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:

Salaams Dear brother and Sister of the Bohra Jamma.I am deeply hurt to see that even though the BOHRA jamma is a SHIA jamma, ((different in followings of the Shia imamia from the Holy Imam Jaff e sadiq), the fundamentals are the same, in the beliefs in the teachings of Imam Aly, dua's and supplications of Imama Zainul Abidin and the following of the Holy Ahlul bait, peace upon them all.

The split and the difference is not the subject of my topic here, since I cannot change a community on exchange of Emails.

What I don't understand is that the references made in this helpline comes from the translation of Abdullah Yusuf Aly.  The late Mr Yusuf Aly was a Bohra with a great gift and he ended up translating the Holy Quran with the support of the Saudi's the Wahabis. (funding)
The Saudis for a very long time used  Mr Yusuf Aly's translation as the only source allowed in Saudia.

I think, if I am not mistaken , Mr Yusuf Aly was also disgraced from the Bohra community to embark on the translation project without the permission of the Bohra Sayeddna.

The rest of the SHIA world would never accept the translation from a WAHABI funded project or a sunni referenced translation.  The Shia's openly  say the "lanaat" on the Wahabis and I think your Sayednna got into trouble also for stating the same.

Anyway..my issue here is, why is it that you BOHRA's have translations from Yusuf Aly than Shia translations.There are significant differences between the two translations. Off course it is the same QURAN, but it is what you call "sabak" where you disclose the hidden meanings or Tawhid/Tabil nu bayan or something like that. (sorry no offense...but you know what I mean)

Anyway..if you get a translation for example from the prominent SHIA translator S.V Mir Ahmed Aly and compare you will realize the significant differences between the teachings of the SHIA and the Sunni.

I make these statements becaause I have discussions with your Mullahs and they 100% of the time are in agreement with me after I have provided the proof.

for example:  The quran refers to the Holy Imam Aly several times as:

Salehul Momineen

Man indaho ilmul Kitab

Man Yastari Nafsaho

Yotoonaz Zakaat wahom Rake'oon

Now a sunni translation will have no idea what that is, so the BOHRA will miss that and claim that ALy is never mentioned in the Quran and thus a blasphemy right there!

Also..Surah Maryam:

The verse:

Kaf, Ha, Ya, Ain, Saad... the meaning of this verseonly the Ahlul bait knew and that was passed down tothe Rightful believers like all SHIAs ( inlculdingyourself). This a very powerful verse with manyhiddden meanings and brings out the power of whatAllah (SWT) is telling us all. I will quote one of the meanings where I know your Sayeddna has also stated the same:

Kaf--for kerbala

Ha--Annihalation of the Holy family

ya for yazid

Ain for Atash-- killing on thirst

Saad for Sabr

This same verse also compares  what happened to prophet Yaya and imam hussein--exacty the same.If there is an interest I can write a short on this next time.

Also another meaning is each of the five letters stands for the attributes of GOD five of the 99

K (kaf)---charitable giver

Ha (H)—hadi

Ya (Y)--for Yad hand and refers to 48:10

Ain (A)--Alim all knowing

Sand (S) for Sadiq ( the true one)

Now go read the translation of Yusuf Aly or any other Sunni translation and they write that this verse's true meaning is known to Allah alone and they write something else about it, that is their opinion.

This are just 2 examples I have taken to make a point, however there are many many more.

It would be better if the helpine refers to the proper translation in my opinion.

Anyway I end with "La iqra fidini" there is no compulsion in religion.

P.S if I am allowed we can have an open CHAT between BOHRA's doctrination and SHIAS.

But first you all must read the history of the FATIMIDS by Daftary or Bernard Lewis or maybe even your own Bohra the son of the late 51st Dai Taher Saifuddin, Dr Hatim in the Uni of Oxford in UK .Something else I need to know. In the Islamic world Sayedd means from the progeny of the Prophet (SAW), you all BOHRA's state Sayeddna so and so, I think most of the Bohras are of Indian Origins other than from yemen, and the present Sayeddna is Indian, Yes?

So where does the SAYED ( progeny of the prophet resides) Honestly I am ignorant and I am a doing comparative studies and thus I ask??

My sources of the BOHRA doctrination are great bookslike The Ismailis by Daftahry and this caht helps tremendously. I hope I do not offend anyone and If I have my sincere and humble appologies to all Bohras. You are a great community with a variation in your beliefs but after all SHIAS and that is important to me.

Salaams and Allah Hafiz

(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:

Shia Quran Meanings

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.

Dear brother, we have read the various translations of the Holy Quran, and in general we have found that the meanings and context of the verse never change…. Whoever fears Allah and translates the Holy Quran, they are all agreed on the meanings of the clear verses.

But there are some ambiguous verses, where some scholars of some sects have tried to give arbitrary meanings to those verses, and tried to implant their versions, and their stories, and the names of their personalities from the History of Islam into these verses of Allah. We have always tried to stay away from arbitrarily interpreting these verses, because that is the guidance of Allah.

Allah says in the Holy Quran in Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imran verse 7:It is Allah, Who sent down this Quran to you. (There are two kinds of verses in the Book.) In it are verses Basic or Fundamental (of established meanings which can be easily understood), and they are the essence or foundation of the Book. And the other verses are Allegorical or Ambiguous. Those in whose hearts is perversity will always go for the Allegorical or Ambiguous verses, seeking discord and trying to search for their hidden meanings. None, except Allah, knows their real meanings(Ta’aweel)! In contrast to them, those who are firmly grounded in knowledge, say: “We believe in them all, because all of them are from our Lord.

Allah Himself warns us about the people who always go after the ambiguous verses; He calls them the people who have a disease in their hearts because they are the ones always trying to search for their ‘hidden’ meanings. Then Allah refutes all those who claim to understand the ‘taweel’ meanings by clearly stating that it is Allah Alone who knows the Taweel of the Quran.

Our object and mission is to understand the ‘muhkamaat’ aayahs of the Quran, and not try to arbitrarily interpret the ‘mutashabehaat’ aayahs. We believe in all of them, because they are all from our Lord.

The believers should be honored to be called and recognized by the name Allah Himself has chosen for them; that is, ‘muslims’. These sects of Shias, Sunnis, Ismaelis, Bohras, etc. are all the invention and creation of man, and have no basis and no authority in the deen of Islam whatsoever. Thus, when someone claims that this is a Shia version of the Quran or the Sunni version: BEWARE! These people are trying to guide towards their sects, rather than towards the clear guidance and teachings of Allah Subhanah.

May Allah guide you and us all to the Straight Path of Islam.

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