Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Alhassanain (p) Network for Islamic Heritage and Thought

Your Questions Answered

(Volume IV)

Moulana Syed Akhtar Rizvi

Bilal Mission

www.alhassanain.org/english

Table of Contents

Preface 5

Q. 1. IS SCIENCE ACTION OF GOD? 6

Q. 2 IF ALLAH IS JUST (ADIL) THEN WHY DID HE CREATE SATAN (SHAITAN)? 7

Q. 3 WAS SATAN AN ANGEL? 9

Q. 4 ARE THERE SOME PEOPLE CREATED FOR HELL? 10

Q 5: WHY DIFFERENCE OF RELIGIONS? 11

Q 6: CHOICELESS AWARENESS! 12

Q 7 HOW HUMAN RACE BEGAN? 13

Q 8: WERE LUQMAN AND SOME OTHERS IMAMS 14

Q 9. SONS OF NABI IBRAHIM (A S) 15

Q. 10 ABOUT NABI MUSA (A.S.) 16

Q 11. PARENTS OF HADRAT MARYAM 17

Q 12 DID ISA (a.s.) MARRY? 18

Q 13 A PROPHET "EATEN" BY AN ANIMAL! 19

Q 14 WAS THE HOLY PROPHET ILLITERATE? 20

Q 16: AUTHORITY OF THE HOLY PROPHET AND IMAMS 21

Q 17 WHY ALI DID NOT FIGHT FOR THE KHILAFAT? 22

Q 18: ABOUT THOSE WHO WENT AGAINST 'ALI (A.S) 23

Q 19. COMMENT ON A FORGED HADI TH 'TRADITION) 25

Q 20: WHY IMAM HUSAIN (A.S.) DID NOT RESORT TO TAQIYAH? 26

Q 21. RE-APPEARANCE OF IMAM MAHDI (A.S.) 27

Q 22: ABOUT IMAM MAHDI (A S) 28

Q 23 WIVES OF ALI (A S.) 29

Q 24: WAS BIBI SHAHR BANU ALIVE ON ASHURA DAY? 30

Q 25: WE WERE ABLE TO KNOW FROM YOUR ARTICLE IN THE LIGHT THAT FATIMAH KUBRA WAS DAUGHTER OF UMM-E-LS-HAY (FATHER. IMAM HUSAIN) THE MARRIAGE OF FATIMAH KUBRA AND HASAN MUTHANNA (SON OF IMAM HASAN (A S) WAS DONE AS PER YOUR ARTICLE. BUT IT IS FAMOUS BY 'RIVAYAT" THAT FATIMAH KUBRA WAS MARRIED TO JANABE QASIM S/O IMAM HASSAN (A S) WE WANT TO KNOW FACT OF ISLAMIC HISTORY REGARDING THIS MATTER 31

Q 26: PROGENY OF HADHRAT 'ABBAS 33

Q 27: DIFFERENCES IN MECCAN AND MADINITE SURAS 34

Q 28: HOW MANY 'AYA T IN QUR'AN? 35

Q 29:ISLAM AND SCIENCE SUBJECTS 36

Q 30: TAFSIR OF FIRST 4 AYAT OF AN-NAJM 37

Q 31 - SUR4 'ASR 38

Q 32: MEANING OF “KAF,HA,YA,AIN,SAD”? 39

Q 33. PEARL AND CORAL 40

Q 34 MEANING OF AN AYA 41

Q 35: HOW THE NIGHT PASSES INTO DAY? 42

Q 36: WHY THE ORDER TO KILL THE PAGANS? 43

Q 37 AUTHENTIC SHI’A TRANSLATIAN OF QUR’AN 44

Q 38: AUTHENTIC SHI'A BOOKS OF AHADITH 45

Q 39 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIRTY AND NAJIS 46

Q 40: USE OF TOILET PAPER 47

Q 41: CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF SEMEN 48

Q 42. MOISTURE SECRETED IN WOMAN 49

Q 43. VAGINAL CHECKING 50

Q 44. ARE PERFUMES , LOTIONS ETC. TAHIR? 51

Q 45. RULINGS ON INDUSTRIAL ALCOHOL 52

Q 46. MEDICINES CONTAINING ALCOHOL 53

Q 47. SKULL OF MAN 54

Q 48: DOG AS A PET 55

Q 49: PRAYER IN A CLOTH WASHED BY A NON-MUSLIM? 56

Q 50: OILY SKIN 57

Q 51: PLASTIC SURGERY AND WUDU 58

Q 52: WUDHU ON NAIL POLISH 59

Q 53: WITH LONG HAIR 60

Q 54: HOW TO CALCULATE TIMES OF PRAYERS? 61

Q 55: HOW TO FIND DIRECTION OF QIBLA? 62

Q 56: QIBLA ON MOON? 63

Q 57: WHY USE OF GOLD IS FORBIDDEN FOR MAN? 64

Q 58: IS IQAMAH WAJIB? 65

Q 59: PRAYER IN FRONT OF A PHOTOGRAPH 66

Q 60: WHY KA’BAH IS CALLED THE HOUSE OF ALLAH? 67

Q 61. PROSTRATION BEFORE OTHER THAN ALLAH 68

Q 62: READING QURAN WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING 69

Q. 63: SEVEN TAKBIRS 70

Q 64 POSITION OF HANDS DURING QIYAM FOR WOMAN 71

Q 65. 'ADIL IMAM NOT EASILY AVAILABLE 72

Q 66: HOW TO ORGANIZE A JAMA'A T WITHOUT A QUALIFIED IMAM? 73

Q 67. CAN PRAYER BE LED BY TAPERECORDER? 75

Q 68: MINIMUM NUMBER FOR JUM’A PRAYER 76

Q 69: ARE WOMEN EXEMPTED FROM JUMA PRAYER? 77

Q 70: WHY PRAY ONE SALAH SOON AFTER THE OTHER? 78

Q 71. PRAYER OF A MAN WHO ATE “NAJIS” FOOD 79

Q 72 ; HOW TO THANK ALLAH? 80

Q 73: MEANING OF SOME ARABIC PHRASES 81

Q 74: COLOUR OF SHROUD (KAFAN) 82

Q 75: KAFAN IMPORTED FROM KARBALA 83

Q 76: ONE KAFAN AND TWO MAYYITS 84

Q 77: WHY POUR WATER ON GRAVE? 85

Q 78: CEMENTED GRAVE 86

Q 79: IS FATEHA KHWANI AN ISLAMIC CUSTOM? 87

Q 80: BRUSHING THE TEETH IN SAUM 88

Q 81: SUNNAH FAST AND INVITATION OF A MU’MIN 89

Q 82: FUTURE OF FASTING 90

Q 83: DOE'S INECTION BREAK FAST? 91

Q 84: ABOUT ZAKAH 92

Q 85: ZAKAH IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE 93

Q 86: ZAKAH ON TRADE GOODS 94

Q 87: HALAL ANF HARAM EARNINGS MIXED 95

Q 88: WHAT IS THE MINIMUM AMOUNT OF MAHR? 96

Q 89: CAN A MUSLIM MARRY A NON-MUSLIM? 97

Q 90: MUSLIM HUSBAND, CHRISTIAN WIFE 98

Q 91: ON BIRTH CONTROL 99

Q 92: A CHILD BORN OF ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION 100

Q 93: IS BREAST-FEEDING WAJIB 101

Q 94: HOW CAN A WOMAN GET HER MARRIAGE DISSOLVED? 102

Q 95. ADULTERM OF EYES? 103

Q 96: USING HAIR-DYE 104

Q 97: LIMIT OF THE BEARD 105

Q 98: IS INTEREST A COMPENSATION OF INFLATION 106

Q 99: INTEREST AND NON-MUSLIMS 107

Q 100.' BORROWING FROM BANK 108

Q 101: UNFORGIVABLE SIN 109

Q 102: DESIRABILITY OF AN ARABIC MUSLIM NAME 110

Q 103. READING NOVEL S 111

Q 104: REFERENCES OF A QADIANI BELIEF 112

Q 105: WHY DO MUSLIMS OBSERVE FRIDAY AS A REST DAY? 114

APPENDIX 119

Preface

The fourth volume in this series contains answers to 105 questions, most of which were asked during the period April 1975 to June, 1978.

When the third volume was compiled, it was noticed that it had become somewhat bulkier than the previous volumes. It was therefore, decided to omit subjects dealing with Taharah, Prayer and Fast. More important questions relating to these themes havi now been incorporated in the present volume.

This series is published for the benefit of our Shi'a Ithna 'ashari youths.

The Mission is extremely grateful to Haji Muhammad Husseii Karmalli, Dar es Salaam, for his help in checking the rnanuscrip and making useful suggestions

S. SAEED AKHTAR RIZVI

Gopalpur, (India)

31st August, 1979.

Q. 1. IS SCIENCE ACTION OF GOD?

“The Qur’an is the word of God and Science is the action of God”. This was stated by Alhaji F.M. Quraishy in the “Nigeria Observer.” I would have written to him directly but for the lack of his address. I have however been very fortunate to come across you address. Do you agree with this statement? If so, please comment and convince me.

(Asked by a Christian from Nigeria).

Ans. Science Literally means ‘knowledge’. The present day Scientists endeavor to know (discover) the mysteries of this vast universe. Sometimes they succeed; some times they fail while at times they reach nearer the truth. The Greatest achievement of science in recent times has been to unravel, to a certain extent (but not fully), the secret of the atom. It is true that this “universe” is the action of God; but science is only a human attempt to ‘know’ about that action. But this attempt of man cannot be termed Action of God.

Q. 2 IF ALLAH IS JUST (ADIL) THEN WHY DID HE CREATE SATAN (SHAITAN)?

You say that God is just and will give full and complete justice to His creatures on the Day of Judgement in accordance with their past deeds and actions. There is absolutely no doubt about it. There is also no doubt that He has knowledge of the unseen (Ilm-e-Ghaib) and is ‘Alim’ (Omniscient). I have also read somewhere in the Quran that He created mankind weak. So, the question is that when He knew that He created mankind weak, He also knew before creating Satan that the latter would mislead people and influence them to commit all sorts of sins, and that the people being created weak with no strong will power to withstand the attractions and influence of Satan why then He in the first place, created Shaitan, and why He gave him so much power knowing before creating him that he (Satan) will do everything to mislead the people and lead them to the wrong path? If the answer is that God brought us into this world and wanted to test us, then why did He create us weak and at the same time why did he give all the powers to Satan? My friend also gave an example of a carpenter or, for that matter, any craftsman. He said that if a carpenter wanted to make a chair or any type of furniture, he would ensure before making if that the material he used was strong and would withstand all sorts of strain and stresses. He would use the best quality for he knows that if he used a low quality material the piece of furniture would not last long. In the same way when God created mankind very weak and knew before creating him that he would not be able to withstand the influence of Satan then why He create Satan in the first place and why He gave him so much power?

Ans. Firstly, you should read my book entitled “Justice of God” thoroughly which will give you the necessary information and thus enable you to ponder upon this question in its correct perspective. Secondly, Satan has no power of misleading a human being forcibly. His ower is only confined to suggesting wrong ways to man. Whether or not to follow his suggestion is entirely dependent on man’s choice and decision. Allah has mentioned this fact in Qur’an: “verily, there is no authority for him (Satan) over those who believe and rely on their Lord. Verily, his authority is only over those who befriend him and those who associate others with Him.” (Qur’an, 16:99-100)

Shaitan himself will draw the attention of the unbelievers to this fact on the Day of Judgement in the following words:

“Verily Allah promised you the promise of truth, and I gave you promise but failed to keep them to you; and I had no authority over you except I called you and you responded unto me; so do not blame me, but rather blame yourself.” (Qur’an, 14:22)

See how Satan (Shaitan) clearly defines his role: he has no authority upon man; he just calls him to evil and man responds to this call on his own will and by his own strength. As a matter of fact the power of suggesting to follow the right or the wrong way is also given to human beings. Will you suggest that all human beings (except the purest and the most pious ones) should be ex-terminated? If not, then why should you object to the existence of Satan (Shaitan)?

Thirdly, to make the above point more clear, red the following ‘Aya which mentions about Saitans from amongst human beings”;-

“Say: “I seek refuge in the Lord of the people, the King of the people, The god of the people, from the evil of the slinking whisperer, who whispers into the breasts of the people, from among the Jinn and the men.” (Surah 114)

Fourthly, you will now appreciate that Shaitan is not an over whelming force against which the human beings are mere helpless weaklings. He is just like any other evil companion, cajoling us to follow wrong ways., whether we remain on the right path or go astray is entirely our own choice and it is our own free will. Fifthly, it is only when man, by his own will and choice, goes along the wrong path that Satan gets him in his grip. Allah says in the Qur’an (7:27): “Verily, We have made the Satans guardian of those who do not believe. “Notice that when one becomes unbeliever he comes under the domain of Shaitan.

Sixthly, it should be pointed out that in this life we have been given equal options of doing good or evil. And to keep the balance, we have been provided with one invisible enemy (Satan) and one visible guide (Prophet and Imams). So, you cannot say that balance is weighted towards evil. Finally, it should be clarified that in your question “man was created weak” has been quoted out of context. It is not meant to compare man with Shaitan and it does not declare that man is “Weaker than Shaitan”.

The Aya should be seen in its context. It runs as follows:-

“Verily, Allah desires to turn unto you (with mercy); and those who follow their own lust wish that you should deviate a great deviation. Allah desires to Lighten your burden and man has been created weak.” (4:27 - 28)

This Aya depicts that the Mercy of Allah upon mankind because man has been created weak. Is it not ironical that your friend wants to use it to prove “injustice” of Allah?

Q. 3 WAS SATAN AN ANGEL?

According to Holy Qur’an, Allah told the angels to bow down to Hadrat Adam; everyone did except Iblis. Was Iblis an angel or a jinn?

A Here are 3 Ayat which provide the answer:-

And when we said to the angles, “Bow down to Adam”;

So they bowed down except Iblis. He was from the Jinns, and he broke the command of his Lord. (Quran, 18:50)

He created man from sounding clay like unto pottery, and create Jinns from smokeless fire. (Quran, 55:14-15)

Said He, “What prevented thee that thou didst not bow down when I did command thee?”

Said (Shaitan), “I am better than him; Thou hast created me of fire and Thou created him (Adam) of clay.” (Quran, 7:12)

These Ayat clearly show that Iblis was not from amongst the angels - he was a jinn who was created from fire.

Then why was he condemned for disobeying a command given to the angels? It was because he was amongst the group of angels who had been ordered to bow down to Adam and since he formed one of the members of the group, the order also pertained to him as the third Aya clearly shows that he was ‘ordered’ If in a group there are, let say, more men than women (as in ‘Aya of Tat-hir), then the whole group is referred to in masculine gender and the women are automatically include in it, even if the pronouns etc. are masculine. This rule is called the Rule of “Taghlib” (Rule of Predominance). Likewise, in that group of angels there was only one Jinn (Shaitan); therefore, the order given to that group, even if it was addressed to the ‘angels’, covered the group collectively including Satan. That is why he was condemned by Allah for his disobedience.

Even Satan understood it perfectly. That is why he did not argue that he had not prostrated because the order was addressed, not to him, but to the angels.

Q. 4 ARE THERE SOME PEOPLE CREATED FOR HELL?

I fully appreciate our point of view that there is no fatalism in Islam. But there is one verse in the Qur’an which is very difficult to reconcile with this view: -

“Now what is the matter with the unbelievers that they rush madly before thee, from right and from the left, in crowds? Does every man of them long to enter the Garden of Bliss? By no means. For We have created them out of the (base matter) they know.” (Qur’an, 70:36-39). These verses are very difficult to understand without the concept of pre-destination being accepted, since even after accepting Islam some are said to have no chance of entering the Garden of Bliss, as they are created of some very base matter.

A. These 'ayat do not say that "even after accepting Islam some have no chance of entering the Garden of Bliss, as they are created of some very base matter".

The Qur'an uses the word "the unbelievers" it refers to those who had not accepted Islam. Therefore, your interpretation "even after accepting Islam" is quite out of place. And it is not only "some" who have been created of some very base mater. Indeed every human being has been created of that very base matter, i.e. the sperm. I think the cause of your misunderstanding is the words "they hasten on around you on the right hand and on the left hand, in groups Perhaps you think that hastening on around the Prophet 'shows their love

towards him. It is not so. The fact is that the unbelievers rejected the belief in the hereafter. When the blissful life of the hereafter was described to them in detail, they ridiculed it and further mocked at it by pretending to run a race for it.

Q 5: WHY DIFFERENCE OF RELIGIONS?

I am asked, "Do you believe in God?" I say, "Yes" Is He everyone's God?" "Yes" "Then why there is a difference between a Muslim and a non-Muslim?" What can I answer?

A. Allah has created everything, including human beings. He has shown the man the true path, and has warned him against going astray. After giving him freedom of will, he does not compel anyone in this world to choose this or that course. That is why some people go astray. Of course, everyone will be rewarded or punished for his belief and action, but it will be on the Day of Judgement.

Q 6: CHOICELESS AWARENESS!

I went through a book by Krishnomurri. (Its description is enclosed) He writes that through self-knowledge one can go beyond self where he can experience the presence of God The central fact of all Krishnamurti's teachings, as Aldous Huxley stresses in his preface, is that for each individual the central human problem can be solved in only one way - for and by himself.

"There is, Krishnamurti claims, a transcendent spontaneity of life, a "creative Reality" as he calls It which reveals itself as immanent only when the perceiver's mint: is in a state of "alert passivity", of ' choice less awareness.

What do you say about this claim?

A. I have read the photoset copy of the dust-cover of Krishnamurti's book sent by you. I invite your attention to the following statement made therein:

"The central fact of all Krishnamurti's teachings is that for each individual the central human problem can be solved in only one way-for and by himself There is hope in men, not in society, not systems, organized religious system, hut in you and me.

When you quote the Bhagvad Gita, or the Bible, or some Chinese

Sacred Book, surely you are merely repeating. are you not? And what you are repeating is not the truth. It is a lie; for truth cannot be repeated. It is through self knowledge, not through belief in someone else's symbols, that a man comes to the eternal reality.. ."

If Huxley had been sincere in his claim, he should not have written this book at all, because the rule of "each man for himself" does not leave room for accepting anybody's advice or guidance and because if someone accepts his advice, he would in his own words, be merely repeating", and "it is a lie, for truth cannot be repeated"

Huxley has merely indulged in rhetoric by coining the phrase "choice less awareness" which has an ambiguous meaning, if it has any meaning at all Such people take advantage of the general disenchantment with the society which is prevalent in the West today, and which is manifested in happieism and other such movements. To entice and attract them, he condemns all systems, including religion, but, in the same breath, he offers his own system for acceptance to the world at large

Q 7 HOW HUMAN RACE BEGAN?

Adam (a. s.) and Hawwa gave birth to two sons. Then how did human race begin in this world?

A. According to Jewish tradition, Adam (a.s.) and Hawwa (Eve) gave birth to twins - a boy and a girl. And a boy of one pregnancy was married to the girl of another pregnancy, and so on.

The same story has been repeated by the Sunnis in their books. But according to Shi'a traditions, God sent a houri' (nymph of paradise) for Shees (Sheth) (a.s.) and a 'Jinn' (genie) woman for another child of Adam (a.s). Then the cousins were married to each other and thus the human race multiplied.

Q 8: WERE LUQMAN AND SOME OTHERS IMAMS

I would like to know if Luqman, Khidr and Talut were Imamas?

A. No, Lugman, according co many traditions was an Ethiopean blessed with an extra-ordinary endowment of wisdom But he was not a Prophet. Some identify him with Asop of the well known fables. Khidr was a prophet whilst Talut was a king appointed by Allah

Q 9. SONS OF NABI IBRAHIM (A S)

How many sons did Hadhrat lbrahim (a.s) have? And whom did he make a prophet after him?

A Nabi Ibrahim had three sons: Ismail, Ishaq and Midyan He did not make any one of them a prophet. Prophets are not made by human beings It is Allah who appoints Prophets and Imams. Hadhrat Ismail and Hadhrat Ishaq were prophets as designated by Allah (I advise you to read 'Prophethood' published by this Mission).

Q. 10 ABOUT NABI MUSA (A.S.)

Was Hadrat Musa (a.s.) a real magician) Or did he just have some power given by God),

A He was not a magician In fact it is a blasphemy to couple the word "magician" with his sacred name He was given power of miracles by Allah, by which he used to overcome the magicians. I strongly advise you to study first the basic and elementary matters of religion so that you may know the essential beliefs and practices of your religion. You may enroll for our Islamic Correspondence Course. which is available on payment of US $.2500

Q 11. PARENTS OF HADRAT MARYAM

Who were the parents of Hadrat Maryam? Did she ever marry?

A The name of the father of Hadrat Maryam was 'Imran. Her mother's name is not known According to Islamic traditions, she did not marry anyone

Q 12 DID ISA (a.s.) MARRY?

Did Isa (as) marry? If yes, then how many children did he have?

A He did not marry at all

Q 13 A PROPHET "EATEN" BY AN ANIMAL!

Can a prophet be eaten away by an animal? How Nabi YUNUS (a s) was swallowed in a fish's stomach?

A: A prophet cannot be "eaten away" by an animal; and Nabi Yunus was not "eaten away" He was confined into the belly of a fish (or was it a whale?); was alive and was remembering Allah and glorifying His name. So, it was just like an abode for him. And finally, he was delivered from that abode. All these things are clearly mentioned in the Qur'an

Q 14 WAS THE HOLY PROPHET ILLITERATE?

Was our Prophet (s. a. w) illiterate? That he never learned how to read and write? And was he spiritually illiterate too?

A Holy Prophet (s.a w.) acquired his knowledge direct from Allah He was not taught by any human being But he was the "City of Knowledge" and it is a blasphemy to associate the word "illiterate" to him You may say that he was not taught by any man

Q15 MARRIAGES OF THE HOLY PROPHET

How many times did Hadrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) marry. and what happened to his wives after his death?

A Our Holy Prophet married 13 wives in all, 9 were alive at the time of his death I do not understand what you mean by saying "what happened to them after his death?" Also, you should write "peace be upon him and his descendants". It is wrong not to mention his 'Al in Salawat

Q 16: AUTHORITY OF THE HOLY PROPHET AND IMAMS

Could you explain to us the three aspects of the caliphate, legislative, judicial and executive; and how are the Representatives of Allah split up amongst the prophet and Imams?

A Holy Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.) combined all the three aspects in his personality. The legislation prescribed by Allah was promulgated by the Holy Prophet (s.a.w); he was the final judicial authority, and the supreme Head of the Islamic Community. The Imams inherited all these functions from him except that they

had no authority to change any law brought by the Holy Prophet (s a.w,); rather their function was to elaborate and interpret that law. So far as judicial and executive aspects are concerned, there was no difference between the Holy Prophet (s.a w.) and his 12 successors

Q 17 WHY ALI DID NOT FIGHT FOR THE KHILAFAT?

I now understand that you acknowledge Imam 'Ali (a. s) as the first Khalifa (main). To be frank (and l don't care what the others say), I feel that historically, and by many traditions, your claim is justified Then why the leadership was not given to the man whom the Prophet of Allah had nominated? And why 'Ali (a s) tolerated and warned patiently instead of revolting? (Asked by a Sunni correspondent)

A The answer cannot be given in a short letter If you read the biography of Imam 'Ali (a.s.) you will easily understand why he did not feel like taking any action against his adversaries except to protest openly at every appropriate time. The situation at that time was such that a civil war in Madina would have meant the extinction of Islam in the whole of Arabia. For example. if your child was abducted by someone who wanted to bring him up as his own son and you were sure that if you took any action against him he would kill the child, would you not wait for a suitable time for the return of the child instead of rushing headlong to that person and thus causing his death? And can anyone say that because the circumstances compelled you to Keep quit at that time, you lost the right of the custody of your child and

the abductor became its true father?

There is a story in the Old Testament, which says that two women came to the Prophet Sulaiman (a,s.) "And the one woman said. 0 my Lord I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear. And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son Thus they spake before the king. Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living. And the king said. Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, Divide the living child in two and give half to the one, and half to the other. Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: But the other said, her-it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it; she is the mother thereof."

(I Kings Ch,3 verses 17-27).

(A similar case came up before 'Ali a.s., and he decided in the same way; finally he said "the solution of this case was revealed to Sulaiman (a.s.) and now I have decided it in the same way.") I think this episode sufficiently depicts the stand of Ali(a.s.) vis-à-vis His adversaries

Q 18: ABOUT THOSE WHO WENT AGAINST 'ALI (A.S).

We would like to know what the Imams have said about Abu Bale, 'Umar and the Sahaba who maintained their claim to the phate. It is hard for us to reconcile the two assertions that the succesion of 'Ali was clearly, publicly and repeatedly an Abu Bakr, 'U mar , 'Ayesha and their supporters, who went against that announcement, were not blameworthy. Could you, please clarify this for us?

A. You have answered that question yourself. No Shi'a has ever usurped the caliphate were not blameworthy. In fact, "Tabarra" (keeping aloof) from the enemies of the Prophet basic obligations of Shia. Here is the translation of a part of a lecture of Amirul-Mu'minin 'Ali (a.s.) in which he describes the 3 "caliphs" "By Allah, the son of Abu Qahafa (Abu Bakr) dressed himself with it (the caliphate) and he certainly knew that my position in relation to it was the same as the position of the axis in relation to the hand-mill. The flood water flows down from me and the bird cannot fly upto me. (Meaning that he was like a fountain head from which rivers of wisdom flow and nobody could aspire to rise to the heights of 'Ali's knowledge). But I closed eyes to the (usurpation of) caliphate and turned my face away from it. Then I began to think whether I should assault or endure calmly the blinding

darkness of tribulations where-in the grown up are feebled and the young grow old and the true believer acts under strain till he meets Allah (on his death). (But after considering over the pros and cones) I arrived at the conclusion that endurance thereon was wiser So I adopted patience although there was pricking in the eye and suffocation (of mortification) in the throat. I watched the plundering of my inheritance till the first one went his way but handed over the caliphate to Ibn Khattab after himself.

Then he quoted A'sha's verse:

"My days now are passed on the camel's back (in difficulty) while there were days (of ease) when I enjoyed the company of Jabir's brother Hayyan".

"It is strange that during life-time he wished to get rid of the caliphate but he straightened its way for the other after his death. No doubt these two shared its (caliphate's) udder strictly among themselves. This one put the caliphate in a tough enclosure where the utterance was haughty and the touch was rough. Mistakes were in plenty and so also the excuses therefore. One in contact with it was like the rider of an unruly camel. If he pulled up its rein the very nostril would be slit, but if he let it loose he would be thrown Consequently, by Allah, people got involved in recklessness, wickedness, unsteadiness and deviation. Nevertheless, I remained patient despite length of period and stiffness of trial, till when he went his way (of death) he put the matter (of caliphate) to a body and regarded me to be one of them. But good Heavens! what had I to do with this selection board? (I had nothing common with any of its members). Where was any doubt about me with regard to the first of them that I was now considered a kin to these ones. But I remained low when they were low and flew high when they flew high One of them (Talha or Sa'd) turned against me because of his hatred and the other (Abdul Rahman bin Auf) got inclined the other way due to his in-law relationship and this thing and that thing, till the third man of these people stood up with bloated stomach between his dung and fodder. With him his cousins also stood up swallowing up Allah's wealth like a camel devouring the foliage of spring, till his rope broke down. his (inglorious) action finished him and his gluttony brought him down prostrate." (See the 3rd Sermon of Nahjul-Balagha).

To understand the historical events alluded to in this sermon, see my booklet "Imamat"

And it is narrated from Imam Musa Al-Kazim (a.s.), in a long hadith, that five persons will receive the most maximum punish. ment in hell three from the previous Ummats, and two from this Ummat (community). Vide Bihar-ul-Anwar of 'Allamah Majlisi, (Vol. 3).

Imam Ja'far Sadiq (a.s.) said that there will be seven persons who will suffer extreme punishment: five from the previous Ummats. and "two from this Ummat, one of them more evil than the other; (they will be) in a cofin of glass under a cleavage in the rivers of Fire."

Q 19. COMMENT ON A FORGED HADI TH 'TRADITION)

Someone told me that a book called 'Mishkat' says that our Holy Prophet said- "If there was to be a prophet after me at would have been 'Umar• "

A. This is unquestionably untrue. Ponder on these points:

When the Shi'as want to prove any thing against the Sunnis they do not quote Shia books or Shi'a traditions They quote references from the Sunni books. Therefore, if any Sunni wished to prove to us any virtue of 'Umar, he should cite references from the Shi'a books. Is it not stark foolishness to quote a Sunni tradition against the Shi'as? Well, even the Hindus and the Christians coulc easily prove the 'truth' of their religion vis-a-vis Islam if they were allowed to quote from their own books.

2. Even the Sunnis believe that the Prophets must be Ma'sum (infallible) untainted with kufr (infidelity) throughout their lives i.e even before being invested with prophethood See, for example. "Mawaqif" of Qadi 'Izzududdin, and "Sharh-e Mawaqif" of Sharif

Jurjani. Also refer to "Fiqh-e-Akbar" of imam Abu Hanifa and its 'Sharh' by Mulla 'Ali Qari. Now 'Umar was a "Mushrik" (idol-worshipper) for at least 40 years. How could a has-been idolworshipper be a "potential prophet"?

3 Prophets must be top-most in divine knowledge and embellished with other virtues. 'Umar blundered more than 100 times in his judgments and rulings. so much so that once a woman silenced him in an open gathering and refuted his ruling by quoting an aya of the Qur'an upon which he was constrained to say:

(Every person is more knowledgeble in religion than 'Umar even the women who sit in seclusion). Is this the qualification of a potential prophet?

4. In the "Sanad" (chain of tradition of this alleged hadith there is the name of one Musharrih about whom lbn Jawzi (a well known Sunni authority on Hadith and Religion) has said:

"Ibn Habban has said that the writings/books of Musharrih became

topsyturvy; therefore quoting him in proof is invalid"

When the Sunni scholars themselves say that one of the narrators of this 'tradition' was unreliable and confusion was worse confounded in his books how do they expect the Shi'as to believe in such a spurious "hadith"?

Q 20: WHY IMAM HUSAIN (A.S.) DID NOT RESORT TO TAQIYAH?

A person is obliged to save his life by means of Taqiyah. If it is in danger. Then, why Imam Husain (a. s.) did not do so in Ka'baa?

A. Taqiyah is based on the principle of opting for the lesser evil. Telling a lie is not as big a sin as destroying a life. Therefore, a lie is preferable to putting one's life in danger. Now, if safety of one's own life depends on endangering another believer's life then, by the same reasoning, Taqiyah is not allowed. Since one believer must die in either case it is better for you to die rather than cause the death of another believer. And this will not be treated as suicide on your part.

By the same token, if there is a danger that one's Taqiyah may destroy the belief of other believers, then Taqiyah is Haram. It means that if someone is of such a status (e.g. Imam Husain's (a.s.) that if he resorted to Taqiyah, others would be misled to un-Islamic tenets and beliefs, then the basic principle demands that he must sacrifice his own life to save others from going astray.