Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

shieyas and ramzan the word was derieved from where.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Where is the word Shia/Ramzan derived from?

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Ramadan was a name from among the twelve months in the Arab calendar year, long before the advent of the Last Messenger of Allah (saws). Allah honored this month and chose to reveal the Holy Quran in the month of Ramadan, and then subsequently commanded the believers to fast for the whole month of Ramadan as a sign of gratitude to Allah Subhanah; and thus made it a way or course to develop piety and obedience in ourselves through this training for one month of the year.

Shias is an Arabic term which basically means a group or a party of people.

When the fitnah and differences rose in the political landscape of Islam during the time of Hadrat Ali (r.a.) and Muawiyya, the people who preferred and chose to give their allegiance to Imam Hadrat Ali (r.a.) as their Ameer and leader, came to be known as ‘Shiat-e-Ali’ or the ‘Group or Party of Ali’. Almost all the believers belonged to this group and preferred the leadership of Hadrat Ali as their leader, except a minority of people from Syria, who wanted Muawiyya to be the new Islamic leader. This political upheaval resulted in the Battle of Siffeen, where a political truce was agreed upon by the two parties.

But with the passage of time, the differences which were only political in its nature, took on a religious mode of difference. And hundreds of years after the death of Hadrat Ali (r.a.), a minority from amongst the muslims broke away from mainstream Islam and formed their own religious sects and sub-sects in the noble and pious name of Hadrat Imam Ali (r.a.) and his noble descendants!

The truth of the matter is that we are all muslims and Allah has commanded us to stay united in the One United Ummah of Islam. Whoever propagates the breaking of this Ummah into sects and sub-sects for whatever reason, will be severely accountable in the Court of Allah Subhanah.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 23 Surah Mu’minoon verse 52-54: And you all belong to one and the same ummah, and I (Allah) am your Lord; so fear Me Alone! Yet afterwards the people divided themselves into different sects, and each sect rejoicing in what it has. Well, leave them deeply involved in their heedlessness up to an appointed time.

Allah says in Chapter 45 Surah Al-Jathiyah aayat 17: "Then they differed amongst themselves after the knowledge (of Islam) had come to them, only because they wanted to wrong one another. Your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning the matters in which they have been differing."

Allah says in Chapter 30 Surah Rum aayat 31-32: "This (Islam) is the right and true faith, but most people do not know. (Be steadfast on this) turning wholly and sincerely towards Allah Alone, and fear Him, and establish the Salat, and do not be like the mushriks, who have set up their separate creeds and divided themselves into sects, each sect rejoicing in what it has."

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan