in droves from the Way of Rejectionism for it is an establishment

Upon disbelief, its foundations laid on a crumbling precipice

 

هـما خـطـتا : إمـا هدى وسعادة – وإمـا شـقاء مـع ضلالـة كفار[10]

Thus they are two separate courses (leading to) either guidance and bliss-

Or (leading to) a miserable existence sharing the same delusions as the disbelievers

 

فأي فريقينا أحق بأمنه .. وأهدى سبيلاً عندما يحكم البارى

So which of these two groups has the greatest right to His (Allāh’s) Protection –

And guidance to the right path when the Creator passes His Judgement!

أمن سبّ أصحاب الرسول وخالف ال – كـتاب ولـم يعـبا بـثابت أخبار[11]

(Will it be) the one who curses the Messenger’s Companions and opposes the Book of Allāh

And has not a care for affirming the reports (i.e., the aḥādīth)

أم المقتدي بالوحي يسـلك مـنهج ال – صحـابة مـع حب القرابة الأطهار[12]

(Or will it be) the one who firmly takes the Revelation as his example and traverses the methodology of

The Companions while encompassed by love for the blessed, pure kinfolk of Muhammad [ṣallallāhu `alayhi wa-sallam] (i.e., the Ahl ul-Bayt)
“The first forerunners [in the faith] among the Muhājirīn and the Anṣār and those who followed them with good conduct – Allāh is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him, and He has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. That is the supreme success!” [Surah at-Tawbah:100]

 

End Notes

[1] Surah An-Nūr 24:37

 

[2] Narrated by Sa’īd Al-Khudrī, Ṣaḥīḥ Al-Bukhārī (No.3673), also narrated by Abū Hurayrah, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (No. 2540)

 

[3] He is Jamāl ad-Dīn Abū-Manṣūr al-Ḥasan b. Yūsuf b. ‘Alī b. al-Mutahhir Al-Hillī, a Shi’ī scholar born in 648 AH and died two years before Ibn Taymiyyah in 726 AH. He moved from his native Iraq to Persia and was quite influential in the court of Oljaitu Khudā bandā.

 

[4] Surah An-Nisā [4:135]

 

[5] Minhāj As-Sunnah, Volume 1, Chapter: “The necessity of the scholars to convey the knowledge and to clarify the misguidance of the Rawāfi

.

 

[6] Its important to note how the meaning and connotations of a word can change depending on its context, even more so within the framework of Islamic sciences. A single word may have a separate literal meaning yet its definition changes when that word is used say within the sciences of ḥadīth, fiqh, ‘aqīdah, etc. For example, the word madhab used here will be associated by most people to a fiqh school of jurisprudence from amongst the four Sunni orthodox established schools of Imām Abū Ḥanīfah, Mālik, Ash-Shāfi’ī or Aḥmad b. Hambal, May Allāh have mercy upon them all, however linguistically the word is derived from its root dha ha ba which means to go. The specific form pattern in which the word madhab appears is known in grammatical terminology as an ism makān, i.e. the place where the action of the root verb is carried out. For example the root verb sa ja da means to prostrate, when placed into the ism makān its form pattern results in the wordmasjid, i.e. the place where the sajdah is performed by people. Thus the word madhab literally means a path or a methodology that is traversed. In the context of this poem, it refers to a set of beliefs, one’s creed or ‘aqīdah that they follow if they want to gain success of what is mentioned in the following lines. This is proven by the second part of the first line, “Receiving by which a closeness to Allāh and deliverance from the Fire.” This obviously cannot be in reference to a fiqhmadhab since differences within jurisprudence and derived rulings on issues not related to belief have been ongoing since the time of the Companions, may Allāh be pleased with them all. Differences amongst the scholars on fiqh are not causes for disbelief nor is it possible then for there to be only one single (fiqh) madhab that would deliver one from the Fire of Hell. Thus the verse clearly is in reference to a Creed that one professes; a madhab of Belief that is eloquently described in the verses that follow it.

 

[7] The Religion of Rejectionism, i.e. Twelver Imāmiyyah Shi’aism

 

[8] The verb ’ajja as used here to refer to a swarming mass, something that is absolutely teeming with the subject of the verb. In this verse it is used in the imperative form (amr), an order even, for the masses who have a sincere care for their Hereafter. It literally means to run away in droves from such a destructive, evil path. Imagine the scene one sees when a natural disaster occurs, how large masses of people all flee in one direction. This is the kind of imagery Ibn Taymiyyah seeks to portray in this line, since what the people are running away from is far more dangerous than any worldly and physical danger from which a mass of people may flee.

 

[9] A beautiful yet threatening similitude is made here between the establishment of this sordid creed and that of Masjid ‘Ḍirār’ which Allāh mentions in Surah Tawbah [9:107-110]. Masjid Dirār was a place of worship built in the outskirts of Madinah by the hypocrites at the time of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu `alayhi wa-sallam) with a secret, hidden intention, serving as an outpost for the launch of attacks against the Muslim. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu `alayhi wa-sallam) received revelation informing him of the true nature of this masjid and the real intentions of those who built it. Within these āyāt Allāh mentions: “Then is one who laid the foundation of his building on righteousness [with fear] from Allāh and [seeking] His approval better or one who laid the foundation of his building on the edge of a bank about to collapse (‘alā shafā jurufin hār), so it collapsed with him into the fire of Hell?” So how fitting is it then that a methodology that claims Islam for itself, yet curses those very same noble men and women who sincerely strove for it and were responsible for its preservation and propagation, is now compared to Masjid Dirār? A place built by a group of men with the same kind of diseased hearts who claimed Islam openly yet secretly conspired against it and its tenets. Without a doubt Ibn Taymiyyah was right, this creed too is built on a crumbling precipice by those claiming Islam, inevitably to crumble without a trace into the pits of the Fire along with the hypocrites who built it!

 

[10] This is in reference to those that profess the creed of Rejectionism. They themselves claim Islam and the title of a Muslim, however the reality of their status is completely different.  Thus they may see themselves as Muslims, separating themselves by name but they are one and the same and thus in effect “sharing the same delusions” and ultimately the same end as those they claim to be different from.

 

[11] This is a lengthy topic within itself but this line in essence refers to complete lack of critique and science, even when it comes to ḥadīth narrations and authentications. They reject established books of ḥadīth, seeking to attack the narrators within them, however their own books are full of untraceable fabrications, no concept of authentication, huge gaps often generations in size within their chains of narration, complete lack of a chain of narration, as well as the mention of numerous unknown narrators who cannot be traced nor have any records attesting to their character or lives. This is all in stark contrast to the science of ḥadīth within Ahl us-Sunnah in which everything is meticulously checked, verified and documented; It is the opposite of what is mentioned in this verse, Ithbāt al-Akhbār.

 

[12] As Ibn Taymiyyah states in his Aqīdah Al-Wasitīyyah, “They (i.e., the Sunnis) love the people of the household of the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallallāhu `alayhi wa-sallam); they regard them with love and loyalty, and they heed the command of the Messenger of Allah (ṣallallāhu `alayhi wa-sallam) concerning them…but they reject the way of the Rāfidah [the Shia] who hate the Saḥābah and slander them, and they reject the way of the Nāsībīs who insult Ahl al-Bayt in words and actions.” Thus it is incumbent upon us to love and respect both and it is from the way of the people of Rejectionism to go to extremes by cursing one and venerating the other, creating an imaginary divide and rift between the two when there isn’t one.

When division took place in the imamiyah?

February 6, 2011 at 7:56 pm | Posted in History | Leave a comment

 

 

 

 

 

 

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