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Introduction
Among people who express their love and respect for the
household of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HF) 1, there are
many who introduce themselves as their Shia (follower)
without being aware of the accountability and the risk of
such a big claim. Being a Shia of the Prophet (PBUH&HF)
and his Ahl al-Bait 2 (PBUT) is certainly an ultimate goal for
every believer as Allah has commanded the believers of
all generations to follow their examples. However, He
also required the believers to be truthful in their claims.
1
The acronym “PBUH&HF” refers to phrase “peace be upon him and
his family.”
2
Ahl al-Bait means People of the House. However, the Ahl al-Bait
of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) as specifically defined by him and
believed by the Shia, refers only to the divinely selected individuals
of his house: his daughter (Lady Fatima (PBUH)) and the twelve
divinely appointed leaders (Imams) after him. The twelve Imams
include the Prophet’s son-in-law and cousin, Imam Ali (PBUH),
Imam Ali’s two sons, Imam al-Hasan and Imam al-Husain, as well
as nine descendants of Imam al-Husain (PBUT), ending with the
master of our time, Imam al-Mahdi (PBUH), may Allah hasten his
relief.
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1
A Hadith is a saying or tradition of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) or his
Ahl al-Bait (PBUT). The Hadith of the Prophet (PBUH&HF) is an
implicit saying of Allah induced in his heart. In addition, whatever
a divinely appointed Imam says is a Hadith, which has been either
implicitly transferred to his heart through the Prophet (PBUH&HF)
and the chain of the previous Imams (PBUT) or has been explicitly
heard by him through the same chain traced back to the Prophet
(PBUH&HF).
2
Normally, an Imam would give the divine teaching without every
time reminding that it was narrated from his forefathers from the
holy Prophet (PBUH&HF). However, it was a common practice
among the Imams that when one of their forefathers had an explicit
saying concerning an issue, they would usually mention that
specific Imam’s name, and narrate it as explicitly having been
spoken by him. In this manner, beside remembering that Imam and
showing their respect to him, they wanted to reaffirm the
previously recorded narrations and to remind people about what
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The Hadith
Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (PBUH) narrated:
( 1 )
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said, “Be watchful of
(your duties toward) Allah, O Shia! Certainly, you will
not miss Paradise even if your ugly deeds slow you down
in reaching it. 1 Hence, compete for its levels!”
1
It is a well-known belief in Islam as emphasized by many verses of
the holy Quran and explained in detail by the Prophet (PBUH&HF)
and the divinely-appointed Imams (PBUT) that the final destiny of a
person who dies as a believer in the sight of Allah, is Paradise
irrespective of the sins he has committed during his life-time. As
we will see in this Hadith later, a believer will be purified from his
sins either by the calamities that befall him in this world, or by the
severity of his death, and/or by possibly long but limited
punishments in the Hereafter, so that he could be admitted to
Paradise after a thorough purification. As stressed at the end of this
tradition and in many other well-established traditions, a believer is
one who believes in Allah, does not associate any one with Him in
obedience of Him, recognizes the Prophet (PBUH&HF) and all the
twelve Imams (PBUT) as the only medium of approach towards
Allah, His unique path, and the exclusive source of divine
knowledge for getting all His instructions in terms of beliefs and
practices. A person who does not recognize any one of these facts
is either: not guided (Dhaal), a disbeliever (Kafir) in what Allah
commanded, and/or a polytheist (Mushrik) in the obedience of
Allah, as he admits other methods, ideas, and approaches towards
Him. According to the Quran and the traditions, only disbelievers
and polytheists will remain in Hell forever and will never be
permitted to enter Paradise. Concerning the fate of the disbelievers
and polytheists see, for instance, the holy Quran, 4:116, 4:140,
5:72, 2:161-162, 2:217, 3:91, 7:40, 24:39, 47:34. Imam al-Baqir
(PBUH) said, “The lowest limit of polytheism is that one originates
an opinion (in the domain of religion) and then loves and hates
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the names and the lineage of the specific twelve individuals who
are exclusively entitled to this position by Allah.
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1
Imam al-Sadiq (PBUH) said, “When the sin of a servant increases
and nothing (of his good acts) is found to atone for it, Allah afflicts
him by sorrows in this world as atonement for it. If not that, Allah
makes his body sick to compensate for his sins. Or, He makes the
time of his death more difficult to him as an expiation. Otherwise,
He punishes him in the grave so that he may meet Allah on the Day
of Judgment without anything that could witness to any of his sins
(i.e., the record of his evil deeds will be wiped out)” (al-Amali, al-
Saduq, p. 294, Hadith 4; Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 78, p. 176, Hadith
15). Moreover, Imam al-Sadiq (PBUH) narrated from the Messenger
of Allah (PBUH&HF) that Allah said, “By My might and majesty! I
shall not send out from this world a servant on whom I want to
have (special) mercy until I take every sin of his and exchange it
either with an illness in his body, constrained sustenance, or horror
in his worldly life. And if anything still remains of his sins, I shall
increase his tension at the time of his death. By My might and
majesty! I shall not send out from this world a servant whom I want
to punish (forever) until I take every good deed of him and
exchange it either with good health in his body, extensive
sustenance, or peace and security in his life, and if anything still
remains of his good deeds I shall make death easy for him” (al-
Kafi, vol. 2, p. 444, Hadith 3).
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(try their best to) follow us, adopt our traditions, and take
after our deeds. 1
A man came to Allah’s Messenger (PBUH&HF) and said, “O
Messenger of Allah! Someone looks at the women of his
neighbor, and if an unlawful relation becomes possible
for him, he does not avoid it.”
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) became angry and
said, “Bring him to me.” Another person said, “O
Messenger of Allah! He is one of your Shia who believes
in you and Ali as his guardians 2 and keeps aloof from
1
It should be made clear that these series of traditions do not
necessarily imply that the Shia are sinless; rather, they want to
stress that a Shia by definition is a devoted and observant follower.
Hence, one should not claim the honor of “the Shia of Ahl al-Bait
(PBUT)” if he/she does not try his/her best to follow their footsteps
and if complete obedience to them has not yet become his/her
character. In practice, a Shia might have sudden slips, but such
mistakes should not represent his/her general behavior that is to
hold fast to the examples of Ahl al-Bait (PBUT). Alternatively, one
can say, a person is a Shia of Ahl al-Bait (PBUT) as long as he/she
strictly follows them, and is not of their Shia during his/her
unexpected and momentary arrival in error.
2
Guardianship (al-Walaya) expresses a bilateral relation between the
guardian and the people. Observing al-Walaya by people means
adhering to the guardian and acknowledging his authority by heart,
tongue, and action. On the other hand, the action of al-Walaya by
the guardian means offering protection from evil, spiritual
assistance, care, support, and guidance for his adherents. A divinely
appointed guardian guards his adherents against misguidance,
spiritual destruction, wrongdoing, sin, and the wrath and
punishment of Allah as much as they adhere to him and his
commands. Therefore, both observation and protection are matters
of degree. However, the minimum acceptable level of observing al-
Walaya, which also terms one as a lover of Ahl al-Bait (PBUT) and a
believer in the sight of Allah, is acknowledging the authority and
the guardianship of the divinely-appointed leaders by heart and by
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1
A believer believes that all of what Allah has prohibited should be
avoided and that Allah has decreed a specific punishment for each
sin. If he is tempted by Satan and commits a sin in the state of
negligence, faith will return to him as soon as he becomes mindful
and regrets his misconduct. However, if one persists in committing
a sin, his heart will gradually reject the truth. In other words,
indulging in a sin leads one to disbelief and rejecting the signs of
Allah. In Quran we read: “The outcome of those who persisted in
committing evil deeds was that they denied the signs of Allah and
held them up to ridicule.” (30:10) According to the traditions, a
person who does not regret the sin that he has committed—even if
he has committed it only once—is considered an insistent (Musir)
sinner, and a disbeliever in Allah’s view. This is because he does
not believe in the punishment that Allah decreed for that specific
sin in the Hereafter, and does not care to commit that sin again in
the future. Believing in the penalty of the Hereafter makes one
distressed and regretful for his sin, which is the essence of
repentance (Tawba). All other requirements mentioned for
repentance are for its perfection, and it is regret that obligates one
to comply with them all. Regret is a voluntary internal reaction of a
believer to his sin by which he guards his heart against decline and
maintains his faith. A believer is always repentant while a
disbeliever does not feel sorry before Allah for his misconducts.
Ibn Abi Umair narrated: I heard Imam Musa Ibn Ja’far (PBUH)
saying, “Allah does not keep anyone in the Fire (of hell) forever
except the people of disbelief, denial, misguidance and
polytheism… No believer commits a sin except that his action
offends him and he becomes regretful. Verily, the Prophet
(PBUH&HF) said, ‘Enough is regret for the repentance.’ He
(PBUH&HF) also said, ‘He who is delighted by his good deed and is
saddened by his evil deed is a believer.’ On the other hand, he who
does not regret the sin that he has committed is not a believer and is
not entitled to intercession as he is unjust. And Allah states, ‘For
the unjust there is neither a protecting friend nor an intercessor
whose intercession is accepted.’ (40:18)” I asked, “O son of the
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( 3 )
In another case, a man said to his wife, “Go to Fatima
(PBUH), the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF),
and ask her whether or not I am of their Shia.” She went
to her and asked her about it. Lady Fatima (PBUH) replied,
“Tell him if he acts upon what we have commanded and
restrains from what we have prohibited, then he is of our
Shia, otherwise, he is not.” She came back and informed
her husband of the reply. He cried saying, “Woe onto
me! Who then will release me from the sins and errors?
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1
Imam al-Jawad (PBUH) narrated from his ancestors that the
Commander of the Believers, Ali Ibn Abi Talib (PBUH) was asked,
“Describe death to us.” He (PBUH) replied, “To its expert you came
down! The one who dies shall face one of these three cases: He
shall receive either the glad tidings of everlasting blessings, or the
tidings of endless punishment, or else, he shall remain in the state
of grief and horror and his situation will not be clear to him as he
does not know to which group he belongs. The adherent of our
Walaya who was obedient to our commands is the one who shall
receive the glad tidings of perpetual bliss. In contrast, our enemy
(that is a person) who opposed us is the one who shall receive the
news of everlasting punishment. On the other hand, a person whose
situation is unclear for him is a believer (in our Walaya) who has
acted extravagantly against his soul. He shall receive terrifying and
unclear news, but Allah shall not equate him with our enemies and
shall release him from Fire by our intercession. Thus, do (good),
obey (Allah’s commandments), do not (just) lean on (our
intersession), and never belittle the punishment of Allah, the
mighty and the majestic, for among those who wrong their souls
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( 4 )
In addition, a man said to Imam al-Hasan Ibn Ali (PBUH),
“I am one of your Shia!” He (PBUH) replied, “O Servant of
Allah! If you are obedient to us concerning our
commandments and our prohibitions, then you are telling
the truth. However, if this is not the case, then do not
increase your sins by claiming such a noble status that
you do not deserve. Do not say, I am one of your Shia;
say instead, I am among those who adhere to your
guardianship, love you, and are hostile to your enemies. 1
are some who shall not reach our intercession except after 300,000
years of punishment. (Ma’ani al-Akhbar, p. 288, Hadith 2, Bihar
al-Anwar, vol. 6, p. 153, Hadith 9). Moreover, Imam al-Sadiq
(PBUH) said, “... The intercession of Muhammad (PBUH&HF) and our
intercession wipe off your sins, O Shia, but do not return to the sins
nor lean on our intercession, for by Allah, one who takes this route
shall not receive our intercession until after the pain of punishment
strikes him and after he perceives the dreadfulness of the Hell (al-
Kafi, vol. 5, p. 469, Hadith 9).
1
As can be seen in these series of traditions, whenever love for Ahl
al-Bait (PBUT) is mentioned, enmity against their enemies is also
stressed. When one really loves a faithful and sees that another
person shows hostility to his friend due to his faith, it is naturally
expected that he opposes and dislike his friend’s enemy; otherwise,
it implies that such love is not real, and is merely a show due to
hypocrisy. Hence, hating is not an independent issue, and is a
natural resultant of true love. Having true love alone for Allah
rationally implies being hostile to His enemies. This purely rational
reality is also testified by the holy Quran: “You will not find any
people who believe in Allah and the Last Day, but love those who
opposed Allah and His Messenger, even though they were their
fathers, their sons, their brothers, or their kindred...” (58:22).
Moreover, Imam al-Sadiq (PBUH) said, “Whoever loves a
disbeliever has indeed hated Allah, and whoever hates a disbeliever
(for the sake of Allah) has indeed loved Allah.” Then, he (PBUH)
continued, “The friend of an enemy of Allah is an enemy of Allah”
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(In this case,) you are (still) in a good state and towards a
good ending.”
( 5 )
Similarly, someone said to Imam al-Husain Ibn Ali
(PBUH), “O Son of the Messenger of Allah! I am one of
your Shia!” He (PBUH) said, “Be mindful of Allah and do
not claim that which Allah considers a lie and a sin.
Certainly, our Shia are people whose hearts are free from
every dishonesty, fraud, and corruption. 1 Say, however, I
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( 8 )
Once, it was mentioned to Imam al-Sadiq (PBUH) that
Ammar al-Duhni went to testify something before Ibn
Abi Laila, the judge of Kufa. The judge said, “Cease!
Your testimony is not accepted since you are a rejecter
(Rafidhi).” Upon that, Ammar stood up to leave while
trembling and weeping. The judge told him, “You are a
man of knowledge and Hadith. If the title of rejecter
offends you, just disavow from this sect so that you
become our brother.”
Ammar replied, “It is not what you think! I am crying for
myself and you. I cry for myself because by considering
me a Rafidhi, you have attributed to me a noble rank that
I do not deserve. Woe onto you! Indeed Imam al-Sadiq
(PBUH) has narrated to me that ‘the first people who were
called Rafidhi were the magicians who, upon witnessing
the signs of Moses (PBUH), believed in him, followed him,
rejected the command of Pharaoh, and were patient to all
that befell them. Pharaoh called them rejecters as they
rejected his custom. Thus, the term rejecter (Rafidhi) has
been used for anyone who rejected all that Allah disliked
and acted according to all that Allah commanded.’ 1 Who
is like them in this era?
1
This piece that praises the rejection of enemies of Allah and their
customs appears at the middle of the series of traditions concerning
adherence to Ahl al-Bait (PBUT), which emphasizes the fact that a
true follower (Shia) of Ahl al-Bait (PBUT) is always a true rejecter
(Rafidhi) of their enemies and their methods, ideas, etc. Therefore,
the titles Rafidhi and Shia refer to the same fact and cannot be
realized separately. Anyone who claims to “adhere” to the customs
of Ahl al-Bait (PBUT) should naturally “reject” other customs;
otherwise, he is not truthful in his claim and is a polytheist in his
obedience to Allah because he has associated human-generated
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ideas and methods with the divine instructions that have reached
him through Allah’s representatives. In fact, rejecting falsehood has
priority over accepting the truth and is its prerequisite. Allah, the
mighty and the majestic, states in the holy Quran, “He who rejects
Taghut and believes in Allah, he has indeed adhered to the most
trustworthy handhold which shall never break” (2:258). Imam al-
Ridha (PBUH) interpreted “Taghut” as those who usurped the rights
of the family of Muhammad (PBUH&HF) and “the most trustworthy
handhold” as the guardianship of the Commander of the Believers
(Imam Ali) and the Imams after him (cf. Tafsir, Ali Ibn Ibrahim al-
Qummi, under the commentary of this verse). Imam al-Sadiq
(PBUH) said, “Whoever claims to recognize us but he adheres to
other handholds is a liar” (Ma’ani al-Akhbar, p. 399, Hadith 57;
Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 2, p. 83, Hadith 7). See also the explanation in
the footnote towards the end of this article on the meaning of
monotheism.
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sweet basils in any society. They do not bear enmity in their heart
against those who preceded them in submission, and do not follow
them without proof. Their evil in them is under their control. Their
hearts are (full of) sympathy, their souls are chaste, and their
demands are little. They burden themselves while people are at rest
as a result of their service. They are clever, sincere, and noble
people of wisdom. They are like foxes who (stealthily) escape with
their religion (i.e., distrusting the sinful environments, they move
from place to place to safeguard their religion). (They live
unknown such that) they are not noticed or appreciated when
present, and are not remembered when absent. These are my most
pleasant followers (Shia) and my most honorable brothers. Ah! I
wish so much to meet them!” (al-Amali, al-Tusi, p. 576, Hadith
1189; Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 65, p. 177, Hadith 34).
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our enemies have rejoiced to see that you are avoiding us.
We will leave this time and will distance from our city
due to the shame and humiliation that befell on us and
because we cannot tolerate the pain resulting from the
rejoicing of the enemies in our city.” This time, Imam Ali
Ibn Musa (PBUH) permitted them to enter. They entered
and greeted him, but he (PBUH) neither returned their
greetings nor did he permit them to sit. While standing,
they asked, “O son of the Messenger of Allah! What is
the reason for this humiliation after that harsh avoidance?
How could anyone of us live after this affliction?”
At this point, Imam al-Ridha (PBUH) said, “Recite:
‘Whatever of affliction strikes you is because of your own
deeds, and He forgives much (of the sins)’ (42:30). I
followed none but my Lord, the mighty and the majestic,
the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF), the Commander of the
Believers (PBUH), and my pure fathers after him on this
issue. They reproached you and I followed them
accordingly.” They asked, “For what reason, O Son of
the Messenger of Allah?”
He (PBUH) replied, “For your claim that you are the Shia of
the Commander of the Believers (PBUH)! Woe on to you!
Verily, his Shia were al-Hasan (PBUH), al-Husain (PBUH),
Salman, Abu Dhar, al-Miqdad, Ammar, and Muhammad
Ibn Abi Bakr who neither disobeyed any of his
commands nor did they commit his prohibitions of any
kind. You said you were his Shia while you contradict
him in most of your actions, fall short concerning many
obligatory deeds, neglect the great rights of your brothers
in faith, observe Taqiyya 1 when it is not required, and
1
In the language of Hadith, al-Taqiyya refers to concealing belief in
the case of danger. The root of this term is Waqa, which means “to
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( 11 )
In addition, a person came to Imam Muhammad al-
Jawad, son of Ali al-Ridha (PBUH), appearing very happy
and delighted. He (PBUH) asked, “Why are you so happy?”
The man answered, “O Son of the Messenger of Allah! I
have heard your father saying, the most deserving day to
make a servant happy is a day that Allah helps him give
charities and alms to his believing brothers and solve
their problems. Today, I received ten believing brothers
who were needy and had dependents. They came to me
from another city. I gifted each one of them with money,
and this is why I am delighted.” The Imam replied, “By
my life! You deserve to be happy if you have not
nullified your deed and if you do not nullify it later.” He
said, “How could I ruin my deed while I am one of your
sincere Shia?!” He (PBUH) replied, “Ah! Certainly you just
invalidated your benevolence and charity to your
brothers.” He asked, “How come, O Son of the
Messenger of Allah?” The Imam (PBUH) replied, “Recite
the saying of Allah, the mighty and the majestic, ‘O you
who believe! Cancel not your charity by reminders of
your generosity or by annoyance.’ (2:264)” He said, “I
did not remind my generosity to the people that I gave
charity and did not hurt their (feelings).”
The Imam (PBUH) said, “Allah, the mighty and the
majestic, said you should not nullify your generosity by
reminding or by annoyance, and He did not say by
reminding to or annoying only the people to whom you
give charity. It includes all harassments. Do you believe
annoying the people that you helped is greater or
annoying us and the angels who scribe your deeds?” The
person answered, “Of course, the latter.”
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1
cf. the holy Quran, Chapter 40, Verse 28.
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1
Describing the Shia of Ahl al-Bait (PBUT), Imam al-Baqir (PBUH)
said, “They are impregnable fortresses, trustworthy breasts, and
sober-minded people of patience. They are neither disclosers of the
secrets, nor are they ostentatious disobedient. They are humble and
God-fearing worshippers by night and brave as a lion by day”
(Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 65, p. 180, Hadith 38).
2
As we can see from this Hadith, observing monotheism (al-
Tawhid) is the foremost condition towards becoming a Shia of Ahl
al-Bait (PBUT). Monotheism, which is the basic requirement of
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Conclusion
After studying this set of traditions as well as other
complementary traditions provided in the footnotes, we
might feel that we are far away from the prescribed
standard in practice. However, instead of being
disappointed, we should look into its positive aspects.
Learning these facts increases our love and respect for
the title of Shia and those who deserve this revered title
more than ever. It also makes us more cautious of using
this term for ourselves and others in the future. Most
important of all, learning these traditions leads us to
refine our goals. They also teach us the right method of
approaching towards these sacred goals.
In fact, it is a duty of every believer to learn the ideal
goals set by the Prophet (PBUH&HF) and his Ahl al-Bait
(PBUT) and to consider them reachable by an ordinary
human with the help of Allah. Since goal is a matter of
faith, it must be correctly viewed, and should not be
compromised due to one’s weaknesses. It is only in this
proper clothing, and nor quench your thirst when he is thirsty. The
sixth right is that if you have a servant and he cannot not have one,
you should (regularly) send your servant to aid him in washing
clothes, and cooking and cleaning in his house. And the seventh
right is that you should acknowledge his oath, accept his invitation,
visit him if he is sick, attend his funeral if he passes away, and
initiate to fulfill his need in person before he is obligated to ask for
it. Once you comply with all these rights, you have joined his
Walaya to your Walaya and your Walaya to the Walaya of Allah,
the mighty and the majestic” (Rawdhat al-Wa’idhin, vol. 2, p. 291;
Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 71, p. 224, Hadith 12).
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