Ibn Taymiyyah & The Shia'
Ejaz Taj
This poem and its simple yet enduring 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."
We find that for every individual blessed and tested with the heavy
responsibility of prophethood, there will be many from amongst his
most vehement rejecters and likewise many will become his most
ardent supporters. Many may once have been his fiercest opponents
yet when the Light of Allah finally penetrated their constricted
hearts, they experienced an equivocal freedom. This sense of
freedom was what they dedicated their lives to propagating so that
others too may taste the sweetness of faith based upon the truth
which is far removed from speculation.
Looking back in history before the advent of Muhammad (peace be
upon him) at the struggles of the Prophets of old, we see that many
of the greatest amongst them were fortified with a group of
diligent companions who would shadow their every step, memorise
their every word, and live by every one of their teachings. It was
Moses who was sent on a mission accompanied by his brother Haron.
Both were then accompanied by a number of righteous companions from
the Children of Israel who remained in a state of gratitude to the
special status conferred upon them by the Most High. Jesus the son
of Mary was given the company of his Hawariyyoon (disciples).
Correspondingly, so too was our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him) blessed with a people, his companions who lived with him,
learned from him, were expelled from their lands with him, migrated
with him, fought alongside him, sacrificed with him 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 Companions, for by the One in Whose hand is my
soul, if any one of you spent the equivalent of Mount Uhud in gold,
he would not attain the level of any one of them, or even reach
half way." [Reported by Bukhari and Muslim]
«لا تسبوا أصحابي. لا تسبوا أصحابي.
فوالذي نفسي بيده! لو أن أحدكم أنفق مثل أحد ذهبا، ما أدرك مد أحدهم،
ولا نصيفه» رواه البخاري ومسلم واللفظ لمسلم
Yet despite this, the devil, may he be cursed, was forever
relentless. He would dispatch his soldiers from all directions in
order to appropriate souls that would otherwise accompany the
Creator's Messenger (peace be upon him) 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 eternal chastisement. Preying upon the weaknesses of
mankind, man's unceasing quest for fame, status and a heart that is
constantly ablaze with the flame of pride, envy and jealousy, the
devil sought the formation of an evil new creed, the origins of
which sprung forth, at least in part, from the blackened actions of
a man named 'Abdullah ibn Saba.
This sordid creed is none other than that of the path of
Rejectionism (or 'Rafd' in Arabic), its adherents known as the
Rafidah or the Twelver Imaamiyyah Shi'ah. It is in this creed that
the mandatory love, respect and honour for those whom the Prophet
(peace be upon him) revered is purposely insulted. They sought to
curse, insult, slander, and cast doubts upon the honour and
righteousness of these individuals by accusing them of thievery,
swindling, bad manners, deceitfulness, immoral behaviour,
corruption, injustice, and worst of all, charging the vast majority
of them with disbelief. Moreover, they raise their own Imams to a
level above even that of the Prophets, attributing to them
infallibility in all matters.
The spread of this ideology would continue, constantly refuted and
contained by the established Muslim scholarship of every generation
which continues until this day. Yet 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 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 various deviant ideologies. A
man whose name would echo throughout history and send waves
throughout Islamic scholarship for centuries to come, Ahmad ibn
'Abd Al Haleem ibn 'Abd Al Salaam ibn Taymiyyah Al Harani, better
known as Shaikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah.
Amongst the most prevalent deviant ideologies of his time was creed
of Rejectionism. Sometime during the period between 704H and 709H,
it was brought to Ibn Taymiyyah's attention that a Shi'ite scholar
by the name of Muttahhir Al-Hilli[1] had authored a treatise in
defence of the Rafidite concept of Imaamate. The book was written
specifically for the Mongolian ruler of Persia at the time, Oljaitu
(also named by his people as Khuda-banda, Man of God), and was also
widely distributed to the many sub-rulers and laypeople who had
little grounding in their religion. Oljaitu was born a Christian
but later on accepted Islam along with his brother. After some time
he developed an affinity for Shi'ism due partly to a marital
incident that occurred in his life, but mainly due to the influence
of Mutahhir Al-Hilli with whom he had developed a close
relationship. Al-Hilli wrote for Oljaitu a work entitled Minhaaj
Al-Karaamah fee Ma'rifatil Imaamah (The Blessed Pathways in the
Recognition of Imaamate) extolling the virtues of the core Shi'ite
belief of Imaamate (as opposed to the core tenets of Islam laid
down in the Qur'an and Sunnah) in an attempt to sway his belief
away from mainstream Sunni Islam to that of Rejectionism. He
eventually succumbed and adopted Shi'ism around 709-710 AH as well
as announcing it as the official state religion of the time, even
necessitating the mention of the 12 imams 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 amongst
Ahl al-Sunnah, he was urged to refute the misconceptions and
outright falsehoods found within it. Ibn Taymiyyah felt bound by
the heavenly covenant taken by those blessed with knowledge and
entrusted with the inheritance of the Prophets, mentions at this
juncture:
"So, when they (those who brought Minhaaj Al-Karaamah to his
attention) kept pushing me in seeking a refutation to this clear
misguidance, mentioning that not doing so would be a disgrace to
the believers and that the people of transgression (from whom
originated these ideologies) would begin to think that we are
unable to provide answers in the face of these slanders, I wrote
what Allah 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 that they stand up for justice and
in bearing witness to Him. Allah has said, "O you who believe!
Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even though it
be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or
poor, Allah 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 witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is
Well-Acquainted with what you do."[An-Nisaa 4:135]
{يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا
كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّـهِ وَلَوْ عَلَىٰ
أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ ۚ إِن يَكُنْ
غَنِيًّا أَوْ فَقِيرًا فَاللَّـهُ أَوْلَىٰ بِهِمَا ۖ فَلَا
تَتَّبِعُوا الْهَوَىٰ أَن تَعْدِلُوا ۚ وَإِن تَلْوُوا أَوْ
تُعْرِضُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّـهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ
خَبِيرًا} النساء 135
Transliteration:Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo koonoo qawwameena
bialqisti shuhadaa lillahi walaw AAala anfusikum awi alwalidayni
waalaqrabeena in yakun ghaniyyan aw faqeeran faAllahu awla bihima
fala tattabiAAoo alhawa an taAAdiloo wain talwoo aw tuAAridoo
fainna Allaha kana bima taAAmaloona khabeeran
Thus distorting ["Al-Layyu" from "wa laa talwoo" in the verse] is
changing one's witness and to refuse to give it is in actuality to
conceal it. For Allah the Most Exalted has indeed ordained
truthfulness and its articulation whilst forbidding deceit and
concealment of it in as much as what is needed to make it known and
for it to be understood." [2]
'Indeed this book Minhaaj 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-Hilli's) Minhaaj
Al-Karamah. You will find it a comprehensive refutation of deviant
groups, specifically the Twelver Imaamiyyah Shi'ite who are
identified by their extremism in their beliefs regarding their
Imams, namely, their raising of them to a level above even that of
the angels and Messengers. They are also known by their belief that
the Qur'an has been distorted, and of course, their outright
cursing of the honourable and upright companions of the Messenger
of Allah (peace be upon him). These were the very companions who
strove with their lives and their wealth to propagate the true
religion and in raising the Word of Monotheism 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 (jurisprudence), hadith,
Qur'anic exegesis, language, philosophy, human psychology, logic
and knowledge of the inner workings of the various other sects and
religions is in and of itself awe-inspiring. Many of his other
works will generally focus on a specific area yet in Minhaaj
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
al-Sunnah.
In keeping with the core rationale of Ibn Taymiyyah's work on
Minhaaj As-Sunnah, he composes an elegant poem in refutation of
Al-Hilli's poetry which encourages the disavowal of Islamic
scholarship in favour of Shi'ite narrations, which for all intents
and purposes are overrun either by unknown and untraceable
narrators, or chains of narration that are extremely lacking.
Ibn Taymiyyah writes this piece as a beautiful reminder of the
characteristics of the Straight Path made clear for one possessed
of a pure heart and an unwavering sincerity to seek the truth. This
poem and its simple yet enduring 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.
The erudite polymath, Shaikh Al Islam, Taqi al-deen Abu al-Abbas
Ahmad ibn Abd al-Haleem, from the family of Taymiyyah, wrote:
When you wish to content yourself with a creed (madhab [3])
Receiving by which, a closeness (to Allah) and deliverance from the
Fire
Then profess (a creed) made from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah
which
Reached us by way of the Messenger of Allah and was conveyed by the
very best (of people)!
And leave off innovation and the religion of Rejectionism [4]
which
Would only serve to lead you, the one who calls to it, to the Fire
of Hell and a shameful disgrace
Rather travel behind the Companions of the Messenger (in their
path) for indeed they are
The stars of guidance, the very light of which guides those
traversing the Path
So depart [5] in droves from the Way of Rejectionism for it is an
establishment
Upon disbelief, its foundations laid on a crumbling precipice
[6]
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 [7]
So which of these two groups has the greatest right to His
(Allah's) Protection -
And guidance to the right path when the Creator passes His
Judgement!
(Will it really be) the one who curses the companions of the
Messenger and opposes the Book of Allah
And has not a care for affirming the reports (i.e. the ahadith)
[8]
(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 [peace be upon him] (the Ahl al-Bayt)?
[9]
_______________________
Footnotes:
[1] He is Jamalud-Deen Abu-Mansoor Al-Hassan bin Yusuf bin 'Ali bin
Al-Mutahhir Al-Hilli, a Shi'ite scholar born in 648H and died two
years before Ibn Taymiyyah in 726AH. He moved from his native Iraq
to Persia and was quite influential in the court of Oljaitu
Khudabanda.
[2] Ibn Taymiyyah. Minhaaj As-Sunnah. Vol 1, Chapter The necessity
of the scholars to convey the knowledge and to clarify the
misguidance of the Rawāfiḍ
[3] 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 hadith, fiqh, 'aqeedah etc. 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 Imam Abu Hanifa, Malik, Ash-Shaafi'i or
Ahmad bin Hambal, May Allah have mercy upon them all. However
linguistically the word is derived from its root "dhahaba" meaning
"to go". The specific form pattern in which the word "Madhab"
appears is known in grammatical terminology as an "ism makaan",
i.e. the place where the action of the root verb is carried out.
For example the root verb "sajada" meaning "to prostrate", when
placed into the "ism makaan" form pattern results in the word
"masjid", i.e. the place where the sajdah is carried out 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 'aqeedah that they are to follow if they
want to the success of what is mentioned in the following lines.
This is proved by the second part of the first line, "Receiving by
which a closeness to Allah and deliverance from the Fire". This
obviously cannot be in reference to a fiqh madhab since differences
within jurisprudence and derived rulings on issues not related to
belief have been ongoing since the time of the companions, may
Allah be pleased with them all. Differences amongst the scholars on
fiqh issues 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.
[4] The Religion of Rejectionism, i.e. Twelver Imaamiyyah
Shi'aism
[5] The verb "'Ajja" as used here refers 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,
literally run away in droves from such a destructive, evil path.
Imagine the scenes one sees when a natural disaster occurs, how
large masses of people are all fleeing 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, physical danger a mass of people may flee
from.
[6] A beautiful yet threatening similitude is made here between the
establishment of this sordid creed and that of "Masjid Diraar"
which Allah mentions in Surah Tawbah [9: 107-110]. Masjid Diraar
was a place of worship built in Madinah by the hypocrites at the
time of the Prophet (saw) with a secret, hidden intention, serving
as an outpost for the launch of attacks against Muslim. The Prophet
(saw) received revelation informing him of the true nature of this
"masjid" and the real intentions of those who built it. Within
these ayaat Allah mentions "Then is one who laid the foundation of
his building on righteousness [with fear] from Allah and [seeking]
His approval better or one who laid the foundation of his building
on the edge of a bank about to collapse ('alaa shafaa jurufin
haar), so it collapsed with him into the fire of Hell?" [Al Tawba
9:109]
{أَفَمَنْ أَسَّسَ بُنْيَانَهُ عَلَىٰ تَقْوَىٰ مِنَ اللَّـهِ
وَرِضْوَانٍ خَيْرٌ أَم مَّنْ أَسَّسَ بُنْيَانَهُ عَلَىٰ شَفَا
جُرُفٍ هَارٍ فَانْهَارَ بِهِ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ لَا
يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ} التوبة 109
Transliteration: Afaman assasa bunyanahu AAala taqwa mina Allahi
waridwanin khayrun am man assasa bunyanahu AAala shafa jurufin
harin fainhara bihi fee nari jahannama waAllahu la yahdee alqawma
alththalimeena
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 Dirar? 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 doubt Ibn Taymiyyah was right, this creed too is built on a
crumbling precipice by those claiming Islam, inevitably to crumble
without trace into the pits of the Fire along with the hypocrites
who built it!
[7] This is in reference to those that profess the creed of
Rejectionism. They themselves claim Islam and the title of "Muslim"
however the reality of their status is completely different. Thus
they may see themselves as Muslims, separating themselves by name
however they are one and the same and thus in effect "sharing the
same delusions" and ultimately the end of those they claim to be
different from.
[8] 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 hadeeth narrations and authentications. They reject established
books of hadeeth, 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 chain of
narration many times as well as the mention of numerous unknown
narrators who cannot be traced nor have any records attesting to
their character or lives even. This is all in stark contrast to the
science of Hadeeth within Ahlus Sunnah in which everything is
meticulously checked, verified and documented. The opposite of what
is mentioned in this verse, "Ithbaatul Akhbaar"
[9] As Ibn Taymiyyah states in his Aqeedah Al-Waasitiyyah, "They
(i.e., the Sunnis) love the people of the household of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him);
they regard them with love and loyalty, and they heed the command
of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) concerning them… but they reject the way of the Rafidah [the
Shia] who hate the Sahaabah and slander them, and they reject the
way of the Naasibis who insult Ahl al-Bayt in words and deed". 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 rifts
between the two when there isn't one
Source: http://www.islam21c.com
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