Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

www.alhassanain.org/english

The Shi'a and their Beliefs

Author: Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Al-Shirazi

Translated by: Ali Adam

Published by: Fountain Books

Frist English edition, 2008

ISBN: 1-903323-12-6

www.alhassanain.org/english

Notice:

This version is published on behalf of www.alhassanain.org/english

The composing errors are not corrected.

Table of Contents

Foreword 7

The Shia in Brief 9

The Creed of Shia and Sunna 11

Introducing the Shia 12

Islam in the View of the Shia 14

1. Shia Doctrine 14

2. Shia View of Islamic Law 16

The Five Laws 17

Sources of Islamic Law 18

Governance in Islam 19

Power in Islam 20

Sources of Public Wealth 21

Islamic Freedom 22

3. The Islamic System in the View of the Shia 24

Shiite Doctrine 28

Divine Unity (tawhid) 28

Prophethood (nubuwwah) 29

The Prophets 30

Islam 31

The Qur’an 33

Direction of Prayer 34

Imamate 35

The Awaited Imam Mahdi 36

Infallibility 37

Allegiance and Dissociation 38

Resurrection 39

Divine Decree 40

Compulsion and Delegation 41

Dissimulation 42

Temporary Marriage 43

Prostrating upon Pure Earth 44

Combining the Prayers 45

Intercession 46

The Building of Shrines 47

The Visiting of Graves 48

Weeping and Mourning for Imam Husayn 49

No to Slandering and Excommunication 50

Mandatory Duties and Islamic Laws 51

Islamic Morals 52

The Single Nation 53

Cleaning up Society 54

Restoring the Glory of Islam 55

Invitation to Islam 56

Awakening the Muslims 57

Shia Culture 58

General Statistics 58

The Shia and the History of Islam 59

The Shia and Islamic Sciences 60

Successors of the Prophet 61

A Brief History of the Imams 62

Fatima al-Zahra’ daughter of the Prophet 63

Hadith from Fatimah al-Zahra’(AS) 63

The First Imam 65

The Virtues of Ali 65

Hadith from Amir-ul-Mu’minin (AS) 66

Amir-ul-Mu’minin, Imam Ali (AS) also said: 66

The Second Imam 70

Hadith from Imam Hassan (AS) 70

The Third Imam 72

What others have said about Imam Husayn 73

The Fourth Imam 74

Hadith from Imam Zayn al-A idin (A) 74

The Fifth Imam 76

Hadith from Imam Baqir (A) 76

What others have said about Imam Muhammad al-Baqir 77

The Sixth Imam 78

Hadith from Imam Sadiq (A) 78

What others have said about Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq 79

The Seventh Imam 80

Hadith from Imam Kadim (A) 80

What others have said about Imam Musa al-Kadim 81

The Eighth Imam 82

Hadith from Imam Rida(A) 82

What others have said about Imam Ali al-Rida 83

The Ninth Imam 84

Hadith from Imam Jawad (A) 84

The Tenth Imam 86

Hadith from Imam Had i (A) 86

The Eleventh Imam 88

Hadith from Imam Askari (A) 88

What others have said about Imam Hasan al-Askari 88

The Twelfth Imam 90

Hadith from Imam Mahdi (A): 90

Evidence for the Shiite Point of View 92

The Evidence for the Successorship of Ali 92

1. The Warning of his close family 92

2. The Day of Ghadir 92

3. The tradition of the ‘station’ 93

4. Successorship of other Imams from Prophet’s family 93

5. The tradition of the two weighty things 94

6. The tradition of the Ark 95

Shiism in the eyes of Sunni scholars 96

Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi 97

Shaykh Shaltut 98

The Edict in Full 99

Shaykh Muhmoud Shaltut answered: 100

Sources for Information on Shiism 100

Afterword 101

Transliteration 102

The Author 105

Notes 107

Foreword

In ancient times before human beings stepped upon this earth, a dialogue took place. The angels of the heavens were surrounding the divine throne glorifying the praises of their Lord and never wearying. When Almighty Allah willed it He created mankind, and the dialogue began, as the scene is depicted for us in the Quran thus: “Now your Lord said to the angels: ‘I am placing a vicegerent (khalifah) in the earth.’ They said: ‘Will you place therein one who will cause corruption therein and shed blood, while we glorify your praise and exalt you?’ He said: ‘I know what you do not know1 .

Allah creates Adam, peace be upon him, and he descends to the earth bearing within himself ideas, feelings and needs. Little by little the number of individuals increases and societies grow. Some individuals stand face to face in battle and war for their own selves and their interests. Here the mercy of Allah becomes apparent in that he sends messengers and prophets for the guidance of mankind and to save them from the seas of ignorance and error, and take them to felicity and comfort.

But mankind rebels against the prophets and messengers and instead of engaging them in insightful dialogue creates a rowdy atmosphere which takes many forms including refusing to listen, throwing stones, scorning, fathers preventing sons [from following the messengers], and, at its most severe, murder and dissension. On the other hand, we see the behaviour of the prophets and the messengers - kind words, replying to bad with good, bearing hardships, and so on which stems from their faith and their refusal to adopt these violent means.

The dialogue continued on this course until Islam came. Amongst the scenes depicted for us by the Holy Quran regarding the dialogue which took place in ancient times, we see that mankind is invited to reflection and to peaceful and purposeful dialogue and to return to the Allah given human nature (fitrah ) and to disavow violence in discussing the issues that concern him.

We notice always in the dialogue that there is a truth which is right and proper to follow after its features have been made clear and the shadows have been removed from it, and after its vital form has been given to it in order to arrive at the desired reality. Dialogue has a number of courtesies which should be observed during discussions, many of which are laid out for us in the Holy Quran in a number of verses, for example invitation [to Islam] with wisdom and fine preaching2 ; demonstrating clear proofs and evidences3 ; listening and then following the best of speech4 , and so on.

It is on this basis that that the late supreme religious authority Imam Sayyid Muhammad al-Husayn: al-Shirazi, he of encyclopaedic knowledge, universal thought and scope, and Islamic output, undertakes to introduce the school of the household of the Prophet Muhammad (ahl al-bayt), peace be upon them, so that the world may come to know their straight way and the benevolent message of Islam and the happiness it leads to in this world and the next.

Imam Shirazi wrote in a simple and attractive style, and his writings have been translated into a number of languages, and they are distributed in the greatest of Islamic conferences namely the yearly .ajj pilgrimage. This book constitutes a collection of Imam Shirazi’s short works regarding the school of the Prophet’s household which clarify many misconceptions about the school.

The Shia in Brief

The Shia (or Shi’ites) are those Muslims who follow [after the Prophet Muhammad] Ali ibn Abi Talib Commander of the Believers, and his pure progeny, peace be upon them.5 They constitute more than 500 million people and are spread throughout all the Muslim lands and make up minorities of differing number in most other countries of the world. Their numbers have increased day by day particularly since the crystallisation of Islamic thoughts and the opening of the door to dialogue and the rejection of blind partisanship.

They believe in Allah as their Lord, Cherisher and Sustainer, in Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him6 , as their prophet, in Islam as their religion, in the Quran as their holy book, in the Kabah in Mecca as their direction of prayer (qiblah), in the questioning in the grave by the angels Munkar and Nakir, in the accounting on the day of resurrection, in heaven and hell, and in all that Allah’s messenger - Muhammad (S) - brought from his Lord.

They also establish the daily prayer (Salah), and pay the ftithe (khums) and obligatory alms (zakah), and they fast the month of Ramazan, and make pilgrimage to the Holy House in Mecca, and they make it incumbent to struggle with might and main (jihad) in the way of elevating the word of Islam, and they enjoin what is good and they forbid what is bad, and they ally themselves with the friends of Allah, and are against the enemies of Allah. They are foremost in good and charitable deeds, and are steadfast in fulfilling extra and recommended acts of worship, and adopting virtues and avoiding unlawful things and vices.

They believe that Islam is a complete religion which was revealed by Allah for the happiness of mankind. Hence, everything in Islam should be implemented in the various areas of life since there is no happiness without implementing the laws of Islam and having no need for the laws of the east or the west.

Almighty Allah has said: “And whoever desires other than Islam as a religion, it will never be accepted from him and in the afterlife he will be amongst the losers7 Also, in the traditions it is said: ‘That which Muhammad has declared lawful will remain lawful until the day of resurrection and that which he has declared unlawful will remain unlawful until the day of resurrection’8 . They also believe that it is obligatory to unite the Muslims under one banner as Almighty Allah has ordered: “And hold on firmly to the rope of Allah and do not be disunited9 and eAnd do not dispute amongst yourselves so that you will fail and your power will go10 .

They also believe that it is necessary to solve the differences that have arisen and caused disunity between Muslims, doing so in the light of the book of Allah and the authentic traditions (sunnah) far from different groupings and hateful and unwarranted partisanships and cliques.

They also believe that any law which goes against Islam is unlawful and wrong and should not be acted upon, as Almighty Allah has said: “And whoever does not rule by what Allah has revealed, then they are the unbelievers11 .

The top scholars of the Sunni school of thought have ruled that it is permissible to follow and adopt the Shiite school of thought. They include Shaykh Mahmud Shaltut the former rector of the University of al-Azhar in Cairo, Egypt and others.

The Shia are distinguished in that they hold that the door to independent legal judgement (ijtihad) remains open; and in that reason (aql) is central to the divine law as well as the Quran, the traditions and consensus. They have a glowing history from the dawn of the message of Islam until today. The Shiite element was the most active in establishing Islamic thought and in building Islamic civilisation. They have to their credit innumerable writings.12 They have a tremendous number of schools, institutes, libraries, scholars and preachers in Islamic and non-Islamic lands.

They controlled [throughout history] a number of states in differing lands.13 They distinguished themselves throughout history with their long struggle against the unbelievers, the crusaders, the heretics, the Zionists and the colonialists. All along the way there was between them and their Sunni brothers brotherhood and friendship and interaction and companionship.

They are found today in most if not all of the countries of the world. However, the main Shia population centres are Iraq, Iran, the Gulf states, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Indonesia. Currently thay have educational and cultural institutes and top scholars in Najaf, Karbala, Baghdad, Kadhimiyyah, Samarra, Beirut, Cairo, Qum, Khurasan, Tehran, Karachi, Mumbai, Jakarta, Kuwait, Qatar, Ahsa’ and QaUif provinces (Arabia), Afghanistan, Damascus, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Jordan, African countries, Europe, America and elsewhere.14

The Creed of Shia and Sunna

The world’s Muslims are divided into two groups - the Shia who number more than 500 millions, and the Sunnis who make up the rest of the Muslims. There is no difference between the two groups regarding the three fundamentals of the religion which are:

1. Belief in monotheism (tawhid).

2. Belief in prophethood (nubuwwah).

3. Belief in the resurrection (maad).

All Muslims believe in the existence of the one diety who is eternal and everlasting, all-knowing and all powerful, ever living and self subsisting, having no partner, and having all the beautiful attributes.

All Muslims also believe that Allah sent rightly guided prophets to mankind as guides to direct them to the truth and to happiness in this world and the next, and that Muhammad ibn Abdullah (S) is the ‘seal’ or last of the prophets and that there is no prophet to come after him. Similarly, all Muslims believe that when a person dies and his/her body perishes his/her soul (or spirit) remains and he/she will be brought back to life on the day of resurrection. Whoever has done good in the earthly life will be of the people of the garden of heaven and bliss, and whoever has done ill in the earthly life will be of the people of punishment and hellfire.

As for divine justice (adl)15 , the Shia believe that Almighty Allah is just and does not wrong anyone and does not act without purpose.

And as for Imamate, the Shia believe also that the Prophet of Islam Muhammad (S) appointed twelve successors and said: ‘The successors (khulafa’) after me will be twelve.’16 He (S) also said: ‘Whoever dies without knowing the Imam (leader) of his time has died the death of the age of ignorance.’17 These twelve successors were named18 by the messenger of Allah (S) himself and they are, in order:

1. Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (Amir al-Mo’mineen) (a.s.).

2. Imam Hasan ibn Ali. (al-Mujtaba) (a.s.).

3. Imam Husayn ibn Ali (Sayyid al-Shuhada) (a.s.).

4. Imam Ali ibn Husayn (al-Sajjad) (a.s.).

5. Imam Muhammad ibn Ali (al-Baqir) (a.s.).

6. Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad (al-Sadiq) (a.s.).

7. Imam Musa ibn Jafar (al-Kadim) (a.s.).

8. Imam Ali ibn Musa (al-Riza) (a.s.).

9. Imam Muhammad ibn Ali (al-Jawad) (a.s.).

10. Imam Ali ibn Muhammad (al-Had:) (a.s.).

11. Imam Hasan ibn Ali (al-Askar:) (a.s.).

12. Imam Muhammad ibn Hasan (al-Muntadar al-Mahdi) (a.s.).

The last of the successors of these pure people is the Imam who is Muntadar (the awaited) Mahdi (rightly guided Imam) who is alive in this world but hidden from sight and who will appear at the end of time when Allah grants him permission so that he can fill the earth with justice and equity after it having been filled with wrongdoing and oppression. Then the servants of Allah will unite under his banner in a single Islamic government which will flourish by the will of Allah. There are widespread traditions about him reported from the Prophet Muhammad (S).19 The Shia have brought forward proofs and evidences for these two fundamentals of religion (osool al-deen) - divine justice and Imamate - from both rational and traditional sources. As for the ‘branches’ of Islam (furu al-deen) meaning the acts of worship and social contracts and all other laws and rulings of Islam, Shia Muslims have stated that the sources for them are four:

1. The Holy Quran. This is the book which is in the hands of the Muslims today. It has neither been added to or subtracted from.

2. The Purified Traditions (the sunnah) reported from the Prophet (S) and his pure family (a.s.).

3. The consensus (ijma) of the Muslims.

4. Reason.

They have also said that the door to independent legal judgement (ijtihad) is open, so whoever derives - according to the proper conditions - a ruling from these four sources may act upon it.

Introducing the Shia

The word ‘Shia’ is derived from an Arabic word meaning ‘following’. The word Shia is applied in the Holy Quran to the followers of Noah (a.s.) as Almighty Allah says: “And indeed amongst his followers (Shia) was Abraham20 The Prophet (S) applied the name Shia to the followers of Imam Ali (a.s.) and named them with this name, and it is related by historians and traditionalists of the Shia and the Sunni schools alike in their books that the Prophet (S) said: ‘O Ali, you and your Shia (followers) are the ones who will triumph.’21 Thus the followers of Imam Ali (a.s.) were known by this name from the days of the Messenger of Allah (S) who was the first to apply this name to them. And since the speech of the Messenger (S) is revelation from Almighty Allah who has said in the Holy Quran [referring to the Prophet]: “And he does not speak of his own desire, it is nought but revelation revealed to him22 it follows that naming the Shia this name is nothing but revelation from Almighty Allah.

The Shia are those Muslims who follow Amir al-Mo’mineen (Commander of the Believers) Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) and his pure sons (a.s.) after the Messenger of Allah (S); and this is following the order of the Noble Messenger (S) who said before his death: ‘I am soon to be called and will answer, and I am leaving with you the two weighty things (thaqalayn). As long as you adhere to these two you will never go astray after me ever; the book of Allah and my family; the people of my house.’23 The Messenger of Allah (S) also said: ‘Ali is with the truth and the truth is with Ali.’24

He (S) also said: ‘There will occur dissension after me. When this happens then align yourselves with Ali ibn Abi Talib for he is the first who will see me and the first who will shake my hand on the day of resurrection and he will be with me in the highest heaven and he is the criterion (al-faruq) between truth and falsehood.’25 He (S) also said: ‘There will occur dissension after me. When this happens then align yourselves with Ali ibn Abi Talib for he is the criterion (al-faruq) between truth and falsehood.’26 He (S) also said: ‘Amongst the people there will occur schism and difference but this man (meaning Ali [a.s.]) and his companions are in the right.’27

The Shia are also named the ‘Imamites (imamiyah)’ as they believe in the imamate of Ali, Amir al-Mo’mineen (Commander of the Believers), and his eleven sons and grandsons (a.s.).

They are also named the ‘Jafarites (jafariyah)’ since they follow the Imams of the people of the prophet’s house (the Ahl al-Bayt) in matters of what is lawful and unlawful since these Imams are most knowledgeable of the book of Allah and what the Messenger of Allah (S) said. The sixth of these Imams is Jafar ibn Muhammad (known as ‘al-Sadiq’, ‘the truthful’). He was able to propagate Islamic teachings - the fundamentals (osool al-deen), branches (furu‘ al-deen), etiquettes (adab) and ethics (akhlaq) - in a more comprehensive and complete manner, something which conditions did not permit the rest of the Imams to do in such a complete way. The Shia took from Imam Jafar most of the features of their religion and for this reason they are related to him. The other Imams did not have as much opportunity to do this as they met with troubles as in the time of Ali and his sons Hasan and Husayn (a.s.), or with oppression and terror from the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphs. However, Imam Sadiq (a.s.) lived during a period in which the Umayyad dynasty was in decline and the Abbasid dynasty was in ascendance and he took the opportunity to spread the realities of Islam on a wide scale. The Shia are also named the ‘Twelvers (ithn" Ashariyah)’ as they believe in the Imamate of the twelve Imams of the Prophet’s house, the prophet having said: ‘The successors after me will be twelve in number.’28

The Shiite sect, then, is a practical form of Islam as the Prophet (S) and his pure household put forward. The other Islamic sects are practical forms of Islam as put forward by these particular sects’ leaders.

Islam in the View of the Shia

Islam in the view of the Shia consists of doctrine (aqidah), law (shariAh) and system (nidam).

1. Shia Doctrine

The Shia believe in Allah as their Lord, who is just and who has no partner or associate (sharik). They believe in Muhammad (S) as their Prophet, in Islam as their religion, in the Quran as their holy book, in the Kabah in Mecca as their direction of prayer (qiblah), and that all that Muhammad brought from his Lord was the truth, and that Allah will bring back to life those who are in the graves, and that heaven and hell are realities, and that mankind has freedom to choose in this life (without compulsion or delegation) and that if he acts well he will be rewarded for it and if he acts badly he will be punished for it.

The Shia also believe that the religion of Islam is complete and lacks nothing, as Allah revealed it and the trusty Messenger (S) and his pure successors (a.s.) propagated it. It is the one religion which must be followed in doctrine and in actions and any deviation from it brings about calamity in this life and tribulation in the next life, while adherence to it brings about happiness in this life and the next. It is a complete way of life that addresses the human being in his entirety. Hence it is concerned with nurturing the soul or spirit just as it is concerned with nurturing the body, it deals with values as well as with systems.

The fundamentals or roots of the religion in the view of the Shia are five in number:

1. Divine unity.

2. Divine justice.

3. Prophethood.

4. Imamate.

5. Resurrection.

Divine unity means that Allah is one and has no partner and no equal as Almighty Allah has said in the Quran: “Say: He is Allah unique, Allah the eternal, He begets not nor was He begotten, and there is none like unto Him29 Divine justice means that Allah is just and does not wrong anyone or tolerate wrongdoing.

Prophethood means that Allah by His grace has sent prophets to mankind to clarify the way of good and bad and to direct them to the good and prevent them from the bad. Imamate means that the Messenger of Allah (S) appointed, by order of Allah, his twelve successors to come after him and named them one after the other and specified them by name and epithet and fathers’ and mothers’ names just as every Imam specified the succeeding Imam. Hence it is obligatory to follow them and to take the features of the religion from them. Their names were mentioned previously [on page 13].

Resurrection means that Almighty Allah will revive creation on the day of resurrection and reward those who do good and punish those who do bad. eAnd whoever does a speck’s weight of good will see it and whoever does a speck’s weight of bad will see it30 . tails of these five fundamentals please refer to the books and encyclopaedias of the Shia such as: sharh al-tajrid31 , Abaqat alanwar32 , al-ghadir33 , al-fusul al-muhimmah34 , or al-murajat35 . These are amongst thousands of books authored by the Shia scholars in this regard.

2. Shia View of Islamic Law

In the view of the Shia, Islamic law or shariah consists of:

1. Acts of Worship. These are the acts by which nearness is sought to Allah and include daily prayers (Salah), fasting (sawm), tithe (khums), almsgiving (Salah), pilgrimage (hajj), struggle (jihad), purification (taharah), spiritual retreat to the Mosque (itikaf), and enjoining the good and forbidding the bad etc.

2. Contracts (muamilat) such as selling, renting, endowments and mortgages etc.

3. Ethics (akhlaq) which consist of: virtues which Islam has made either obligatory or recommended such as truthfulness, honesty, bravery, chivalry, activity and the like; and vices which Islam discourages either by forbidding or by considering them reprehensible such as betrayal, lying, cowardice, inactivity, causing corruption etc.

4. Etiquettes (adab) which are the actions Islam considers to be courtesies such as the courtesies of sleep and wakefulness, of marriage, or of gatherings, travel and the like.

5. Laws (ahkam) which comprise obligatory (wajib), forbidden (haram), recommended (mustahab), reprehensible (makruh), and neutral (mubah). They are also divided into taklifiyah (duty bound) and wadiyyah (statuary) such as the laws of marriage and divorce and inheritance, and justice, penal codes and compensations.

The Five Laws

There are five types of laws (ahkam):

1. Obligatory (wajib).

2. Forbidden (haram).

3. Recommended (mustahabb).

4. Reprehensible/Discouraged (makruh).

5. Neutral (mubah).

Obligatory acts are those which Islam has made compulsory such as prayer, fasting, almsgiving, pilgrimage, and struggle. Forbidden acts are those which Islam prevents such as drinking alcohol, eating pork, gambling, dealing in usury, and adultery. Recommended acts are those which Islam encourages with permissibility of not doing them such as daily optional prayers (nafilah, pl. nawafil), recommended charity, and fulfilling other people’s needs.

Reprehensible acts are those which Islam discourages without making them forbidden such as divorce. Neutral acts are those the doing of which or not doing are considered equal in the view of Islam such as the drinking of water.

Sources of Islamic Law

The Shia believe that the sources from which Islamic law is derived are four in number and are:

1. The Holy Quran.

2. The Traditions (sunnah). These are the sayings, actions and ratifications of the Messenger of Allah Muhammad (S) as well as that of the infallible Imams of his household (Ahl al-Bayt) (a.s.).

3. Consensus (ijma).36

4. Reason. It is related that ‘Allah has two proofs [over mankind] - an outward proof which is the prophets, and in inward proof which is reason.’37

Therefore, the Shia take their legislation from the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Messenger (S) and his pure household (a.s.) acting upon the tradition of the ‘two weighty things’.38 They also consider these four to be the source of Islamic legislation and that no individual or group may legislate a law which goes against them as any other legislation is false. Almighty Allah has said: “And whoever does not rule by what Allah has revealed, then they are the unbelievers39 .

A great deal in the way of Quranic exegesis, jurisprudence, traditions, information about the beginning of creation and the end of time, fundamentals and branches of the religion and other branches of knowledge have been related from the Prophet Muhammad (S) and his household (a.s.). The scholar Muhammad Baqir al-Majlis: collected a large amount of these traditions in over 100 volumes and named the book Bihar al-Anwar (Oceans of Lights). In these traditions there is enough to grant the Muslims, indeed the whole of humanity happiness in this world and the next.

Governance in Islam

The Shia believe that there are two aspects to ruling in the view of Islam:

1. A permanent aspect concerned with the ‘ruler’ and the ‘law.’ Thus the ruler must be male, a believer, of pure birth (not illegitimate), and a jurist. The law must be derived from the four sources of legislation.

2. A developing aspect concerned with the way in which the Islamic Law is implemented. This aspect is subject to independent legal judgement and it is the responsibility of the jurist-consults/authorities to make their views known in this aspect according to stipulated legal checks and balances.

Power in Islam

The Shia also believe that holy struggle (jihad) is a kifaie (common) obligation whereas defence is an ‘ayni (individual) obligation40 . Hence, it is mandatory for the Islamic state to prepare the requisite number of Muslims by the ways mentioned in Islamic law so that it may have a preventative force which will protect them and their interests wherever they are.

This power is not solely confined to military power but includes intellectual, economic and industrial power so that the prophetic tradition ‘Islam is above all and none shall be above it’41 may be realised.

Sources of Public Wealth

The Shia believe that the sources of public wealth are the khums (tithes), zakah (obligatory alms), jizyah (tax paid by non-Muslims living under the protection of the muslim state), kharaj (tax paid on certain categoriesof land), tijarah (trading), and such like. This wealth is spent in ensuring the public good and preventing individual hardship so that under the reign of the Islamic government no public good is left neglected and no one suffers from poverty or that his/her essential needs are not met.

The Shia also believe that Islam allows private ownership on condition that the wealth is obtained legally and that the owner pays his dues on it. Under no circumstances is the wealth of the people to be usurped. At the same time, Islam protects the rights of the worker and the farmer as well as those of the employer and landlord so that there is no inflation or no feudal system, and no ‘cheap/free labour’ or oppression.

Islamic Freedom

The Shia believe that freedom is one of the fundamental goals of Islam; for Allah sent his noble Prophet Muhammad (S) to: “Put off their heavy burdens and the fetters that were upon them”42 The Muslim then has full freedom to express his/her opinion in speech and in writing as well as full freedom in his/her social contracts, to travel, to marry, and to trade.

This wide scale freedom which Islam gives to its people prepares the practical and psychological climate for success in its efforts so that the Islamic society grows and flourishes. For this Islam, firstly, combats the four causes of backwardness which are:

1. Ignorance. Islam works to make education general by making learning compulsory as in the tradition: ‘The seeking of knowledge is an obligation for every Muslim man and woman.’43 Islam also encourages the learning of different sciences as in the tradition: ‘If the people knew the benefits of seeking knowledge they would seek it even by crossing the seas and shedding one’s blood.’44 Also amongst many other traditions it is said that: ‘The Angels lower their wings to the seeker of knowledge [in humility before them].’45

2. Poverty. Islam prohibits idleness, prevents unemployment, and encourages those who are able to work to do so and makes the State responsible for those who are incapable of work.

3. Illness. In Islamic Law there are many laws which are there to prevent and cure many diseases. Furthermore Islam actively promotes medicine to be widely available. In the traditions: ‘Knowledge is of two types - knowledge of religion and knowledge of bodies (i.e. medicine).’

4. Vice. Islam bases society in a way that no-one is forced to commit vices and puts in place preventative punishments - under stipulated conditions - for those who do.

Secondly, Islam works to promote peace and stability so that there is an environment for the flourishing of industry, trade, agriculture, and construction.

Islam also frees up all powers & energies to take part in encouraging growth: it frees up human potential since it makes marriage easy and prohibits adultery, it strengthens the pillars of the family and encourages a high birth rate so that the Islamic nation may be the largest as well as the most powerful. It also sets free the potentials of land and water for ‘the land belongs to Allah and whoever develops it’46 , and water belongs to whoever stakes it off and uses it, and any Muslim can develop or plant what land he/she is able to.

Islam also frees up the potentials of labour since there should be no borders between Islamic lands and all of Islamic lands are a wide area for the use of all Muslims, and any Muslim may travel and work and live anywhere he/she wishes.

All Muslims are also brothers in Allah. Hence there are no sectarianism, tribalism, nationalism, or racism in Islam. These are the bare bones of the ideas of the Shia in a number of fields and these are the bases upon which the Muslim entity was raised when it was raised high and touched the clouds and was so wide that the clouds did not encompass it.