Prophethood in Shiah

Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences,

Department of UsËl al-DÊn and Comparative Religion

Contemporary Religious Moral Issues

RKUD 4111

Semester 1 2013/2014

SHIITE STANDS ON PROPHETHOOD (NubËwwah)

Prepared by :

‘Aqilah binti Misland (1118532) 013-6396026

Farhanah binti Abdullah (1110506) 013-6402473

Prepared for :

Dr. Che Amnah binti Bahari

Table of Contents

Introduction…………………………………………………………………… 2

Additional phrase in shahÉdat & adhÉn……………………………………..

4

The concept of prophethood and noble mission of the Prophet……………. 9

View of Shiite on Prophetic Hadith………………………………………... 12

Imamate and Prophethood…………………………………………………… 14

Infallibility of Prophets……………………………………………………….. 16

The GhulÉt’s Trinity………………………………………………………… 22

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………... 26

References……………………………………………………………………... 28

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Introduction

All praise belongs to Allah the Almighty, the Lord of universe and blessing and peace be

upon the final prophet and messenger, Prophet Muhammad, his faithful companions who strive

for the glory of Islam, and also those who follow his footsteps till the end of this world. Thank

you to our lecturer, Dr. Che Amnah for giving advices, supports and supervises our work in this

topic for the sake of ‘Ummah.

As we know believing Prophets is the second pillar of imÉn. It is very important to

Muslim because any action neglecting of it or refuse to accept this belief will affect the imÉn.

Shiite which is considered by some scholars as a new religion or new sect has different

interpretation and understanding in the concept of prophethood. That’s why we choose this topic

to have clear understanding and view on this issue.

Through discussion, we get to know the Shiite shahÉdah and Shiite explanation about the

mission of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and know how they support their beliefs

and teachings. We will discover Shiite viewpoints on trinity concept. We can see how Shiite

twisted and fabricated Qur’Én and hadÊth, they elevated their Imams and humiliated our

Prophets as they wanted to support their deviant belief.

We have six topics in this assignment. These topics which are additional phrase in

shahÉdah and adhÉn, the GhulÉt’s Trinity, the concept of prophethood and noble mission of the

Prophets, view of Shiite on Prophetic hadith, imamate and prophethood, and the last one is the

infallibility of Prophets.

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After completing this assignment, we can be able to compare the differences between

Shiite and Sunnite stands in this issue. We learn that the pillars of Islam in Shiite belief are

different from Sunnite. As Muslims, we must expose and show how the belief of Shiite deviated

from the true Islamic teachings. Through this exposure we will be more firm and protect our

imÉn from being affected by deviant teachings.

We hope this small effort will benefit others especially Muslim in Malaysia. May Allah

guide us in this world and enter all of us in Paradise in hereafter.

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1. Additional phrase in shahÉdat and adhÉn

Reciting a shahÉdat is the crucial and vital action to become a Muslim. There is a video

in YouTube that shows shahÉdat in Shiite.1 This video shows one shaÊkh named Yasser al-

Habib who is a Shiite scholar from Kuwait teaching a young man and helping him to say his

shahÉdat.2 There are a lot of additional phrases in the shahÉdat. It can be seen as follows:

الله إال إله ال أن أشهد

I testify there is no God except Allah

له شريك ال وحده

He is the only one, no any allies

نذير وال شبيه ال

No sameness with others

الله رسول محمدا أن وأشهد

I testify Muhammad is the messenger of Allah

أجمعين الخلق وخير وخاتمه األنبياء سيد أن وأشهد

And I testify him as a leader of Prophets, the seal of Prophets and the best creation

الله ولي عليا المؤمنين أمير أن وأشهد

1Syahadat Syiah, accessed November 3, 2013.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BCVPDvkzTc2Yasser Al-Habib, accessed December 9, 2013http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasser_Al-Habib

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And I testify ÓmÊrul MË’minÊn Ali as a walÊy (saint) of Allah

الله حجج المعصومين وأبنائها الزهراء فاطمة أن وأشهد

And I testify Fatimah al-Zahra and her son are infallible as the argument of God

النار في وحفصة وعائشة وعثمان وعمر بكر أبا أن وأشهد

And I testify Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Aisyah, and Hafsah at the hell

رسوله وإلى الله إلى أبرأ

I’m refraining myself and left it to God and His messenger.

We refer to second hadith of Imam Nawawi regarding Islam, ImÉn & IhsÉn as follows,

Also on the authority of Omar, who said :

One day while we were sitting with the messenger of Allah there appeared before

us a man whose clothes were exceedingly white and whose hair was exceedingly

black; no signs of journeying were to be seen on him and none of us knew him. He

walked up and sat down by the prophet. Resting his knees against his and placing

the palms of his hands on his thighs, he said: "O Muhammad, tell me about Islam".

The messenger of Allah said: "Islam is to testify that there is no god but Allah and

Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, to perform the prayers, to pay the zakat, to

fast in Ramadan, and to make the pilgrimage to the House if you are able to do so."

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He said: "You have spoken rightly," and we were amazed at him asking him and

saying that he had spoken rightly...”3

In this hadith, Prophet Muhammad told the meaning of Islam is to testify Allah is the

only God and Prophet Muhammad as the messenger of Allah. There was no addition in the

hadith to acknowledge Ali as a walÊy and cursed the companions and wives of the Prophet.

Maybe it does not seem a big problem because they still believe in the oneness of Allah. But

with this addition, it gives some bad effects and consequences to Shiite itself. It will lead to

fanaticism and deify their Imams without realizing that. It happened in some sects of Shiite. The

only reason for this is the changes of their shahÉdat.

Shiite adding phrase “ الله ولي عليا أن “ after ”أشهد الله رسول محمد أن .in adhÉn ”أشهد

It can be traced in history that this phrase was added in adhÉn officially as an order of Shah

Isma’il Al-Sofawi to mËadhin.4 It gave the proper place for Ali after the witness to Prophet

Muhammad in caliphate.

There were scholars who did not object to this addition in adhÉn. They said that “the

three shahÉdat” here was not part of prayer (Îolat), so it was not wrong to put it in adhÉn.5 They

also argued that it was the image (shi’Ér) of Shiite. They used an argument the phrase “الصالة

النوم من or known as taswÊb which did not even exist at the time of Prophet, it was Umar ”خير

at his time who added it.6 They used this argument to make their action permissible. They only

referred to one hadith from MËwattÉ’ regarding Umar said to mËadhÊn to use taswÊb in

3An-Nawawi's Forty Hadiths(Translation), accessed November 3, 2013.http://www.iium.edu.my/deed/hadith/other/hadithnawawi.html#hadith24 MusÉ al-MusÉwÊ, Al-ShÊ’ah wa al-TashÊh: Al-SirÉ’ baÊna al-ShÊ’ah wa al-tashyÊ’ (1978), p. 104.5 Ibid, p.104.6 Ibid. p. 105.

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adhÉn.7 It was reported by Malik that at the time of Umar, one mËadhÊn wanted to call out the

adhÉn and saw Umar was sleeping at that time. So he used al-Îolat khaÊrËn mÊn al-naËm, then

Umar told the mËadhÊn to put it in adhÉn.8

But their argument that taswÊb did not even exist at the time of Prophet Muhammad and

Abu Bakr was totally wrong because there were hadith from Abu Mahzurah, Bilal and Anas

about taswÊb. In the book of adhÉn and its sunnÉh in Sunan Ibnu MÉjah, there was a hadith

reported by Salim on his father’s authority,

“… Zuhri said that Bilal made the addition of (these words) to the adhÉn

announcing for the Îubh prayer: the prayer is better than sleep. The Holy Prophet

(peace be upon him) confirmed these words.9 In the same book, there was also

another hadith reported by Bilal to have said, “He came to the Holy Prophet, to

inform him of the fajr (dawn) prayer. He was told that he was sleeping. Thereupon

he said, “The prayer is better than sleep”. Then, those (words) were affirmed in the

adhÉn of fajr prayer. Then the order remained in force in the same way.”10

According to al-Zawa’id, its authorities were authentic but there were flaws in the isnÉd

which is inqÊtÉ’. Shiite took some part of the hadith to suit with their condition and neglected

the other part of hadith which contradicted with their stand. In MuwattÉ’ itself, even though it

showed an evidence that Umar told the mËadhÊn to use taswÊb in Îubh adhÉn, Imam Malik also

7 ÓbË Al-JaËzÉ’, Benarkah ‘Umar bin al-Khattab Membuat-buat Lafadh Tatswib dalam Adzan Shubuh?, accessed November 4, 2013.http://abul-jauzaa.blogspot.com/2009/05/benarkah-umar-bin-al-khaththab-membuat.html8 TaqÊuddÊn an-NadÉwÊ, MuwattÉ’ Imam Malik, (India – Muzaffar Pur: Al-Jami’ah al-Islamiah, 1999), vol 1, p. 355-357.9 ÓbË ‘Óbd Allah Muhammad bin YÉzid Ibn MÉjah al-QazwÊnÊ, Sunan Ibn MajÉh, (New Delhi: Kitab Bhavan, 1994), vol1, p. 386.10 Ibid, p. 394.

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mentioned some hadith reported by Abu Mahzurah and Bilal regarding the using of taswÊb in

the time of Prophet Muhammad.

It can be seen that taswÊb existed at the time of Prophet and it was not an addition made

by Umar. So their argument that Ali as a walÊy as an addition in adhÉn like Umar did is not

valid.

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2. The concept of prophethood and noble mission of the Prophet

The belief in Imamate of Ali is the most important part of Shiite belief. They claimed that

only when they testified that Ali is the divinely designated imÉn, their faith is completed and

accepted. The five pillars of Shiite according to sayings of Imam Baqar: “Islam is based on five

pillars; Prayer, Fasting, Pilgrimage, Poor-due and Imamate”. The most preferred one among

those is the belief in Imamate.11 Besides, they claimed that the entire Qur’an was revealed to

glorify the name of Ali.

Madrassa ImÉmÊyÉh states Shiite concept of Imamate as follows:

‘Shiite religious literature abundantly clarifies the fact that Shiites believe in the

continuation of NubËwwÉh after Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The

only cover presented by Shiite for this Kufr belief is a name, viz., Imam. Instead of

calling the one they believed to be a Prophet or NabÊ or RasËl, they describe him

as an Imam, and instead of saying NubËwwÉh they say Imamate. But, in terms of

Shiite religion there is absolutely no difference between a NabÊ and a Shiite

Imam’.12

Next, we will discuss how their belief in Imamate make the concept of prophethood and

noble mission Muhammad (peace be upon him) deviated from the truth. Let’s look in the SËrat

al-MÉidah verse 3:

11 Ahmad Abdullah Salamah. Shia & Sunni Perspective on Islam. (Saudi Arabia – Jeddah: Abul- Qasim Publication House, 1991),p. 2. 12Imamate; Divine guide in Islam, Chapter Two: Defining the concept of Imamate, accessed December 10, 2013http://www.shiapen.com/comprehensive/imamate/defining-concept.html

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“This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My blessings upon you

and have approved for you Islam as religion...”13

Many commentators of Qur’Én agreed that this verse was revealed when the Prophet

Muhammad gave his famous ‘Farewell Address of Pilgrimage. This verse showed the

completion of Allah’s blessings and indicated that the Prophet has completed his mission and

might not stay any longer.

From TafsÊr Ôbnu KathÊr, it is said :

“This, indeed is the biggest favor from Allah to this Ummah, for He had completed their

religion for them, and they, thus, do not need any other religion or any other Prophet

except Muhammad. This is why Allah made Muhammad the Final Prophet and sent him

to all humans and Jinn. Therefore, the permissible is what he allows, the impermissible is

what he prohibits, the Law is what he legislates and everything that he conveys are true

and authentic and do not contain lies or contradiction”.14

However, the Shiite commentators told a different explanation of this verse. They stated

that the Prophet was returning from his last pilgrimage and stopped at a place called GhadÊr al-

Khum. Then JibrÊl brought this immediate command to him:

O Messenger, announce that what has been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do

not, then you have not conveyed His message. And Allah will protect you from the people.

Indeed, Allah does not guide the disbelieving people.15

13 SËrat al-MÉidah: 314 Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman bin Ishaq al Syaikh. TafsÊr Ibn KathÊr. (Pustaka Imam Syafie, 2009), Vol 3, p. 18. 15 SËrat al-MÉidah: 67

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They claimed Prophet Muhammad ordered the people to stop and gather. Then, the

Prophet proclaimed that Ali (R) was his brother, his successor and Imam after him. When the

declaration of Ali was over, then Allah revealed this verse, “This day I have perfected for you

your religion and completed My blessings upon you and have approved for you Islam as a

religion.” 16

From Shiite interpretation, it was the nomination of Ali as Imamate that completed

Allah’s blessings upon the believers and thus made Islam acceptable to Allah. If the Prophet had

not delivered the message, his mission was incomplete. The mission of the Prophet was only to

establish the Imamate of Ali. The mission of the Prophet was completed on that day because of

the declaration of Ali to Imamate. Thus this is what made the perfect religion and Allah’s

blessings. The mission and prophethood of Muhammad was incomplete unless it was

supplemented by Imamate.

It was supported by the sayings of Shiite. For example, “Prophet Muhammad was only

sent to the people to deliver about Ali’s nomination to Imamate. If there was no duty of the

problem of WilÉyah Ali, then all his deeds will be wasted”.17 And another one is “as reported as-

Øaduq in al-AmÉlÊ, that the Prophet Muhammad said to Ali: if I was not assigned to deliver

about your nomination to Imamate, then all my deeds will be a waste.18

This interpretation from Shiite was rejected by Sunni. Both the missions of the Prophet

Muhammad and the approval of Islam did not relate with Imamate. The prophethood is the

independent and perfect institution that does not need Imamate backing.

16 SËrat al-MÉidah: 317 ? Ihsan Ilahi Dhahir. Tikaman Syiah Terhadap Para Sahabat Nabi. (Pakistan - Lahore: Idarah Turjuman As- Sunah, 1986), p. 302.18 Ibid. p. 304.

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3. View of Shiite on Prophetic Hadith

The Shiites do not believe in most of the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad. They only

quoted some of the hadith and make alterations to the hadith so that the hadith is in line to their

beliefs. For all practical purposes, they also rejected the most authentic hadith and books written

by Óhl Sunnah wa al-JamÉÑah scholars. For example, ØahÊh al-BukhÉri, SahÊh MuslÊm, al-

MuwattÉ’ and many more.

They themselves have elevated sayings of their Imams to the level of the Prophet and

classified them as ‘hadith’. Their hadith is all the sayings of their twelve imams. From their

stands, the sayings of their twelve Imams are ‘hadith’ and the UsËl al-KÉfÊ is their ‘SahÊh al-

BukhÉrÊ’. Thus, their religion is based on their so called ‘hadith’ by their Imams.

The Shiite book of UsËl al-KÉfÊ contained 16,199 hadiths.19 It is the most

comprehensive and the most respected Shiite collection of ‘hadith’. The popular Shiite belief is

that not a single ‘hadith’ in UsËl al-KÉfÊ is incorrect.

For example, the widely altered Hadith quoted by Shiite scholars was, “It is narrated by a

vast majority of people that the Prophet (peace be upon him), I am leaving amongst you two

weighty things. As long as you hold on to them, you will not go astray. These are; The Divine

Book and my family members (AhlËl BaÊt). These twin things should not be separated until they

come to me at the (of KaËthar on the Day of Judgment)”. 20

19Ahmad Abdullah Salamah. Shia & Sunni Perspective on Islam. p. 70.20 Ibid. p. 33.

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The above hadith is quoted to agree with their beliefs and support the right of Ali to

Imamate. Whereas the original hadith is “the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘I am leaving

amongst you two weighty things. One of these is the Divine Book so hold on to it tightly and

seek guidance from it”. He then exhorted them to follow the Holy Qur’Én. He then added, “The

second are my AhlËl BaÊt. In regard to them, I ask that you keep Allah in mind; I ask that you

keep Allah in mind.21 It is reported by SahÊh Muslim.

Next, we look at the two sayings from their sixth Shiite Imam. Imam Jaafar Sadiq said:

‘one who exposed something from our religion is like the one who intentionally kills us’.22 And

the other one, You belong to a religion that whosoever conceals it, Allah will bestow him and

whosoever reveals it, Allah will disgrace and humiliate him. These two sayings can be found in

UsËl al-KÉfÊ.

The rejection of Shiite scholars towards Prophetic hadith indicates that they are no longer

share the same Islamic worldview with us. They have broken Islamic principle which is strongly

based on Qur’Én and Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad.

4. Imamate and Prophethood21Ahmad Abdullah Salamah. Shia & Sunni Perspective on Islam. p. 34.22 Ibid. p. 1.

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According to Shiite belief, the mission, duties, virtues, and attributes of the Imams are

equal in rank to the Prophets.23 They stated that the Imams and the Prophets only differ in their

titles, not in their characteristics. They claimed Prophets were at the same level with their Imams.

They claimed their Imams have boundless of power.

It was supported by the sayings of their Imam. Imam Raza said: “Allah created us

with the best of stature and gave us the best of faces. He made us the trustees of the earth

and the heavens. We thus talk even to the trees. Allah is worshipped because of our

prayers. If we were not present, Allah will not be worshipped”.24

Shiites also believed their Imams had equal position or higher rank than all angels and all

the Prophets including Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). They mentioned these in their

Shiite ‘hadith’ to support the position of their Imams.

“The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to Ali, “You possess a number of attributes

which even I do not possess. You have a wife like Fatima and I do not have one like

her. You have the progeny of sons whereas I do not have sons. Your mother in-law

is none but Khadija, whereas I do not have one like her. Your father in-law is none

but I, but I do not have one like yours and a noble man like Jafar is your brother,

whereas I do not have a brother.25”

To elevate the ranking of their Imams over the Prophets, Khomeini also added in The

Islamic Government that “one of the basic and essential beliefs of our religion is that the Imams 23Abu Bakar Jabir al-Jazairi & Sa’id Hawwa. Syiah: Kesesatan dan Penyelewengan. (Kelantan: Pustaka Aman Press Sdn. Bhd, 1990), p. 36. 24 Ahmad Abdullah Salamah. Shia & Sunni Perspective on Islam. p. 6. 25 Ibid. p. 7.

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occupy such distinguished position that the highest rank angels and even the Prophets cannot

reach it”.26

All those attributes of Shiite Imams excel Allah’s highest rank angels and the chosen

Prophets. However, there is no hadith recorded claiming that the Prophet Muhammad ever made

a single claim about attributes possessed by Ali. The Shiite claimed about superiority of Ali that

was much greater than the Prophet Muhammad.

In their blindly love for their Imams, they could do anything. To lift up the position of

their Imams, they could go to the extent of degrading the Prophets. They created a ‘hadith’ which

was said by Imam Raza: “The characteristics of the Prophets are keeping their bodies clean, use

of perfume, frequent sexual intercourse and having lots of women”. 27

To conclude, they believed that the position of Imamate were higher than the Prophets

and Ali, the first Shiite Imam was superior to the Prophet Muhammad in his ranks and merits. In

Qur’Én, it is stated that there is no prophet after the Prophet Muhammad. He is the last Prophet

as mentioned in SËrat al-Ahzab:

‘Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of

Allah and last of the prophet’28

5. Infallibility (maÑsËm) of Prophets

26Ahmad Abdullah Salamah. Shia & Sunni Perspective on Islam. p. 6. 27 Ibid. p. 6. 28 SËrat Al- AhzÉb: 40

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Shiite view

The theologians of Shiites agreed with the doctrine of infallibility of Prophets. They tried

to relate this doctrine with their Imams.29 There were statements from MajlÊsÊ which connect

the relation between the infallibility of Prophets and Imams:

“They are to be considered free from all sins, great or small. No sort of sin can be

attributed to them, no oversight or forgetfulness, and no mistakes in interpretation.

Neither are they to be thought of as having sinned before the time of their being

appointed Prophets, not even in their childhood. No one has objected to this

doctrine except Ibn BÉbËwaÊhi and ShaÊkh Muhammad ibn Walid, who had

maintained that God could allow them to forget something now and then, either for

his own purpose, or when it was something that was in no way essential to their

service. But all agreed that belief in the infallibility of the Prophets is one of the

necessary beliefs of the Shiite faith”30

They also belief that Imam was free from all sins (whether is a great or small sin) from

the beginning of their life until their death. Ibn Babuwaihi and ShaÊkh Muhammad Ibn Walid

also disagreed like before; there were times before the appointment as an Imam, their Imams

made mistakes. All Shiite groups agreed with this except Ismailites that recognized that there is

no limitation of infallibility of Imam.31 We can clearly see here both two arguments look alike,

and they claimed their Imams also infallible.

29 Dwight M.Donaldson, The Shi’ite Religion: A History of Islam in Persia and Irak (London: Luzac & Company, 1983), p. 320.30 Ibid. p 320-321.31 Dwight M.Donaldson, The Shi’ite Religion: A History of Islam in Persia and Irak. p. 322.

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In order to establish the claims of their Imam as infallible, they referred to SËrat Al-

Baqarah, verse 124. “And [mention, O Muhammad], when Abraham was tried by his Lord with

commands and he fulfilled them. [ Allah ] said, "Indeed, I will make you a leader for the people."

[Abraham] said, "And of my descendants?" [ Allah ] said, "My covenant does not include the

wrongdoers”. They interpret a leader in this verse means Imam. Ibn BÉbËwaÊhi in the KisÉl

interpreted this passage that Imamate did not belong to anyone who had done something

forbidden (whether the offence is great or small), even though he had repented.32

The infallibility of Imam cannot be recognized by our naked eyes. It cannot be seen by its

physical and outer appearance. The infallibility of Imam is something hidden and Imams only

get it by divine appointment by Allah or word of Prophet itself.33 MajlÊsÊ said that Allah guards

the Imam from sin by his devotion to Qur’Én or the meaning maybe that Allah has made him

devoted to Qur’Én, so that he may fulfill in his conduct whatever is in Qur’Én, and know the

meaning of all its contents.34 There is also a hadith in Kanz Al-FawÉyÊd, cited from a man called

Karajaki, who asserted that the Prophet said the angel JibrÊl had informed him that the recording

angels of Ali had declared that from the day they were appointed to associate with him until the

present time they had never written any sin against him.35

They also refer to the hadith Qudsi which can be found in forty hadith of Imam Nawawi:

On the authority of Abu Hurairah, who said: the messenger of Allah said: Allah the

Almighty has said: "Whosoever shows enmity to a friend of mine, I shall be at war with

32 Ibid. p 322.33 Ibid. p. 322-323.34 Ibid. p. 324.35 Ibid. p. 324.

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him. My servant does not draw near to me with anything more loved by me than the

religious duties I have imposed upon him, and my servant continues to draw near to me

with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing

with what he hears his seeing with what he sees his hand with what he strikes, and his

foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of me, I would surely give it to

him and were he to ask me for refuge, I would surely grant him it." (Related by

BukhÉri).36

They claimed that the idea of infallibility was not a force but came from the efforts of Imam.

They were consistently praying, fasting and doing good deeds with the help and guidance from

Allah, so they will be at the highest place when they were always thinking about Allah and near

to him. This kind of experience fulfills the hadith above and Allah will guide them in anything

they do.37

Sunnite view

Are Prophets infallible? Shiite theologian stands that Prophets were infallible and they

never commit any sin and mistakes, so what is Sunnite stand and view on this issue? Sunnite

believes that the Prophets were infallible in certain part of their life. Prophets were also human

beings and they were not perfect. In the book entitled Al-Rusul wa al-RisÉlÉt, SulaÊmÉn al-

ÓsyqÉr mentioned that there were certain part of life the Prophets were considered as infallible.

36An-Nawawi's Forty Hadiths(Translation), accessed November 8, 2013.http://www.iium.edu.my/deed/hadith/other/hadithnawawi.html#hadith3837 Dwight M.Donaldson, The Shi’ite Religion: A History of Islam in Persia and Irak. p. 325-326.

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The majority of theologian agreed that Prophets were infallible during receiving the

revelation. Allah protected them from being forgetful with any of the divine revelation. Allah

said in Qur’Én: “We will make you recite, [O Muhammad], and you will not forget, except what

Allah should will. Indeed, He knows what is declared and what is hidden” (SËrat al-A’la: 6-7)

and “Move not your tongue with it, [O Muhammad], to hasten with recitation of Qur’Én, Indeed,

upon Us is its collection [in your heart] and [to make possible] its recitation” (SËrat al-Qiyamah:

16-180).38

Allah also protected them from hiding any of divine revelation. Prophets never hide any

of the revelations they got because a person hiding a revelation could not be trusted. Allah said in

Qur’Én: “And if Muhammad had made up about Us some [false] sayings, We would have seized

him by the right hand, Then We would have cut from him the aorta”(SËrat al-Haqqah: 44-46)

and in SËrat an-Najm verse 3 and 4, Allah said “Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination, It

is not but a revelation revealed”.

Next, Allah protected the Prophets from being killed until they preached and called others

to Islam. Allah said in Qur’Én, SËrat al-Maidah verse 67: “Messenger, announce that which has

been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His

message. And Allah will protect you from the people. Indeed, Allah does not guide the

disbelieving people”.39

Allah commanded to Prophet Muhammad to convey everything conveyed by Him.

During farewell hajj, there were over 40 thousands of companions listening to the speech of

38SËrat al-A’la & SËrat al-Qiyamah, accessed November 15, 2013.http://quran.com/39SËrat al-Ma’idah, accessed November 15, 2013. http://quran.com/

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Prophet Muhammad.40 Ibn KathÊr mentioned the hadith recorded by Muslim that Jabir bin

‘Abdullah said that Prophet Muhammad said in his speech on that day,

“O people! You shall be asked about me, so what are you going to reply?” They

said, “We bear witness that you have conveyed (the message), fulfilled (the trust)

and offered sincere advice.” The Prophet kept raising his finger towards the sky and

then pointing at them, saying, “O Allah! Did I convey? O Allah! Did I convey?”

Allah statement, “And if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message”.

Meaning the Prophet knew the consequences of this failure.41 Allah will protect, aid

and support the Prophet over his enemies and gave victory to him. None can harm

him without His permission.42

There are some examples in Qur’Én show that the Prophets were not infallible. Firstly

about the story of Prophet Ibrahim scared of his guest because his guests did not touch the food

he served. They were angels sent to the people of Lut. But when he saw their hands not reaching

for it, he distrusted them and felt from them apprehension. In SËrat Hud verse 70, “They said,

"Fear not. We have been sent to the people of Lot."43

Secondly, is the story of Musa and Khidr. Musa was not patient in his journey with

Khidr. He kept questioning what Khidr did. Allah told this story in SËrat al-Kahfi verse 75,

“[Khidhr] said, "Did I not tell you that with me you would never be able to have patience?".44

Thirdly is the story of Prophet Muhammad in SËrat ‘Abasa. This verse revealed to

Prophet Muhammad because he did not give attention and entertained one man who was blind 40 Ibn Kathir, Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) (Riyadh: Darussalam, 2000), vol 3, p. 228.41 Ibid, p. 228-229.42 Ibid, p. 229.43SËrat Hud, accessed December 10, 2013.http://quran.com/1144SËrat al-Kahf, accessed December 10, 2013.http://quran.com/18

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named Ibn Maktum who was asking something to Prophet. Prophet Muhammad at that time was

very busy entertaining one of the leaders of Quraisy and hoping he will embrace Islam. The

Prophet frowned in the face of Ibn Maktum and turned away from him in order to face the other

man. Then, Allah revealed the beginning of this sËrat.45

Based on the evidences from Qur’Én, we can know that Prophets were not perfect and do

commit mistakes but Allah protecting them from being forgetful during getting the revelation,

Prophets were not hiding any of the revelation and Allah protected them from being killed before

starting their mission. How can Shiites claimed their Imam was infallible while Prophets were

not so? If they tried to relate their Imam with Prophets, and then let’s see in term of revelation,

Prophets were infallible during receiving a revelation and we know that the seal of Prophets was

Prophet Muhammad and no more revelation after him, so their Imams did not receive any

revelation to be infallible like Prophets.

6. The GhulÉt’s Trinity

GhulÉt is a plural of GhÉlÊ, is an Arabic term deriving from the verb ghÉla, meaning “to

exaggerate or exceed the proper bound”.46 Muslim scholars defined the GhulÉts as those Shiites

45 Ibn Kathir, Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) (Riyadh: Darussalam, 2000), vol 4, p. 356. 46 Matti Moosa, Extremist Shiites: The Ghulat Sects, (United States of America – New York: Syracuse University Press, 1998), p. xiii.

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who had exaggerated their great respect of Imams, from Ali ibn Abi Talib to al-Mahdi by

attributing them qualities belonging only to God. They also deify Imam Ali and the rest of

Imams.47

Some of the examples of contemporary GhulÉt are Bektashis (Turkey), Kizilbash

(Turkey), Alawis (also known as Nusayris in Syria), and Shabak (Iraq).48 Basically, GhulÉt sects

are Shiites who uphold the divine authority of Twelve Imams, from Ali to the Mahdi but they

exaggerate and deify Ali and the rest of Imams.49 They claimed they are Twelve Shiites but

Twelve Shiites regard them as unbeliever and polytheists.

This extremist Shiites believe in trinity consisting of God, Muhammad and Ali which

they claim to be one person.50 This trinity is symbolized by the letter of Arabic alphabet which

begins with their names such alif for Allah (God), mim for Muhammad and ‘ayn for Ali.51 Ali is

equal with Muhammad and God.

In Bektashi literature, Ali and Muhammad are considered as one person.

God, Muhammad, Ali are all one God

The divine reality, Muhammad, Ali is true,

If you ask what I have in this world

47 Ibid, p. xiii.48 Ibid, p. xxi-xxii.49 Ibid, p. xxiii.50 Ibid, p. 50.51 Ibid, p. 50.

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My answer is that, Muhammad and Ali is the one God I have,

God forbid that anyone should see them as separate from one another

Muhammad is Ali, Ali is Muhammad and with god they are but one God.

In Buyruk (the sacred book of Shabak), in contain the hadith of Prophet Muhammad.

“I am the city of knowledge, and Ali is its gate”

This hadith is a false (maËdhË’) hadith. If we look on this hadith, it looked like Prophet

Muhammad is important because he is the city of knowledge but actually GhulÉt believes that

Ali is much more important or preeminent because he is a gate. In order to get the knowledge

from Prophet Muhammad, people must go through the gate first. This hadith also shows that Ali

is coequal with Muhammad in every aspect except prophecy which belongs exclusively to

Prophet Muhammad.52 Birge explained that according to Bektashis,

“The first radiance emanating from the undifferentiated Godhead is called the light of

Muhammad”

This light manifested in Muhammad as well as Qur’Én which contains the divine

revelations of this Light. The light of divine knowledge can only be required through Ali which

is a door or gate leading to it.53

The author found out that there are Pagan, Christian and Islamic elements in this concept

of Trinity. There are some reasons that may lead to this extreme belief due to the ignorance of

their religious leaders and secrecy in guarding their belief.54 GhulÉt are very secretive about their

52 Matti Moosa, Extremist Shiites: The Ghulat Sects, p. 51.53 Matti Moosa, Extremist Shiites: The Ghulat Sects, p. 51.54 Ibid, p. 420.

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belief and ritual act. They do some of their ritual or prayers at night and no outsiders attended

it.55

It had been found some of their acts contradicted with Islamic teachings. For example,

Kizilbash worship a piece of black wood and some of them even worship moon and sun. The

Nusayris celebrate Christmas and other Christian festivals. Some reasons of the influence of

Christian elements in GhulÉts came from the emergence of crypto-Christian communities.56

Crypto means secret. They profess as a Muslim but secretly a Christian. After Byzantine was

defeated in the battle of Malazgirt and Muslim soldiers of Turkoman tribe went from Persia to

Iraq and dwelt in Asia Minor, a lot of Christians and their leaders embraced Islam. They emerged

crypto-Christian communities. There was also story when Ottoman was powerful; a lot of

Christian embraced Islam not because they were interested of Ottoman but because they wanted

to be exempted from taxes that should be paid by non-Muslims.57 Most of them retained their

religious practices in secret. While the others embraced Islam in order to get praises and favors

from Sultans or to protect their property.58

55 Ibid, p. xxii.56 Ibid, p. 424.57 Ibid, p. 425.58 Matti Moosa, Extremist Shiites: The Ghulat Sects, p. 427.

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Conclusion

The crucial part in the belief of Shiite is their shahÉdat. It is a basic fundamental belief in

Islam. Whenever they make changes and put an addition to it, it will affect their understanding

and actions in everyday life. Somehow there is a scholar who said there is no problem with their

shahÉdat because they still testify Allah as the only one God and Prophet Muhammad is His

messenger.

In our opinion, with this addition in shahÉdat and even in adhÉn, it will lead to

fanaticism to Ali and others Imam and hatred towards the three caliphates before Ali and some of

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Prophet’s wives. This fanaticism will lead groups of people to become extremists like GhulÉt

who deify Ali and their Imams and killing others who go against their ideas. Prophet Muhammad

did not teach his disciples to recite shahadÉt in the way Shiites did. They will also having a

problem in accepting hadith from the companions because of this belief or i’tiqÉd.

Next, we can see clearly the position of Shiite on prophethood. They are not denying

prophethood but equalize the position of their Imams with Prophets. They try to support the

position of Imam by finding a relationship or similarities between Imams and Prophets. They

have thousands of their own versions of fabricating hadith and rejecting an authentic hadith.

They also believe that Ali completed Prophet Muhammad’s mission and completed Allah’s

blessings.

Allah said in SËrat al-NisÉ’ verse 59, “O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey

the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to

Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way]

and best in result”. From this verse we can clearly understand that Allah commands Muslim to

obey Allah and His messenger. Prophet Muhammad left us with two weighty things which are

Qur’Én and Sunnah. Muslim will not deviate if they hold on and keep tightly on these two

things. Muslim should be aware and conscious with their surrounding because Shiites used many

tricks to invite others to their sect.

To conclude, the stand of Shiite on prophethood is not the true teaching of Islam and

deviated. Prophet Muhammad came to call people to believe in one God and not to inform about

Ali as his successor. Muslims should know and understand Qur’Én and Sunnah as taught by

Prophet Muhammad and not simply accept alien ideas which contradicted to Islam.

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