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:

DEAR BROTHER ASLAMALAIKUM,WELL I WISH TO KNOW HOW EXACTLY WOULD U DESCRIBE THE SHIA ISNASHRI  SECT IN ISLAM AND THEIR THEORY OF THE 12TH IMAM MEHDI S RE-APPEARENCE.ARE THE SHIS INVOLVED IN SHIRK?OR IS THEIR THEORY ACCORDING TO THE HOLY KOREN,AND WHAT ABOUT THEIR MOURNING AND DOING MATAM DURING  THE MONTH OF MUHARRAM TO MOURN THE MARTYRDOM OF IMAM HUSSAIN,AND THE WHOLE INCIDENT OF KERBALA ,WHO WAS YAZID AND AND WHAT EFFECT IT HAS HAD ON ISLAM,AND WHY THE SHIA SUNNI DISPUTE?AND WHY THE DIFFERENCE OF OPINIONS ON THE INCIDENT OF KERBALA.PLS CLARIFY.

THANKS. ONE MORE THING SINCE MY CHILDHOOD I HAVE GREETED PEOPLE WITH A SALAAM AND BID FAREWELL BY SAYING KHUDAHAFIZ,BUT NOW SOME PEOPLE INSIST THAT U SHOULD SAY "ALLAH-HAFIZ"AND NOT KHUDAHAFIZ,PLS EXPLAIN WHY.ONCE AGAIN TYHANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND PATIENCE UR BROTHER IN FAITH

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Answer:

Shia/Sunni dispute

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.

Your comment: I WISH TO KNOW HOW EXACTLY WOULD U DESCRIBE THE SHIA ISNASHRI  SECT IN ISLAM AND THEIR THEORY OF THE 12TH IMAM MEHDIS RE-APPEARENCE.

The Itna-Ashari (or twelvers) are a sub-sect of the Shia school of thought, and are called so because they believe in the appointment of twelve imams after the death of the Prophet of Allah (saws). Their theory have absolutely no basis and authority from the Holy Quran.

Allah had declared the Muslim Ummah as One Ummah, and whoever creates sects and sub-sects in this Ummah will be brought as a sinner in the Court of Allah. All the sects of Islam, whether they be Shia, Sunni, Itna Ashari, Bohri, etc. are the invention and names given my man; and none of them have any authority from Allah or His Messenger (saws) to do so.

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."

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.

Your comment: ARE THE SHIaS INVOLVED IN SHIRK?

Whoever invokes another being or thing with Allah, is involved in Shirk! Unfortunately, many amongst the people who call themselves muslims are involved in this heinous and unforgiveable sin of Shirk. They invoke the graves of the pious slaves of Allah, and assume that these people in the grave can somehow hear and answer their prayers! This is manifest shirk, for they have shared the attributes that belong to Allah Subhanah Alone, to some of His creation.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumur verse 2-3:So worship Allah Alone, making your religion His exclusively. Beware! Religion is the exclusive Right of Allah. As for those who have taken other ‘auliyas’ (guardians) with Allah (and justify their this conduct by saying): “We serve them only that they may bring us closer to Allah.” Allah will surely judge between them concerning all that in which they differ. Allah does not show guidance to any liar and denier of the Truth.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 10 Surah Yunus verse 18:These people serve beside Allah those which can neither harm nor benefit them, and say, “These are our ‘shofa’a’ (intercessors) with Allah!” (O Mohammed), tell them, “Do you wish to inform Allah of that thing which He knows not in the heavens, or in the earth?” He is absolutely free from, and exalted above the shirk that they commit.

Your comment: WHAT ABOUT THEIR MOURNING AND DOING MATAM DURING  THE MONTH OF MUHARRAM TO MOURN THE MARTYRDOM OF IMAM HUSSAIN,AND THE WHOLE INCIDENT OF KERBALA.

There is not a muslim anywhere who does not feel pain and grief at the incident of Karbala. But to commemorate this day with mourning, wailing and beating of the chests in matam is an innovation and alien to the Islamic way of life. Never did the Messenger of Allah (saws), his noble family, or his companions ever do these sort of deeds for the people who were martyred. The Prophet’s own beloved uncle, Hadrat Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib (r.a.) was brutally martyred during the Battle of Uhud in the lifetime of the Prophet (saws). But never did the Prophet (saws) gather all the believers on the death anniversary of this supreme martyr, and command them to mourn, and wail and do matam! This is an innovation, and as it with all innovations in Islam, it must be immediately rejected by the ones who sincerely believe in Allah and the Last Day.

It has been reported by Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (r.a.) that the Prophet of Allah (saws) said: “If anyone introduces an innovation (in religion), he will be responsible for it. If anyone introduces an innovation or gives shelter to a man who introduces an innovation (in religion), he is cursed by Allah, by His angels, and by all the people.”

It has been reported by Jabir ibn Abdullah (r.a.) in another authentic narration that the Prophet of Allah (saws) said in a sermon: “The best speech is that which is embodied in the Book of Allah, the Al Quran; and the best guidance is the guidance given by me, Mohamed (saws). The most evil affairs are the innovations, and every innovation is an error.”

Your comment: WHO WAS YAZID AND AND WHAT EFFECT IT HAS HAD ON ISLAM,AND WHY THE SHIA SUNNI DISPUTE?AND WHY THE DIFFERENCE OF OPINIONS ON THE INCIDENT OF KERBALA.PLS CLARIFY.

Eminent and not-so-eminent scholars have written volumes and volumes of books on this subject, thus it would be extremely difficult to give you the full details of what exactly happened and why in this short answer. The political system of leadership established by the Prophet of Allah (saws) was a ‘Khilaafah’, whereby the muslims would choose one amongst them to be their leader. This was a novel system of democracy introduced by Islam, which was against the prevalent system of kingdoms and the father-to-son dynastic rule of the time. After the murder of the third Khalifa, Hadrat Uthman ibn Affan (r.a.), a revolt was started by Muawiyya ibn Abu Sufyan in Syria against the fourth Khalifa chosen and accepted by the majority of the muslims in Medina, Hadrat Ali ibn Abi Taalib (r.a.). And after the martyrdom of Hadrat Ali (r.a.), through political manouvering, Muawaiyya took over the leadership and nominated his son Yazid to be the next leader of the muslims. This was establishing a kingdom and dynastic rule, which was absolutely against the teachings and guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws). Thus when, after the death of Muawiyya, Yazid declared himself the leader, the true muslims rejected this system of leadership and refused to give allegience to Yazid. The true muslims wanted to make Hadrat Hussain ibn Abi Taalib (r.a.) the next leader. Yazid did what kings normally do, and crushed the rebellion; thus murdering Hadrat Hussain (r.a.) and his family in the fields of Kerbala.

Many years (maybe 100-150 years according to most historians) after this incident, some unscrupulous people took advantage of the events of Kerbala and gave it their own religious and emotional flavour and broke away from mainstream Islam to form their own sect. They used the events of Kerbala to arouse the emotions of the people, gave fiery and emotional speeches, and gathered people under the banner of Karbala, thus breaking the united Ummah of Islam. Before this, there might have been some political differences in the form of leadership… but there was absolutely no difference in the way the religion was practiced by the believers. But after this breakup, some people changed some of the practices to show their difference and started their own rites, rituals and deeds of worship, which had absolutely no basis from the Quran or the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

The very principle for which the noble Hadrat Hussain (r.a.) laid down his life in Karbala (which was to put a stoppage to the father-to-son dynasty form of rule started by Muawiyya and Yazid), was created by the unscrupulous sect leaders in the very name and descendants of this noble soul! And to this date, this Ummah, which was to be united as One Ummah stands broken.

What we need to remember is that the deen of Islam was completed, the Quran revealed, and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) was established at the time of the death of the Prophet (saws). Whatever happened after the death of the Prophet (saws) is the History of the Muslims, and this is in the knowledge of Allah Alone. Allah will not hold us accountable for the deeds of these people, nor ask us about them on the Day of Judgment. We will be asked about our deeds and what did we do for the cause of Islam.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 134: They were a people who passed away. They shall receive the reward of what they earned, and you shall have the reward of what you will earn. And you will not be questioned as to what they did.

Your comment: ONE MORE THING SINCE MY CHILDHOOD I HAVE GREETED PEOPLE WITH A SALAAM AND BID FAREWELL BY SAYING KHUDAHAFIZ,BUT NOW SOME PEOPLE INSIST THAT U SHOULD SAY "ALLAH-HAFIZ"AND NOT KHUDAHAFIZ,PLS EXPLAIN WHY.

The word ‘khuda’ is actually Iranian or Farsi in origin, and it means ‘god’. It is true, that since the name chosen by Allah for himself is ‘Allah’, it is always better to bid someone farewell by saying ‘Allah-Hafiz’, rather than ‘Khuda-Hafiz’.

But if one does say ‘Khuda-Hafiz’, and his intention was that by ‘Khuda’ he meant the One Creator and Lord of the Universe, then there is no harm. But it is indeed obviously better to use the words ‘Allah-Hafiz’ when bidding farewell to your muslim brothers, as it would be more proper and correct.

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 and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan