Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Shiism in Sunnism

Author(s): Ayatullah Sayyid Muhammad Ridha Mudarrisi Yazdi

Publisher(s): Ansariyan Publications - Qum

www.alhassanain.org/english

Table of Contents

Translator’s Preface 5

Notes 5

The Editor’s Introduction 6

Notes 8

An Introduction to: Recognition of the Imams in The Light of Traditions 9

What are Imamate and Caliphate? 10

The Continuation of Imamate and the Necessity of Recognition of Imam 11

Imams are twelve in number and all from Quraysh 14

Confession and Deviation 18

The Ahl al-Bayt’s Claim to Imamate is Truthful 19

Who are the Prophet’s Household? 22

The Ahl al-Bayt’s Claim to Imamate 24

Continuation of the Presence of Members from the Ahl al-Bayt (a.s) 25

Imams Are From the Prophet’s Household (the Ahl al-Bayt) 26

Shi’a Traditions are Proof for everyone 29

Knowing the Names and Personalities of the Imams 30

Imam Ali, Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn (a.s) 30

Imam Ali Ibn Al-Husayn (a.s) 30

Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir (a.s) 31

Imam Ja’far Al-Sadiq (a.s) 31

Imam Musa Al-Kazim (a.s) 32

Imam Ali Ibn Musa Al-Riza (a.s) 32

Imam Muhammad Al-Taqi Al-Jawad (a.s) 32

Imam Ali Al-Naqi Al-Hadi (a.s) 33

Imam Hasan Al-Askari 33

Imam Al-Mahdi 33

Imam Mahdi’s Occultation 33

Notes 34

Ijtihad and Taqlid 41

Lexical Meaning of Ijtihad 41

Idiomatic Meanings of Ijtihad 41

Ijtihad in its general meaning 41

Ijtihad in its Special Meaning 42

Sources of Ijtihad 43

Examining the proof of the Holy Qur’an 43

Examining the proof of the tradition 43

The Ahl al-Bayt’s Tradition 44

The first reason for proof of the Ahl al-Bayt’s tradition 44

The second reason for the proof of the Ahl al-Bayt’s tradition 46

The Proof of the Companion’s Sunnah 48

The Proof of Consensus 50

The Proof of wisdom (Common Sense) 50

The Proof of Qiyas, Istihsan and Masalih Mursalah 50

Qiyas (analogy) 50

Istihsan (approbation) 50

Masalih Mursalah 51

Adducing Mu’adh’s tradition 52

Sunan Ibn Majah, Kitab Al-Muqaddamah (introduction) 53

The Abandonment or Allowance of Practicing Ijtihad 53

The Dangers of Ignorant Prejudices 55

Concluding Abandonment or Permission of Practicing Ijtihad 56

Notes 57

Wuzu (Statutory Ablution) in Allah’s Book and the Prophet’s Tradition 61

The Quality of Washing the Hands 64

The Quality of Rubbing the Head 65

Rubbing or Washing the Feet? 66

Pronunciation with jarr vowel (arjuli) 67

Another instance of jarr due to an adjacent noun 68

Pronunciation with the nasb vowel (arjula) 69

Ablution in the Prophet’s Tradition 70

The Ultimate Solution for the Problem of the Traditions of Washing (The Feet) 73

Notes 74

Tradition and Heresy in Adhan (Call to Prayer) 77

Shi’a and the religious outset of Adhan 77

The viewpoint of the Sunnis 78

Examining the Tradition of Dream 80

The Chapters of Adhan and Iqamah 81

Hayya Ala Khayr al-Amal 82

Discussion on Tathwib 83

Scholars’ Views on the Origin of Tathwib 84

Examining the Traditions of Tathwib 86

The tradition of Nisa’i 86

The traditions of Abu Dawud 86

Testimony to Ali’s (a.s) wilayah in Adhan 87

Notes 88

Simultaneous Performance of Prayers 91

Prayer Times According to the Holy Qur’an 92

Examining the Honorable Verse 93

Simultaneous Performance of Prayers according to Traditions 95

Traditions in Sahih Muslim 95

The traditions of Sahih Al-Bukhari 96

The traditions of Musnad Ahmad 98

The traditions of other Books 98

Misinterpretations of the Traditions of the Simultaneous Performance of the Prayers 99

A Summary of Jurisprudents’ Opinions 101

The Hanafite’s Opinion 101

The Shafiite’s Opinion 101

The Malikite’s Opinion 102

The Hanbalite’s Opinion 102

Some narrators and Shafiites’ Opinion 102

Ibn Shibramah’s Opinion 102

Ibn Mundhir and Ibn Sirin’s Opinion 102

Notes 102

Prostration in the Tradition of the Prophet (a.s) and the Companions 105

Lexical and Idiomatic Meaning of Prostration 105

Traditions about Prostration 106

Opinions of Some Companions and Scholars 108

Notes 110

Translator’s Preface

In the Name of Most Exalted

الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمْ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا

“This day have I perfected for you your religion and completed My favor on you and chosen for you Islam as a religion.”

This is what Almighty God revealed to His Prophet (a.s) in Ghadir Khumm, favoring mankind with a perfect religion. Believing in Islam as the most perfect religion requires not only a life in accord with its principles but also a constant attempt to discover the reality and spirit of it.

“Shiism in Sunnism” is an invaluable step in the direction of such an attempt, of which I had the honor of translation. I can hardly, if ever, praise Allah for the wisdom and capability He has bestowed on me. In fact, ‘this is of the grace of my Lord.’1

I am greatly indebted to my parents for their sincere support throughout my life. I am also thankful to my professors without whose guidance I could not accomplish this translation, which is as a drop in the ocean. I dedicate this first translation experience of mine to the Commander of the Believers, Imam Ali (a.s), as an offering for “the day when We call every people with their Imams”2 and “the day on which property will not avail, nor sons.”3

Hamideh Elahinia

Esfand, 1381

March, 2003

Notes

1. Holy Qur’an, Naml (27), Verse 40.

2. Holy Qur’an, Isra’ (17), verse 71.

3. Holy Qur’an, Shu’ara’ (26), verse 88.

The Editor’s Introduction

Getting acquainted with my professor: it was a hot day in Tir (the fourth month of the Iranian Calendar corresponding to June-July), 1379 (2000 AD) and I had finished sat’h (intermediate level) examinations at the Hawzah (Islamic theology school). From the very same day, I got determined to further my studies in Islamic jurisprudence and principles (kharij fiqh wa usul). Those who have experienced this know quite well that benefiting from a fully qualified professor plays a great role in one’s success, and I was deeply aware of this fact.

Summer was coming to its end and choosing my professor was becoming a sophisticated concern for me. The middle of Shahrivar (the sixth month of the Iranian Calendar corresponding to August-September) was coming, which was the beginning of the academic year in the Hawzah, and I was so anxious. Choosing my professor had so much engaged my mind that it was my sole request from God in my pilgrimage (Ziyarah) to the holy shrines of Imam Reza (a.s)1 and Lady Fatima Ma’suma (a.s). Meanwhile I consulted so many trustee people to reach my purpose.

Finally, by God’s favor, I joined the circle of study of my dear professor, Ayatollah Hajj Sayyid Muhammad Reza Mudarrisi Tabataba’i Yazdi.

The professor’s lectures were vital to me and brought academic cheerfulness for me. I got to understand better the meaning of traditions praising knowledge, studying and teaching,2 and this honorable verse seemed so new to me as though it had just been revealed:

وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَحْيَا النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا

And whoever keeps it alive, it is as though he kept alive all men. (Holy Qur’an 6:32).

In order to praise Allah and thank my professor, I was looking for an opportunity to help him instead. This became possible when one day he asked me for help after his lecture. He said he had written about some jurisprudential issues during the previous years but could not arrange them due to his busy schedule. The professor suggested that I may make them ready for publishing. I accepted wholeheartedly and started the work a few days before Muharram (the first month in the Hijri Calendar).

Now, after six months, I have always been engaged in this work. In my trip to Qazvin for religious training, and then in Qom, I spent most of the nights to prepare the book until dawn. When I was in Qom, I used the books in Ayatollah Mar’ashi Najafi’s Library and also technical library of Ayatollah Sistani and available software. In Mashhad too, I benefited a lot from the library of Astan Qods Radhawi and the library of Goharshad Mosque, thanks God for all this.

These written materials were five pamphlets to which another one was added after being written entitled “Prostration in the Tradition of the Prophet and the Companions.” In all these materials, besides the interesting method of posing the discussion, technical way of posing and terminating the issues, power of analysis, reasoning and concluding, what was eye-catching was the way the traditions of the Sunni were benefited from. Moreover, the professor had fortunately used the most valid books of the Sunnis as well as their most authentic traditions.

Of course, the basic references of these materials are our Sunni brothers, but reading them is so useful for clearing the reasons as well as the roots of the Shi’a viewpoints, especially since they have been conveyed so eloquently. A report of the primary materials: The first pamphlet entitled “An Introduction to Knowing the Imams in the Light of the Traditions,” is about the Imamate of the twelve Imams (a.s). It was published for the second time in 1359 (1980). Despite the solid discussions, right arrangement of chapters and excellent materials, there were some problems in printing. Its typesetting, for example, was done by old printing machines. Lack of vowels in Arabic parts as well as necessary footnotes reduced the attraction of the book.

During my last visit to Mashhad, I saw the book in the library of Goharshad Mosque and told the person in charge that I will soon give them a new edition of it. Among the advantages of this new edition are: adding new traditions, explanation of some vague traditions, the quality of adducing the Twelver Shi’a from the traditions of “Imams are twelve in number” and some worthy points I have never seen elsewhere. For instance, in a footnote, some uncommon traditions of the Sunni about Mahdawiyyat (the Affairs of Imam Mahdi) are discussed.

The second pamphlet entitled ‘Ijtihad and Taqlid’ is a jurisprudential-discoursal discussion. I have studied various books in this regard, each having some advantages, but none of them is as worthy as this book. The professor in this book, avoiding repeated and useless issues, has comprehensively discussed about Ijtihad and Taqlid in a comparative method. This part was first published using manual printing-machine in 1372 (1997) for the Conference of Islamic Unity in Zahidan.

The third, fourth and fifth pamphlets in jurisprudence were also written later to be presented to the same conference. The titles of these chapters are ‘Tradition and Heresy in Adhan,’ ‘Ablution in the Qur’an and Tradition’ and ‘Simultaneous Performance of Prayers’ respectively. Among these three chapters, the last two were included in the Al-Mu’jam Al-Fiqhi Software, Third Edition of the Institute of Ayatollah Al-Uzma Golpaygani and is now available in the Information Bank. These three chapters and the next one, despite being too technical, have been arranged in a way that most people, like students and the youth, can use with a little attention and pondering.

The last pamphlet was written after the arrangement of the previous five ones and was submitted to me for editing.

What I did in these pamphlets was,

(1) researching about the verses and the traditions and materials quoted from other books and adding new sources to them and,

(2) inserting necessary footnotes for better understanding and reducing the sophistication of the contents. These materials are signaled with (Editor) in the footnotes.3

Anyway, the discussions in this book are in the form of a sincere scientific conversation and are provided with the purpose of illuminating the truth. Our purpose is hence: “Scientific Conversation; Practical Unity”. It is hoped that the book help the readers know Islam better, and may Allah favor the author, the readers and I. In the last days of preparing this book, it crossed my mind to dedicate it to the Great Lady of Islam, Fatimah Al-Zahra (a.s) to be as an offering for the day on which “All the people wish they were the followers of Fatimah.”4

O Allah! Accept this from us! You are surely All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

Hamid Reza Torabi

Notes

1. For maintaining readability, (a.s) which is an acronym for “Alayh(um) Salaam” is used throughout the book to denote “May God bless him, her or them.” When used for the Prophet, his Household is included. When used for others, it only refers to that person.

2. Like the traditions narrated from Amir al-Mu’minin (the Commander of the Believers) Imam Ali (a.s) which read, “Knowing the scholars is a duty for which there is reprimand,” and “When you see a scholar, serve him/her.”

3. Of course, as it was mentioned before, the professor’s style was so eloquent. In some cases, he told me to change the edited phrases into their original form due to technical points of jurisprudence and tradition sciences.

4. Bihar Al-Anwar, Vol. 8, p. 54.