SECTARIAN STUDIES continued
Renegades Hiding under the banner of Ali (r.a.) ibn Abi Talib
While the Muslim world is bleeding under
Zionist,
Imperialist and
Brahmin assault, sectarians have taken the opportunity to spread their
vile doctrines in an attempt to undermine the foundations of
Islam.
Like the
munkareene Hadith, the sectarians attack the Sahaba (companions) of
Muhammad
(pbuh) through whom both the Qur'an and the Hadith were transmitted.
Munkareene Hadith claimed that they were proving their allegiance to
the Qur'an by attacking the Hadith. Similarly, the sectarians try to
make the
claim that they are attacking Muhammad's (pbuh) sahaba (companions)
because
they love Ali (r.a.) so much. This sectarian facade needs to be
demolished so
that the ummah can see that these sectarians are enemies of Islam and
renegades hiding under the banner of Ali (r.a.)
In my rebuttal I tried to make the sectarians see sense by
pointing out
that the people whom they take as their Imams, and who got their wisdom
from hadith coming down from Ali, NEVER ABUSED, INSULTED or DENIGRATED the
first three rightly guided Caliphs (r.a) or hazrat ‘Ayesha (r.a.). I quoted
from Imam Baqir and Imam Jafar to show that they not only respected Abu
Bakr, Umar
and Uthman (Allah be pleased with all three) but despised all those misled
agents of satan who insulted these three among the most pious servants
of Allah.
I thought that if these sectarians are the true followers of Ali
(r.a.), they would rein in their egos and repent of the blasphemies
they have
been distributing over the internet. Instead I got this message from one of
this group of satans who calls himself Dr. Masood Zaidi. He claims that
the hadith which show respect that the line of Ali (r.a.) had for the
greats of
Islam are fabricated! Of course, he gives no proof for his assertion.
This is what he says:
"your accusation against what you call secterians is garbagge that does
not deserve a response. What is the source for what you quote from our
Imams? These are obvious fabrications."
Hence I want to bring more evidence which would confirm that these
abusive persons are renegades. They do not respect even their own imams
and they violate the example which was set by Ali (r.a.) himself.
First there is the prima facie evidence itself: the behavior of Ali
(r.a.). One thing on which all Muslims are agreed is that Ali (r.a.)
was fearless and brave. He could face up to and defeat the strongest and
most ferocious of the unbelievers. His sword zulfiqar has become famous
because no one could withstand it.
This brave and fearless person took the oath of allegiance first to Abu
Bakr (r.a.), then to ‘Umar (r.a.) and then to ‘Usman (r.a.). He worked
with them and on occasion gave advice. He prayed behind them in the mosque
of the
Prophet (pbuh) for 24 years. When some misled elements attacked ‘Usman
(r.a.), Ali (r.a.) and his sons defended the Caliph.
Never was there any abuse, insult or questioning the credibility of
the three greats coming from Ali (r.a.) while they were alive. (The
renegades
claim that later, after they died, Ali, r.a., started attacking the
Caliphs
which amounts to a deadly form of backbiting, insulting the dead, which
goes against the character of Ali, r.a.)
The question arises, are the narrations from imams Baqir and Jafar
fabrications or authentic. Sectarians like Dr. Masood Zaidi say they
are fabrications, which means Ali (r.a.) and those in his line did not
respect
the three Caliphs. Thus Zaidi is making Ali (r.a.) into a hypocrite who
considered the first three Caliphs no good but took the oath of
allegiance to
them and prayed behind them. Hence my assertion that these sectarians
are not
followers of Ali (r.a) but enemies of Islam trying to create fitna and
fasad among the Muslim ranks in the manner of the Jew Ibn Saba who first
tried these tactics.
Let us look at what a Shi'ite (a follower of Ali) scholar has to say
about the imams in the line of Ali (r.a.):
"Zayn al-‘Abidin himself never spoke against the first two caliphs,
but during al-Baqir's lifetime some of the extremists who sided
themselves
with him started asking this question among the legitimist section of
the Shi'a. Al-Baqir was thus asked time and again what he thought of Abu
Bakr and
‘Umar, but he did not publicly discredit them and rather confirmed that
they were caliphs." (The Origins and Early development of Shi'a Islam by
Syed
Husain M. Jafri, published from Iran by The Group of Muslims, Qum, page
252. He extensively documents this point.)
He goes on to show that there were fringe elements (whom he calls
"extremists") who were constantly trying to get their imams to speak
against the greats of Islam.
Sectarianism as we know it now is product of historical issues
emanating from tragedies like Kerbala and the coming to power of the
Abbasids
who stole the Alawi rhetoric to gain support for the line of Abbas
(r.a.).
Dr. Masood Zaidi should be ashamed of calling himself "Zaidi" when
he is openly flouting the teachings of Zaid bin Zayn al-‘Abidin. Zaid
or Zayd
(more correctly) wanted to gain the support of the Muslim ummah against
the
kingship. Zayd found a compromise formula to bring together the line of
Ali (r.a.) and the rest of the Islamic community. According to Jafri:
"Zayd, agreeing with the Mu'tazilites, held that the first two caliphs
had been legally elected Imams, though Ali was the preferable candidate
..." (Ibid)
Jafri is very cynical about Zayd's intentions but he does concede the
basic issue:
"Zayd realized the fact that in order to run for the caliphate, he must
have the main body of Muslim opinion behind him, and must, therefore,
accept
the main body of Islamic traditions. Thus he expressed this attitude by
declaring his acceptance of Abu Bakr and Umar as legally elected
caliphs..."
We don't need to agree with Jafri but his scholarship is honest enough
to indicate that the way sectarians look at things NOWADAYS is the
product of
nothing original in Islam but a reaction to historical events. With
Jafar
as-Sadiq, according to Jafri, the doctrine of Shi'ism was developed in
a more symmetrical way. The ideas of taqiyya (dissimulation ) arose in
response to
the fear of the power of the Abbasids (Jafri p.298) and the idea of the
Mahdi who will supposedly return has similar origin.
Perhaps total frustration of the sectarians with the rest of the
Muslim world (which smiled at Alawi claims but would not accept them)
led to
the "re-writing" of history in order to attack not the Abbasids but the
greats of Islam, Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, Uthman, ‘Ayesha (Allah be pleased
with them) the people of paradise.
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2002-09-22 Sun 16:59ct