I look forward to the day when Allah joins our two communities with His Book and the Sunnah of His Messenger. May Allah hasten the day when He binds our hearts together again, after this long and bitter separation that has only benefited the enemies ...
Shaykh Dr. Abdurahman ad-Dimashqiah
DOCTRINES OF THE SUNNIS AND SHIAS COMPARED
The Shia Belief about the Qur’ân
Samples of "Changed" Verses
And those who have wronged the family of Muhammad are going to know to what [kind of] return they will be returned.
Al-Khû’î's Attitude toward the Changing of the Qur’ân
There is a group of Shias who dissociate themselves from the belief that the Companions changed the Qur’ân. These follow Imam Al-Khû’î, a prominent scholar, who is the director of Al-Hawzah Al-`Ilmiyyah based at An-Najaf. He passed a ruling to prohibi...
First, there is another Qur’ân, "`Alî's Qur’ân," which is different from the Qur’ân that Muslims have today in content and in chapter arrangement. Second, Allah revealed the Qur’ân and explained its meaning.
SOURCES OF THE Sunnah
The Sources of the Sunnah according to the Shias
`Abudul-Husayn Al-Mûsawî also says about Hishâm Ibnul-Hakam, "Those who wanted to extinguish the light of Allah accused him of believing in anthropomorphism (the doctrine that likens Allah to human beings), out of jealousy and envy for the Household...
Why should we not all identify ourselves with the path of the Prophet and his Sunnah? Surely, this is sufficiently honorable for all of us and more fitting than the word "shia," with its feeling of sectarianism and factionalism, as Allah has said:
The Meaning of the Word "Shia"
The word shia applies today to a group who are independent of the Sunnis in terms of doctrines, jurisprudence, principles of Islamic jurisprudence, and the way of understanding Islam. The original "shia of `Alî" were in fact Sunnis in terms of do...
The Meaning of the Word "Sunni"
The Collection and Recording of the Sunnah
PILGRIMAGE TO GRAVES AND TO THE SHRINES OF IMAMS
While the Shias remain opposed to the use of Qiyâs (Analogical Deduction)51F , this does not prevent them from making an analogy between the kissing and caressing of the tombs of the Imams and the kissing of the Black Stone at Mecca. But while it is ...
Seeking the Aid of the Imams in Times of Adversity
The Sunnis believe that love for Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn is something that pleases Allah and is obligatory on every Muslim. Imam Ash-Shâfi`î points out, however, that the Shias' habit of calling on Al-Husayn and others, saying such things as "O `Alî, ...
The Swearing of Oaths to Another besides Allah
ON INFALLIBILITY
The Sunnis acknowledge the merits of the House of the Prophet and the correctness of their religion, but they do not say they were infallible, for every human being is prone to error. No one is exempted from error, which is a quality of human natur...
The Doctrine of the Infallibility of the Imams
The Imams know all that was and all that is and all that may have been but was not; nothing is hidden from them.67F
The Earth is entirely in the hands of the Imam.
Another Example of Exaggeration
Similarities with the Christians: Atonement and Penance
A Response to these Accounts
If it is true that the mere love for Imams is an act of piety that cannot be wiped out by any sin, then what need is there to observe anything else in the Sharî`ah? Is the love for `Alî and the Imams more important to Allah than obedience to Him and f...
`Alî Ibn Abû Tâlib: Hero of Islam and Pride of all the Muslims
Yet, they (the Sunnis) do not agree with the Shias when they say that mere love for `Alî will wipe away sin, while no amount of good deeds can make up for hatred toward him. The Sunnis also do not believe that merely looking into the face of `Alî is a...
What the Prophet's Household said about Shia Extremism
Only Hypocrites Dislike the Prophet's Household
THE COMPANIONS OF THE PROPHET
The Shias' Position on the Prophet's Companions
A Continuing Tradition
Thoughtful and reasonable Shias recognize the mighty achievements of the Companions of the Prophet. For example, Sheikh Muhammad Hasan Âl Kâshif Al-Ghitâ’ relates that "When `Alî saw that Abû Bakr and `Umar were making a supreme effort to spread the W...
Differences among the Companions
Who Started Insulting the Companions?
"I only think well of them," He said.
THE IMAMATE ACCORDING TO THE SHIAS
Qur’anic Support for the Imamate was "Distorted"
"O Messenger, announce that which has been revealed to you from your Lord [in the matter of `Alî], and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His Message."
`Alî's Oath to Abû Bakr and `Umar is Irrefutable Proof
First excuse: `Alî made these oaths out of fear that otherwise, Islam would be lost. The response to this is that Islam at the time of Abû Bakr and `Umar was in its golden age and had spread to Bukhara138F in the East along the length of the North Af...
Further, `Alî Ibn Abû Tâlib rejected the Caliphate when it was offered to him, saying, "Pass me by and choose another, for it is better that I be a minister to you, than a prince over you."140F Besides, when they made the oath to him after `Uthmân's ...
Criticizing Al-Hasan for his abdication to Mu`âwiyah contradicts the Shia doctrine of the infallibility of the Imams. The Shias consider the words and deeds of their Imams as binding to people to follow. Controversy over the succession seems to have b...
A Nation that Passed Away
What is the use of talking about the Caliphate and arguing about it? What is the use of returning again to a discussion of an issue that is long dead? Can there be any good reason for us to continue to live in the shadow of these events today, to roo...
Truth was with `Alî and his Opponents were Wrong
The First Conflict was Political
THE MUTUAL LOVE BETWEEN `ALÎ AND THE COMPANIONS
“Where are those who were called to Islam and answered the call, who recited the Qur’ân and lived by the recitation, who drew their swords and went to the far corners of the earth? Where are those whose eyes were reddened from weeping, whose bellies ...
“I saw the Companions of the Prophet. I know of no one else like them. They would greet the morning dust-faced and disheveled, having spent [part of] the night in prostration and standing in prayer, now faces to the earth, now faces uplifted. It was ...
The Position of `Alî's Sons on the Companions
"And when I meet my Lord, shall I say that you told me to follow them?" she inquired.
The Bond between the Household of the Prophet and the Companions
The Unknown Martyrs of Karbala with Al-Husayn
Imâm Mâlik’s Response to the Hatred of the Companions
WHO KILLED AL-HUSAYN?
Al-Husayn confronted his murderers at Karbala saying:
`Âshûrâ’ is an Occasion for Joy, not Grief
The Position of `Alî and his Sons with respect to their “Shia”
"O People of Kufa! I have been afflicted with three things, and two: The deaf who are hearing, the mute who are speaking, and the blind who are sighted. No free man keeps his word, and no brother is steadfast in adversity. You are like camels without ...
"I am plagued by men who do not obey when they are commanded, who do not respond when they are called. Why do you turn your backs from every victory from your Lord? Have you no faith to bind you together, no zeal to fire you to battle? I stand in your...
The Position of Prophet's Household on the Shias
TEMPORARY MARRIAGE
The Shia scholars caution people that failure to contract a temporary marriage will reduce their reward on the Day of Resurrection. They say, "Whoever leaves the world without having contracted a temporary marriage will be brought back on the Day o...
Debate on Temporary Marriage
“What is your opinion about temporary marriage?” the Sunni asked.
Taqiyyah (DISSIMULATION)
The Shia Doctrine of Taqiyyah
According to Shia scholars, Imam Ja`far As-Sâdiq said, "Nine tenths of faith is dissimulation. Whoever denies it has no faith."214F We even find their Imams deliberately giving incorrect rulings, based on dissimulation. An-Nûbakhtî, for instance, say...
A simple illustration of dissimulation is the Shias' use of a small tablet made from the clay of Karbala218F upon which they place their foreheads when prostrating in prayer. They carry these tablets with them, and always use them when they perform ...
Zakâtul-Khums: The Charity of the “Fifth”
But there is another reason behind deeming this practice prohibited; that is the income it generates is enormous, which, in turn, has spoiled the Imams who exploit the generosity and ignorance of ordinary people in an obsessive pursuit of material ple...
All these things contribute to the temptations and pleasures of the Shia cult and prevent them from taking a correct position toward their own teachings, the things they allow, and the mistaken doctrines that surround them on all sides. All of this h...
THE TWELFTH IMAM: Al-Mahdî
The Last of the Imams
Following the death of Al-Hasan Al-`Askarî, one of his supporters, `Uthmân Ibn Sa`îd, began to spread reports of the “Invisible Imam,” the hitherto unknown son of Imam Al-Hasan, called Muhammad, who was hidden in a cave. Muhammad Ibnul-Hasan Al-`As...
The Task of Al-Mahdî: the Meting out of Revenge
No One shall Bear Another's Burden
The Doctrine of “the Return” Stands in the Way of Reconciliation and Unity
THE DOCTRINE OF MANIFEST KNOWLEDGE AND OTHER INNOVATIONS
Some Other Bid`ahs240F of the Shias
Additions to the Adhân (Prayer Call)
Belief in the Prophethood and the Revelation
We appeal to the Shias to abandon this practice and come back to the prayer call first raised by Bilâl in the Prophet's Mosque, in his presence and in the presence of his Companions, including `Alî.
Combining Two Prayers
Suspension of the Friday Prayer
THE SHIAS IN HISTORY
Who was behind the Fall of Baghdad?
Ibn Kathîr mentions them in his book Al-Bidâyah wan-Nihâyah (the Beginning and the End) and says that Nasîrud-Dîn At-Tûsî worked tirelessly to weaken the Caliph's army, which he finally reduced to ten thousand men. These were starved and impoverished...
Ibn Kathîr also mentions that when the Tatars appeared at the gates of Baghdad, Nasîrud-Dîn was the first person to go to meet them, taking his family, companions and servants with him. Having met with Hûlâkû, At-Tûsû returned to report to the Cali...
Epilogue
The Druze
We should not forget the Druze of Lebanon, who deify Al-Hâkim bi-Amrillâh 255F and believe in the transmigration of souls. They deny the rising of the dead, insult the Prophet Muhammad, and call him a liar and a fraud in their secret holy book "Messa...
Further, we should not forget the history of An-Nusayriyyah (the Followers of Muhammad Ibn Nusayr), which is lousy with treacheries. They deify `Alî Ibn Abû Tâlib256F and believe in a qur’ân fabricated and written by their leaders, which is totally d...
Though the Twelve-Imam Shias appear to judge An-Nusayriyyah and Ismailis as disbelievers, there is, in fact, practical harmony in the past and the present among the triple.
Engraved into the memory is the period of Al-Hâkim bi-Amrillâh, who ordered to destroy Cairo and set it all ablaze. He killed a huge number of Muslims justifiably and unjustifiably, including his own ministers and counselors to the extent that it was ...
Regrettably, the enemies of Islam read history through which they become acquainted with those sects and cults of deviated and destructive beliefs, who played a major role in obstructing the Islamic expansion and stood in the way of jihad. It grieves ...
Today we find some people working for Islam who urge us to forget these things. Some of them say that these stories are fabrications; others say they are no longer relevant and only stand in the way of Islamic unity. Yet others maintain that the Shias...
Unity is only with those who Acknowledge Divine Unity
Islam is Unified around a Single Doctrine
Unity is a Blessing from Allah
The Shia Call to the non-Muslims to Accept Islam
Shia-Christian Dialogue
"You walk around the graves of your Imams and call them for help rather than Allah and give money to the keepers of tombs as penance, and this is precisely what we do with respect to the Messiah and his mother and the apostles and the saints."
The Christian replies, "But you claim that your Qur’ân has been altered and that the Companions added to it and took things from it. You say that there is not any complete and true copy of it other than the one kept with the Invisible Mahdî in his cave!
THE SHIAS TODAY
Distorted beliefs must take their toll on the behavior of those who subscribe to them. The behavior of Shias in turn affects negatively the Islamic nation, which witnesses a rise and wakefulness these days. For many people today, Islam has become syno...
The Fruit of Twisted Beliefs
All of this is evidence that the old hatred of the Shias manifested in their books has not yet disappeared, it has rather taken its natural and logical course into the modern age. The distortions of the past, in doctrine and ideology, are ultimately r...
Shia Sources
Thaqafî, Ibrâhîm Ibn Muhammad al-, (d. 283/896), Al-Ghârât, Dâr Al-Dawâ’, Beirut, 1407.
Sunni Sources
Further Readings
A Note on Conventions
While the traditional blessings on the Prophet, upon whom be peace, have not been written each time his name is mentioned, Muslim readers are reminded to observe this Sunnah. The same applies to the names of the members of the Prophet's Household, his...
