Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Imamate; Divine Guide in Islam

Author: www.shiapen.com
Publisher: www.shiapen.com
Category:

• Chapter One: Introduction
• The Qur’an and Imamah by Abu Muhammad al-Afriqi
• Chapter Two: Defining the concept of Imamate
• Reply
• The necessity of Hujjutullah [Imamate] for the survival of the earth
• Reply One: Sunni scholars have deemed believing in the presence of Hujutllah from the Ahlulbayt (as) to be a necessity
• The Imam is Hujuthullah
• Reply Two: Sunni belief in Awliyah mirrors the Shia belief on Imamate
• Reply Three: Sunni belief in Abdaal is similar to Shia belief that the Imams are Hujutallah
• Reply Four: The Hadith of the Holy Prophet (s) proves the presence of Imam for every time
• Reply Five: The Sunni Ulema have stated that the earth requires the existence of an Imam
• Chapter Three: The doctrine of Imamah from a Sunni perspective
• The root cause of our difference is Imamate
• Reply– The Prophet (s) said that he would be succeeded by twelve Khalifas
• The Sunni interpretation of the twelve Khalifa’s Hadith
• A discussion on a version of Hadith which says that the Ummah will agree upon all twelve caliphs
• Chapter Four: The Takwini and Tashri’i authorities of Prophets and Imams
• Chapter Five: The doctrine of Imamate from a Shi’a perspective (Part I)
• [1]: Understanding the concept of appointment from a logical perspective
• [2]: Imamate is a Divine Rank
• Reply One – The Quran confirms that only Allah (swt) designates Imamate
• Reply Two – Allah (swt) told Rasulullah (swt) to appoint an Imam to succeed him; Surah Inshirah, verse 7-8
• Shi’a transliteration
• Sunni transliteration
• Reply Three – According to Sunni sources Rasulullah (s) said that Allah (swt) designates leadership
• Reply Four – A Sunni scholar’s admission that the appointment of the Imams was divine
• Reply Five – Ayesha acknowledged that the appointment of Khalifas is a divine one
• Reply Six – The Ahl’ul Sunnah believe that the appointment of Imam Mahdi (as) is a divine one
• Reply Seven – A Salafi scholar’s attempts to revise his aqeedah to match that of the Shi’a
• Reply Eight – The testimony of Hajr-e-Aswad (Stone of the Kaaba) to the Imamate of Imam Zayn’ul Abideen (as) proves that the appointment of Imams is a divine one
• “Muhammad bin Hanafeeya claimed that he was more deserving of Imamate
• Imamate and inheritance was the right of Imam Zayn’ul Abideen (as)
• Comment
• [3]: The Twelve Imams to be followed
• Reply One – This is indeed our belief and we have accordingly interpreted the twelve Khalifa’s Hadith in this way
• Reply Two – Sunni scholars have also affirmed this belief
• [4]: Imamate and Prophethood are two separate ranks
• Reply
• [5]: The authority to abrogate religious laws
• Reply One: Nawasib present the tradition in twisted form
• Reply Two – The Imams ruled according to the Shari’a
• Reply Three – The Sunni Ulema have bestowed the powers of abrogation upon their leaders
• [6]: Do Shias worship their Imams?
• Reply One
• Reply Two
• Reply Three
• [7]: The multi faceted role of Imamate
• Reply One – Imamate is a multi faceted divine right
• Reply Two – The Ahl’ul Sunnah believe that Imamate is a divine right
• [8]: Infallibility of the Imams
• Reply One
• Reply two – The Sunnis believe that non Prophets can be Infallible (Masoom)
• Reply Three – Sunni scholars have confirmed that the Shi’a Imams are Masoom
• Reply Four- The Deobandis have attributed infallibility to their own Ulema
• [9]: Taking religion from the infallible Imams
• Reply One – Rasulullah (s) instructed us to take our understanding of religion from the Ahl’ul bayt Imams
• Ihya Ulum id Din Volume 1 page 281, Book of Worship
• [10]: Hadith narrated by the Imams
• Reply
• Chapter Six: The doctrine of Imamate from a Shi’a perspective (Part II)
• [1]: Believing in Imamate is on par with believing in Tawheed and Nubuwwat
• [2]: Rejecting Imamate is tantamount to rejecting Prophethood
• Reply One – The curse on Harith ibn Numan proves this to be the case
• Reply Two – Momin are those that are firm in their belief about the khilafath of ‘Ali (as)
• Reply Three – Momin are those that accept the superiority of Ali (as)
• Reply Four – Momin are those who submit to the authority of the Gate of repentance Maula ‘Ali (as)
• [3]: Did the vast bulk of the Sahaba apostatize after the death of Rasulullah (s)?
• Reply One
• Reply Two
• [4]: Deliberately rejecting the Imams is Kufr
• Reply One – Rejecting the bounties of Allah (swt) is kufr
• Reply Two- The Prophet (s) differentiated between belief and disbelief on the basis of successor
• Reply Three – Rejecting the Imams, that Allah (swt) associated as the Ark of Salvation is kufr
• Reply Four – Rejecting the signs of Allah (swt) makes one a Kaafir
• [5]: Rejecting the Imams is on par with rejecting Allah (swt)
• Reply – The Sunnis also believe rejecting Imams is tantamount to rejecting Allah (swt)
• [6]: Rejecting the Imams is on par with rejecting all Prophets (as)
• Reply One
• Reply Two
• Reply Three
• [7]: The position of false Imams
• Reply One
• Reply Two
• Reply Three
• Reply Four
• [8]: The enemies of the Imams are Kaafir
• Reply
• [9]: One who refuses to obey the Imam is a Kaafir
• Reply One
• Reply Two
• Reply Three
• [10]: Afriqi’s efforts at creating Fitnah by using Shia belief of Imamate
• Reply One
• Reply Two
• Reply Three – The Sunnis also deem the rejecter of ‘their’ Imams to be Kafirs
• [11]: The difference between a Mumin and a Muslim
• Reply One – Allah (swt) draws a distinction between a Mumin and Muslim in the Qur’an
• Reply Two – Mumineen are those that deem Maula ‘Ali (as) to be their Imam and have turned to him for Guidance
• Reply Three – Mumineen are those that deem ‘Ali (as) to be their Maula (Master)
• Reply Four – Mumineen are those who love Imam Ali (as) through word and deed
• [12]: Paradise for the Mumins
• Reply One – All Sects believe that Paradise is exclusively for them
• Reply Two – Paradise is exclusively for the Shi’a
• Reply Three – The deeds of believers will be weighed in accordance with our love for the Imams
• [13]: Salvation on adhering to the Hujutallah (Imam)
• Reply One – The actual Hadith refers to adhering to the divinely appointed Imam
• Reply Two – Deeds must be accompanied by correct aqeedah
• Reply Three – The door of repentance is available for those with correct aqeedah
• The Imam is Hujjutullah
• Reply Four – Nawasib believe that Rasulullah (s) guaranteed paradise for Yazeed
• Reply Five: The reason Nawasib attack the authority bestowed on the Imams of Ahl’ulbayt (as) for providing salvation to their followers is because their own caliphs were deprived of such blessings
• [14]: Differing rights for a Mumin and Muslim
• Reply One
• Reply Two
• Reply Three
• [15]: Differing ranks of Mumin
• Reply One – Different levels for believers can be proven from Qur’an
• Reply Two – Different levels for believers can be proven from the Books of Ahl’ul Sunnah
• Reply Three – Those that love the Ahl’ul bayt (as) will have a special position with the Prophet (s) on the Day of Judgement
• Chapter Seven: The doctrine of Imamate from a Shi’a perspective (Part III)
• [1]: The Imams possession of the knowledge of Prophets and Angels
• Reply One
• Reply Two
• Reply Three
• Reply Four – The Ahl’ul Sunnah believe that the Ruh (spirit) of Imam Ghazali conversed with Nabi Musa (as) decades before his birth
• [2]: The knowledge of previous books possessed by the Imams
• Reply One –The Qur’an encompasses all previous books
• Reply Two – Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (as) confirmed that he possessed knowledge of all the divinely revealed books
• Reply Three – The Sunni claim that their scholars possessed knowledge of Loh al-Mehfooz [Preserved Tablet]
• Comment
• Reply Four – A kaafir’s knowledge of the unseen enabled him to possess a knowledge of Monkey Shari’ah
• [3]: The Imam’s knowledge of the unseen
• Reply One – Allah (swt) granted knowledge of the unseen to Rasulullah (s)
• Reply Two – The Imams inherited the knowledge of the unseen that had been bestowed on Rasulullah (s)
• Comment
• Reply Three – Allah (swt) grants the Knowledge of unseen to his chosen ones [Awliya] through inspiration and other ways
• Reply Four – Knowledge unravels the secrets of the hidden
• Reply Five – Those with a knowledge of the Book can unlock the secrets of Ghayb
• Reply Six – Some incidents from Sunni texts about the knowledge of Unseen held by Imams of Ahl’ulbayt (as)
• Imam Ali (as) foretold a person about the nature of his death
• Imam Hassan (as) foretold the birth of a child to one of his follower
• Imam Taqi (as) gave news of the unseen at a young age
• Reply Seven- Sunnis have attributed knowledge of the Unseen to their caliphs and Ulema
• Sunnis believe that Abu Bakr foretold the gender of a child in the womb and knew when he would die
• Umar was able to foresee a calamity hidden behind a mountain
• Uthman was able to tell the hidden intentions of the people
• Maulana Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi knew the intention that his follower kept in his heart
• Maulana Rao Abdur Rahman Khan (Deobandi) was able to see the face of the unborn children
• Deobandi elder Khuwaja Abu Muhammad predicts the arrival of a learned male heir from the womb of a woman that was hitherto unmarried
• Our challenge to Nawasib to abandon the Sunni faith on account of their beliefs about knowledge of the unseen
• [4]: The Imams are the masters of this world and the next
• Reply
• [5]: Miracles bestowed on the Imams
• Reply One – Understanding the concept of Miracles (Mu’jizaat)
• Reply Two – The Imams inherited all the miracles / knowledge of the Prophets as they were heirs of Prophetic knowledge
• Reply Three – Some miracles of the Imams of Ahlulbait (as) from Sunni sources
• Maula Ali (as) attached the detached hand of a person to his body
• Imam Hasan (as) made ripened dates on a dry tree
• Imam Hussain (as) made scarce water from a well overflow
• Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) ripened dried dates, turned a man into dog and then restored him back to his original state
• Reply Five – Sunnis have attributed miracles to their caliphs and other Sahaba
• According to Sunnis Caliph Umar could coverse with the dead
• According to Sunnis Khalid bin Waleed turned wine into honey
• Reply Six: According to Sunnis their Ulema possessed miracles including the miracles of past prophets
• End Comments
• [6]. The ability of the Imams to raise the dead
• Reply One- Quran confirms that Allah (swt) grants such ability to his chosen ones
• Reply Two – Examples of the Imams of Ahlulbait raising the dead from Sunni sources
• Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) brought dead birds in to life
• Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) brought a dead cow to life
• Reply Three – The Ahl’ul Sunnah believe that the Sahaba could raise the dead & Salafi attestations to it
• Reply Four – The Ahl’ul Sunnah believe that Shaykh Abdul Qadir Gilani could raise the dead
• Reply Five – The Ahl’ul Sunnah have attributed the power to raise the dead to their Ulema
• [7]: The Imams meeting with angels
• Reply One – The Qur’an proves that angels can visit non Prophets
• Reply Two: Sunni Ulema believed that pious people can maintain contact with angels
• Reply Three – Angel Gibrael visited Sayyida Fatima al Zahra (as)
• Reply Four – Imam Hasan(as) testified that the angels visited the Ahl’ul bayt (as)
• Reply Five: Angels visited Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (as) and conversed with him
• Reply Six – The Ahl’ul Sunnah believe that the Sahabi Imran bin Hussain visited by angels
• [8]: All the deeds of men are presented before Imams
• Reply
• [9]: The role of Imam (as) during Laylatul Qadr (Night of Power)
• Reply
• [10]: The knowledge of unseen in respect of knowing the death of others
• Reply One
• Reply Two: Rasulullah (s) foretold of the deaths of the Kufar of Badr that included where they would die
• Reply Three: Rasulullah (s) foretold the land in which Imam Hussain (as) would be martyred
• Reply Four: Imam Baqir (as) foretold the death of Zayd ibn ‘Ali
• Reply Five: Imam Kazim (as) foretold the death of his jailor
• Reply Six: Imam Raza (as) foretold the death of another man
• [11]: Imams knowing the time of their death and having authority over it
• Reply One: The Ahl’ul Sunnah themselves believe that all Prophets are given authority over their deaths
• Reply Two: The Ahl’ul Sunnah believe that Prophet Musa was given authority over his death and he was foretold his time of death time
• Reply Three: The Holy Prophet (s) foretold his death and was also given authority over it
• Reply Three – Some incidents from Sunni sources wherein Imams of Ahlulbayt (as) foretold their own deaths
• One – Maula Ali (as) foretold his death
• Two – Imam Baqir (as) foretold his death
• Three – Imam Kazim (as) foretold his death
• Four – Imam Raza (as) foretold his death
• Five – Imam Taqi (as) foretold his death
• Reply Four- The Ahl’ul Sunnah have attributed knowledge of one’s death to Sahaba and scholars
• One – Umar knew when he would die
• Two: Abu Bakr knew when he would die
• Reply Five- The Ahl’ul Sunnah have attributed to their scholars the knowledge of their death as well as authority over it
• One: Imam of Ahl’ul Sunnah Muhammad bin Talha Shafiyee knew exactly when he was going to die
• Two – The Deobandis believe that one of their scholars not only knew the details of his death but possessed the authority to delay it
• Three – Ahl’ul Sunnah believe that Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani was given more authority over deaths than the angel of death
• [12]: The Imams knowledge over whether a person is destined for Heaven or Hell
• Chapter Eight: The doctrine of Imamate from a Shi’a perspective (Part IV)
• [1]: Prophetic allegiance to the Imams
• Reply – The earlier Prophets were granted Prophethood after the acceptance of Wilayah of Ali (as)
• [2]: Wasilah of the Imams
• Reply One - Adam (as) made tawassal through the Ahl’ul bayt (as)
• Reply Two- A Deobandi’s claim that Nuh (as) made supplication through the ‘rightly guided khalifas’
• [3]: The wilayah in previous divine books
• Reply One: Sunni source about the Wilayah of Ali bin Abi Talib (as) in previous divine books
• Reply Two: According to the Sunni Ulema, Rasulullah’s prophecy of twelve khalifas was mentioned in the Torah
• Reply Three – The Chief Christian Priest of Najran identified recognised the Ahl’ul bayt (as) from Divine Scriptures
• Reply Four: According to Ahl’ul Sunnah the Torah contained a complete description of their 2nd caliph Umar bin Khattab
• [4]: The equal rank of the Prophet (s) and Imam Ali (as)
• Reply one
• Reply Two
• Reply Three
• First equal rank – In creation
• Second equal rank – In purity
• Third equal rank – In lineage
• Fourth equal rank – In discharging obligations
• Fifth equal rank – In love and hatred
• Sixth equal rank – In obedience
• Seventh equal rank- In authority
• Eighth equal rank – In abandonment
• Ninth equal rank – In causing pain
• Tenth equal rank – In being abused
• Eleventh Equal rank – Jealousy of them
• Twelfth equal rank – Aggression against them
• Thirteenth qual rank – In dispensing justice
• Reply Four: Hadith Manzilah proves the equal rank of Prophet (s) and Maula Ali (as)
• [5]: The superiority of the Imams over previous Prophets
• Reply One – The Qur’an confirms that the divine rank of Imamate is superior to the divine rank of Prophethood
• Is Prophet’s Wilayah higher in status or his Prophethood?
• Reply Two
• Reply Three – The Imams are superior from the perspective of knowledge
• Reply Four – The Imams are superior from the perspective of religious rank / duties
• Reply Five- Those that Allah (swt) deemed ‘Aleen’ are superior to Prophet Adam (as)
• Reply Six – Maula Ali (as) is superior to previous Prophets in respect to the performance of deeds
• Reply Seven– The nafs of Maula Ali (as) is greater than all previous Prophets
• Reply Eight – Sunni traditions depict the Shaykhayn as superior to the Prophet (s)
• Reply Nine – Sunnis believe that Imam Abu Hanifa is superior to Prophets
• Reply Ten – The Deobandi themselves believe that a mere follower can be equal or even superior to his prophet
• Reply Eleven – The Deobandi’s belief that some saints are superior to prophets
• Reply Twelve – The Deobandi’s believe that their Ulema are superior to the Prophets
• [6]: Superiority of the Imams over the Angels
• Reply One – Believers are superior to angels
• Reply Two – Infallible people are superior to the chief angels
• Reply Three – The Imams are also superior to the angels from the perspective of knowledge
• Chapter Nine: The doctrine of Imamate from a Shi’a perspective (Part V)
• [1]: The Imams possession of the belongings of past Prophets
• Reply One – Maula Ali (as) inherited the belongings of past Prophets (s) to fulfil their covenant of Nusrat (help) to Rasulullah (s)
• Reply Two – The Imams possessed these items as the true inheritors of the Prophet (s)
• Reply Three
• [2]: Imam Ali (as) being the distributor of Heaven and Hell
• Reply
• [3]: Maulana Manzoor Naumani’s hilarious conclusion as to why Sunni texts are absent with information about Imamate?
• Reply One – The Shaykhayn went to extreme lengths to ensure that the concept of divine appointment was suppressed
• Reply Two – The Ahl’ul Sunnah remained aloof from the Imams (as) preferring the company of their enemies
• Reply Three – The Ahl’ul Sunnah’s most esteemed Hadith collector intentionally rejected the traditions of the Sahabi Abu Tufayl (ra) that would have invited the Ahl’ul Sunnah to the path of the Ahl’ul bayt (as)
• Reply Four – The Imam of Ahl’ul Sunnah rejected the narrations of the Imams of Ahl’ul bayt (as)
• Reply Five – The early Sunni caliphs prohibited taking narrations from Ahl’ul bayt (as)
• Reply Six – The Imams relayed the knowledge of the Prophet (s) that the Sunni State had sought to suppress
• Reply Seven: A man from Numani’s own school loved to attribute things to Prophet (s)
• [4]: Is the Shi’a belief in Imamate and the powers associated with it tantamount to accepting the continuation of Prophethood?
• Reply One – The Shi’a Ithna Ashari are in no doubt that Muhammad (s) is the Seal of all Prophets
• Reply Two – The Du’a of Ibrahim (as) proves that Imamate has not come to and end
• Reply Three – Hadith Manzila proves that Maula Ali (as) possessed the duties that were associated with the Prophethood of Prophet Harun (as)
• Reply Four – The Imams have continued the main office / function of Rasulullah, the propagation of the Deen
• First Proof
• “Completion of promises
• The start and end of Deen
• Second Proof
• Reply Five– The Sunni Ulema have themselves stated that there is no difference between Prophets and Imams except of prophethood
• Reply Four: Allah (swt) endows those that he appoints as his Imams with the common attributes associated with Prophethood
• Reply Five – A Deobandi scholar believed that an exclusive attribute of the Prophet could be possessed by others
• Reply Six: A Deobandi Mullah possessed the excellence of lengthy fasts, previously possessed only by the Prophet (s)
• Reply Seven- The writings of the Deobandi Ulema demonstrate that they believe in the continuation of Prophethood
• Chapter Ten: The doctrine of Imamate from the Qur’an
• Reply One
• Reply Two
• Reply
• The terms Imams association with apostasy in the Quran
• Reply
• Prophetic duties
• The provision of guidance [Hidayah]
• First Hadi – Allah (swt)
• Second Hadi – Prophets
• Third Hadi – Imams
• Does the verse 24 of Surah Sajdah refer to the appointment of Prophets?
• Reply One – Shah Ismail Shaheed’s acknowledgement that this verse (amongst others) refers to Allah (swt)’s appointment of non Prophets
• Reply Two – The criteria for Imamate is set out in this verse
• Reply Three-The term Imam should be taken as what it means
• Reply Four – Allah (swt) has intentionally compared Muhammad (s) and his Ummah to Musa (as) and his Ummah
• A Guide for every people
• Supplications for Imams
• Reply One
• Reply Two – Three Ul’il Azm Prophets supplicated for divinely appointed positions
• Comment
• Similarly we have the du’a of Nabi Musa (as)
• The word ‘Imam’ in Surah Isra verse 17
• Reply One – The Nasibi has intentionally confused the term Imam in this verse
• Reply Two – The literal meaning of Imam is known to all
• Reply Three – The scholars of Tafseer have interpreted the term as Imam not Prophet(s)
• Reply Four – A book of deeds can never be defined as Imam
• Reply Five – Sunni Tafseer’s have also cited the fact that this verse refers to the Imam of our time
• First Commentary – Tafseer Tabari
• Second Commentary – Tafseer Qurtubi
• Third Commentary – Tafseer Mazhari
• Fourth Commentary – Tafseer Ruh al Ma’ani
• Fifth Commentary – Tafseer Khazan
• Sixth Commentary – Tafseer Baghawi
• Seventh Commentary – Tafseer Fathul Qadeer
• Eighth Commentary – Tafseer Durre Manthur
• Ninth Commentary – Tafseer Thalabi
• Tenth Commentary – Tafseer Kabeer
• Eleventh Commentary – Tafseer Tanveer’il Miqbaas better known as Tafseer Ibn Abbas
• Twelfth Commentary – Tafseer Uthmani
• Comment
• Thirteenth Commentary – Tafseer Kanz ul Iman by Imam Sayyid Ahmad Raza
• Fourteenth Commentary – Tafseer Hussaini
• Overall summary
• Al Afriqi’s efforts at connecting verses to prove the Imam means Prophet
• Reply One – The Nasibi has produced evidence that his Madhab rejects
• Reply Two – Sunni report: Rasulullah (s) said that his witness testimony would be restricted to those that he saw during his lifetime
• Comment
• Reply One
• Reply Two – This position contradicts the Qur’an
• Reply Three – This notion is illogical
• Reply – The Nasibi has exposed his hypocrisy
• Refuting Afriqi’s baseless conclusion
• Vicar, deputy; successor
• When your Lord said to the angels: Indeed, I am placing a vicegerent in the Earth
• A challenge to Ansar.Org
• Chapter Eleven: Obeying the Ul’il Amr
• This verse deems obedience to the Ul’il Amr obligatory
• First Problematic issue – Is obedience to the political leadership and army leadership unconditional?
• Second problematic issue – Is obedience to irreligious leaders unconditional?
• Third problematic issue – How do you resolve a dispute between the categories of Ul’il Amr?
• Fourth problematic issue – Can power really be shared by two Wali al Amr’s at one time?
• Identifying the true Ul’il Amr
• The consequence of deeming the Ul’il Amr to be a man made process
• Chapter Twelve: Nasibi objection at the false claimants of Imamate
• Disagreement over the Imamate between Imam Zayn’ul Abideen (as) and Muhammad Hanafiya (ra)
• Reply
• The Tesimony of Hajar al-Aswad
• Mukhthar Thaqafi and the problem of Muhammad Hanafiya’s Imamate
• Reply
• Did Zayd Shaheed really claim Imamate for himself?
• Reply
• Discussion between Imam Muhammad Baqir (as) and Zayd Shaheed (ra)
• Reply
• The dispute of over the ‘Imamate’ of Muhammd Nafs Zakiya
• Reply
• The time to time appearance of disagreement among the Shi’a about Imamate
• Reply
• The Conclusion of the topic drawn by Maulana Azam Tariq al-Nasibi
• Reply
• Chapter Thirteen: The Nasibi methodology of producing the Abdullah Ibn Saba card to negate the doctrine of Imamate
• The reference to Abdullah Ibn Saba in Bihar al-Anwar and Rijal al-Kashi
• Reply One
• Reply Two
• The false assertion that Ali (as) being the Wasi of the Prophet (s) was the brainchild of Ibn Saba
• Reply One: The belief was advanced by the Holy Prophet (s)
• Reply Two: Prominent Sahaba such as Imam Hassan (as), Abu Tufayl (ra) etc attested to Ali (as) being Wasi of Prophet (s)
• Reply Three: The Imams of Ahle Sunnah also believed Ali (as) to be the Wasi of Holy Prophet (s)
• The false assertion that the practice of Tabbarrah upon the enemies of Ali (as) was introduced and propagated by Ibn Saba
• Reply One – The enemies of Ali (as) are hypocrites as per the words of the Prophet (s) making them deserving of Tabbarrah
• Reply Two – Imam Ali (as) would curse his nemesis Muawiya as would his sons
• Reply
• Chapter Fourteen: Conclusion