Shia Reasoning [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

.

1.
Tafseer
Fakhr Al-Razi, vol. 1 p. 436, 437, printed in Egypt, 1308 Hijra.

2.
(Shura:
194)

3.
(Baqara:97)

4.
Nahj
Al-Sa-adah, vol. 1 p. 188, printed in Beirut; Usool Al-Kaafi, vol. 8, p. 67, 2nd
print, 1389 Hijra, Tehran.

5.
Bihar
Al-Anwar, vol. 11 p. 42, 2nd print, Beirut, 1403 Hijra.

6.
For
further information of numerous narrations from the Shia point of view, stating
the honorable prophets seal of prophecy, refer toMafaheem al-Quran by Jaffar
Subhani.

7.
The
mentioned narrations has countless references of which we shall point to a few:

a.
Saheeh
al-Bukhari, vol. 6 p. 3 printed in Egypt, Bab Ghazawat Tabuk.

b.
Sahih
Muslim, vol. 7, p. 120, printed in Egypt, Bab Fazael Ali (p)

c.
Sunan
Ibn Majah, vol 1, p. 55, 1st print, Bab fazael Ashab Al-Nabi (p).

d.
Mustadrak
Al-Hakim, vol. 3, p. 109, printed in Beirut.

e.
Masnad
Ahmad vol. 1 p. 170, 177, 179, 182, 184, 185 and vol. 3 p. 32.

f.
Sahih
Al-Tirmidhi, vol. 5 p. 21 printed in Beirut, bab Manaqib Ali Ibn Abi Talib (p)

g.
Al-Manaqib
(Ibn Maqazili) p. 27, printed in Beirut, 1403 Hijrat.

h.
Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 37, p. 254, 2nd print, Beirut, 1403 Hijra.

i.
Ma-ani
al-Akhbar (Sadooq) p. 74, printed in Beirut, 1399 Hijra.

j.
Kanz
Al-Fawaed, vol. 2 p. 168, printed in Beirut, 1405 Hijrat.

Question 31:

What is the criterion for Taqiyya (precautionary
concealment)?

ANSWER:

Taqiyya is the concealment of the inner belief of ones
faith and convictions before the opposers for the purpose of preventing the
worldly, spiritual and religious losses, and it is one of the legal duties of
every Muslim, having its roots from the Holy Quran.

Taqiyya
from the Quranic point of view.

The holy Quran had many verses in
this regard that we shall mention a few of them:

a.
Let not the believers take the disbelievers for their
friends rather than believers; and whosoever does this, he shall have nothing
of the guardianship of Allah, but you should guard yourselves against them,
guarding carefully,.1.

This verse clearly
testifies to the reality that friendship with the non-believers is not
permissible except with the intention of taqiyya, protecting the self and
preventing dangers. Only in such a circumstance, can he apparently show
friendship and agreement with them,

b.
He who disbelieves in Allah after his having believed,
he is not compelled, while his heart is at rest on account of his faith, but he
who opens his breast to disbelief- on such is the wrath of Allah, and they
shall have a grievous chastisement.2

The interpreters
mentioned the following regarding the cause of revelation of this verse,

One day, Ammar bin
Yasir and his parents were persecuted by the infidels, and the non-believers
forced them to give up Islam and admit of infidelity and polytheism. Ammars
associates all witnessed to the oneness of Allah and the message of the
Honorable Prophet of Islam, thus due to this, a group of them attained
martyrdom and the rest died under torture by the enemies of Islam, however,
Ammar, inspite of his inner wish, did Taqiyya and apparently replied them
with the tongue of the infidel and got free.

Later on, when he
approached the messenger of Allah in a state of penitence, he was very anxious
of what he had uttered and thus the prophet consoled him. After which, the
mentioned verse was revealed in this regard.3

Considering this
verse, and the opinion of the commentator of the verse, it becomes evident that
concealing ones inner belief for the purpose of protecting ones soul and also
preventing any spiritual or material loss, was also
experienced right at the time of the holy Prophet and is therefore accepted by
Islam.

Taqiyya From The Shia Point Of View:

Right from the period of theUmmayid and Abbasid governments
along the lines of history, they had combats against the Shia and were prepared
to kill them under the slightest provocation4,
the Shia resumed to Taqiyyaaccording to the command of the Holy Quran. They
concealed their true beliefs thus saving both their own lives as well as the
lives of their brothers in those difficult circumstances.

It is clear that in
that atmosphere of oppression and suffocation, there was no other way
imaginable other than that of Taqiyya for the freedom from the deluge of
oppression that was threatening the Shia of destruction. Thus in the case where
the oppressing kings and their stooges did not happen to have any enmity with
the Shia and didnt make their merciless killing as the vignette for their
governments, there was perfect reason for the Taqiyya of Shias.

It is necessary to
mention that Taqiyya is not exclusive to the Shias only, rather other Muslims
also resorted to Taqiyya before the blood-shedding enmity that opposed all
the Muslim sects (as the Kharijites and the opposing governments who committed
any forbidden act) when could not confront them, thus concealing their inner
belief in order to protect their lives.

Therefore, if all the members of the Islamic society had
understanding with each other in their jurisprudential sects, and lived with
unity and harmony with each other, there remained no reason to adoptTaqiyya
among the Muslims.

Result: style='mso-bidi-font-weight:

Of the sum of what has transpired, the result is as follows:

Taqiyya
has a Quranic root, the prophets companions practice, and the honorable
prophets approval is a clear evidence of its occurrence and permissibility
right from the early period of Islam.
The
motive of the Shias Taqiyya was preventing the merciless massacre
against the Shia and the storms of oppression which threatened this sect
of destruction.
Taqiyya
is not exclusive to the Shia, but also exists among other Muslims.
Taqiyyais
not restricted to precautionary concealment before the infidels and
concealing the Islamic beliefs, however, the criterion has a broader
meaning which is the protecting the Muslims life. It is necessary a matter, to conceal the
inner beliefs before any blood-shedding enemy whom they dont have the
ability to resist and before whom the conditions for combat are not
prepared.
In
the case of mutual understanding among the members of the Islamic society,
there remain no grounds for Taqiyya among the Muslims.

a.
Al-Imran: 28.

b.
Nahl : 106.

c.
Refer to Al-manthoor, (wirtten by Jalal Al-deen
Al-Soyuti) vol. 4, p. 131, printed in Beirut.

d.
For further information on the merciless massacres
against the Shia by the Umayyad and Abbasids kings refer to: Maqatil
Al-talebiyyen (written by Abul-faraj Al-ameeni) and Al-Shia wal-hakimoon
(written by Muhammed Jawad Muqniyah)

Question 32:

In the Islamic Republic constitution of the Islamic state,
why do you the Shias consider the Jaffari sect as the countrys official sect?

ANSWER:

There is no doubt to the fact that all the Islamic sects,
from the Islamic Republics point of view, are greatly respected, however, the
Islamic Jurisprudential sects (such as the Jafari, Maliki, Shafe-e, Hanbali,
hanafi and ) dont share the same thoughts and have many differences amongst
them when going on further to expound the peoples individual and social duties.

On the other hand, for the purpose of compiling the civil
laws and the organization of regulations in the society, there is an extreme
need for the harmony and concordness of the mentioned regulations.

Thus one can only consider a single Islamic sect for the
organizing of the social regulations in a special area due to the fact that in
the case of variety of sources of legislation, one can never compile a set of
harmonious and concord rules and regulations.

Therefore, it is
suitable to determine only one of the Islamic Jurisprudential sect that has an
accurate criterion, as the source of the social rules and regulations, in order
to prevent any chaos and discord in the countrys laws; thus making the way
smooth for the compilation of a chain of harmonious and concord regulations in
the civil, social and economic grounds.

The criterion for
choosing the Jaffari Sect:

Yet another question is raised here and that is what is the criterion for choosing the Jaffari sect among all the
Islamic jurisprudential sects as the source for regulating the countrys rules
and regulations?

The answer to this question is quite clear and that is
because of the fact that approximately all the People in Iran
are Muslims who declare the Jaffari sect as their belief and the expounder of
their social and individual and moral duties. Thus, it becomes clear that
choosing the Jaffari sect in the Islamic constitution is but natural and in
perfect accordance with all the logical as well as legal criterions.

Respect and Position Of The Other Islamic Sects:

In the constitution
of the Islamic republic, the Jaffari sect is declared as the official sect,
whereas the other sects that include Shafe-e, hanbali, hanafi, Maliki and Zaidi
are also respected, and the followers of these sects are free to follow their
principles according to their respective sects in the following fields:

Performing
religious ceremonies
Practicing
their own Religious teachings and Education.
Performing
their personal works.
Special
religious regulations such as in: marriage, divorce, inheritance, wills
etc.

Furthermore, in the territories where each of the mentioned sects are a
majority, the local regulations are all in the limits of the councils
authorities and is in accordance to that particular sect, at the same time, the
rights of the followers of the other sects are also respected.

Now in order to provide further clarification
on this matter, let us go on and present the twelfth rule of the first section
from this constitution of the Islamic republic to this regard:

The official religion is obviously Islam and the Jaffari Ithna ashri
sect. This rule is unchangeable. Other Islamic sects including the Hanafi,
Shafe-ee, Maliki, Hanbali and Zaidi, who maintain perfect respect and the
followers of these sects are free to apply their own regulations in performing
religious ceremonies, religious teaching and education, other privileged
conditions (marriage, divorce, inheritance, wills) and the related litigations
have officially, in courts and in any territory where the followers of these sects
are in majority. The local regulations
in the limits of the council authorities are according to the sect, with the
protection of the rights of the followers from other sects.

In the light of this rule, the respect and
position of all the Islamic sects becomes clear from the viewpoint of the
Islamic republic constitution.

Question 33:

Do the Shia consider the prayer
of witr midnight prayer as
being obligatory?

ANSWER:

The witr is one of the
supererogatory night-prayers, and its performance is recommendary for all the
Muslims and the followers of the messenger of Allah. However, the Shia jurisprudents, in the light
of the book and the tradition, have mentioned certain specific matters as the
characteristics of the honorable prophet, one of which being the watr prayer
that was made obligatory for him

Allama Hilli in the book,
Tathkirat Al-Fuqaha mentions about seventy things to being unique and
exclusive to the prophet (p), it starts by mentioning,

As for the duties obligatory only toward him and not the others in his
nation are:

a. Brushing of the teeth. b. Al-witr prayer.

Sacrificing
of an animal on the day of sacrifice.

It was narrated
from the Holy Prophet that:

Three things are obligatory upon me and not upon you: Tooth-brushing, watr-prayer and sacrificing.1

Thus, the witr prayer according to the Shia point of view
is only obligatory upon the honored prophet (p) and is reccomandary for the
other Muslims.

1.Tadhkirat al-Fuqaha, vol. 2, kitab Al-Nikah, fourth introduction.

Question 34:

Does the belief in the super-natural power of Gods friends
cause polytheism?

ANSWER:

It is quite clear that whenever a human requests something
from someone, it is because of his ability of
performing that particular thing.

This
ability is in the framework of natural and material powers, such as asking
a person for a glass of water.
Sometimes
this ability is an unseen power that is beyond the material and natural
framework. Such a persons belief
in such a super natural power, in case of its dependence, is just as the
belief in a natural and material power to humans, in the same manner can
God also can also grant supernatural ability to some of his pious slaves.