Al-Raj'ah
(Restoration to Life)
This is exclusively held by the Shi’ah. I investigated and searched in all the Sunni books but failed to find any trace of it.In this regard, the Shi’ah depend upon akhbàr (reports) and narrations they quoted from the pure Imams (peace be upon them), which indicate that Allah, the Glorious and the Exalted, will resurrect some of the believers and some corrupt culprits so as the believers revenge against their and Allah’s enemies in this worldly life before the hereafter.These reports, through being sahih (correct) and mutawàtir (narrated through authentic chains), but are not necessarily binding upon Ahl al-Sunnah if they trust not their veracity, and consequently it is not incumbent upon them to believe in them, just because Ahl al-Bayt Imams reported them from their grandfather the Messenger of Allah (S)! Nay, as we have committed ourselves to be equitable in research, and discard bigotry, so we never task them but only with that they bind themselves to, and report in their Sihàh, since the traditions on raj‘ah have never been cited in their books or transmitted by them. Therefore, they are quite free to disbelieve in these re-
ports, and reject them, in case anyone of the Shi’ah intends to let them be acquainted with such narrations.
Due to the fact that the Shi’ah have never imposed on or coerced anyone to believe in the raj‘ah, nor they charge with impiety anyone denying it, so no need is there for all that vilification and exaggeration against the Shi’ah, specially when taking into consideration their interpreting some Qur’ànic verses in a way denoting this meaning and confirming it, such: “And on the Day when We will collect from every people a party from those who belied our signs, then will they be formed into groups” (27:83).In Tafsir al-Qummi, it is reported from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr, from Hammàd, from Abu ‘Abd Allàh (al-’Imàm) Ja’far al-Sàdiq (peace be upon him), that he said: What do people say about this àyah “And on the Day when We will collect from every people a party”? (Hammàd says:) I replied: They believe this to be on the Day of Resurrection. He (A) said: It is not that which they claim, but it is verily about the raj‘ah (restoration to life) ... is it proper for Allah to resurrect a party of every ummah (community) and leave the rest? (No) but the àyah on Resurrection (Day) be this one: “We will gather them (and) then leave not behind, of them any one.” (18:47)It is also reported in the book ‘Aqà’id al-’Imàmiyyah of al-Shaykh Muhammad Ridà al-MuZaffar, that he said: The belief held by the Imamiyah in accordance with what is reported from Al al-Bayt (the Prophet’s Household),
peace be upon them, that Allah, the Most High, will resurrect a group of the dead and return them to the world (dunyà), with the same shapes they were before, dignifying some and humiliating some others, distinguishing between the rightful from falsifiers and the oppressed from the oppressors. This shall occur during the reappearance and rise of al-Mahdi of Al Muhammad, upon him and them be the best benediction and peace.
And no one will be resurrected but whoever attained the extremest degree of faith (imàn) or the extremest degree of corruption, who all shall be caused to die afterwards, and then to nushur (gathering for reckoning) and to get the thawàb (reward) and ‘iqàb (punishment) according to what they deserve. It is exactly as stated by the Almighty Allah in His Noble Book, about those resurrected ones, who were never reclaimed through restoration to life, deserving consequently Allah’s wrath, desiring then to be resurrected for the third time with the hope of being reclaimed: They shall say: “O’ our Lord! Twice dist Thou cause us to die, and twice didst Thou give us life, and (now) we do confess our sins: Is there then a way to get out (of this)?”My view is that if Ahl al-Sunnah never believe in the doctrine of raj‘ah, they are quite rightful in this respect, but they have no right whatsoever to revile and defame whoever believing in it, due to the establishment of the texts regarding it for him.As that who knows not has no
authority over that who knows, and also the ignorant has no authority over the learned, and disbelieving in something can never be an evidence on its non-existence or falsehood, as there are many irrefutable proofs being approved by the Muslims while being disapproved by the people of scripture (Ahl al-Kitàb) including the Jews and Christians.
And there are numerous beliefs and narrations held by the Sunnis concerning God’s friends (Awliyà’) and the pious, and followers of the Sufi creeds, that seem impossible and abominable, but not calling for vilification and exaggeration against the Sunnis’ faith.On the other hand, the doctrine of raj‘ah has a support in the Qur’àn and the Prophetic Sunnah, besides its being not imposible for Allah, Who cited for us examples about it in the Qur’àn, like His saying:“Or (didst thou not see) like him who passed by a town and it had fallen on its roofs, he exlaimed, (Oh) How can God (ever) bring it to life (again), after (this) its death,” Where-upon God caused him to die a hundred years and thereafter raised him (again to life).” (2:259)Or the Almighty’s saying:“Didst thou not see those who went forth from their homes, and they were in thosuands, for fear of death; then God said unto them, ‘Die ye!’ (and they died) and thereafter He restored them to life ...” (2:243)
Allah caused some people from among the Children of Israel, and thereafter restored them to life, in accordance with the following verse:“And (remember ye!) when ye said, “O’ Moses! Never will we believe in thee until we see God manifestly,” the Thunder seized you while ye looked on. Then We raised you after your death that haply ye might be thankful.” (2:55, 56)Further, about the fellows of the Cave who stayed dead in their cave for more than three hundred years, God says: “Then We raised them up that We might know which of the two parties reckoneth best the duration of their stay.” (18:12)Thus we noticed how the Book of Allah indicates that the raj‘ah happened for the previous nations, so its occurrence for the ummah of Muhammad is not impossible, especially when it is to be reported and confirmed by Ahl al-Bayt Imams, peace be upon them, who are the truthful and knowledgeable.But there are some intruders who claim that to believe in raj‘ah is the same as believing in the tanàsukh (transmigration), which is held by some of the atheists. This claim is manifesty devious and false, the purpose of which being no more than vilification and tahwil (exaggeration) against the Shi’ah. Since those believing in the principle of tanàsukh, never hold that man is restored to life with his own body, soul, shape and nature, but say
that the soul is transmitted from the body of a man died to that of another man born anew, or even to an animal.
This, as known by all, is absolutely far off from the creed and beliefs of Muslims who say that Allah will raise up the dead from their graves with their bodies and souls. While the raj‘ah in fact has nothing to do with the tanàsukh, which is held only by the ignorant and illiterate people who have no knowledge, or the impious who have evil intentions.Extravagance (Ghuluww)
[In Loving the Imams]
We never mean by ghuluww here to deviate from the path of truth and follow the hawà (desire), till the beloved turning to be the worshipped god, which is verily a blasphemy and polytheism that can never believed by any Muslim having faith in the Islamic message and prophethood of Muhammad (S).The Messenger of Allah (S) determined fixed limits for such love, when he said to al-’Imàm ‘Ali (A):“Two categories of people will face ruin on account of you: he who loves you with exaggeration, and he who hates you intensely.”He (S) also said:“O ‘Ali, in you there is a parable of Jesus, the son of Mary, who was detested by the Jews to the extent astonishing his mother, and loved by the Christians till imparting upon him the position that he was unfit for it.”284This being the negative meaning for ghuluww, when love exceeds the bounds till rendering the beloved as a god, giving him a rank higher than his own, or when hatred exceeds the bounds reaching the extent of calumny and false accusation.While the Shi’ah have never gone to the extremes in loving ‘Ali and the Imams among his sons, but imparted
upon them the reasonable position determined by the Messenger of Allah (S), as his executors (awsyà’) and successors, with no one claiming their attaining the degree of prophethood let not the divinity. We should never care or give heed to the allegations of some troublesome persons claiming that the Shi’ah have made a god of ‘Ali and believed in his deity. Such people, if what is reported be correct, could neither represent a sect, nor a school of thought (madhhab), nor Shi’ah, nor Kharijites (khawàrij).
And what is the fault of the Shi’ah if the Lord of Power and Glory says in His Book: “Say (O Muhammad, unto mankind): I demand not of you any recompense for it (the toils of the apostleship) save the love of (my) kinsfolk.” And the mawaddah (loving kindness), as is known, is greater than mere love (hubb). Also the Messenger of Allah (S) says:“None of you will be a (true) believer till loving for his brother (in Din) what he loves for himself, and mawaddah enjoins on you to deprive you of something so as to love with it another one.”And what fault the Shi’ah have when the Messenger of Allah (S) says:“O ‘Ali, you are a master in this world and a master in the Hereafter. Whoever loves you has loved me and whoever hates you is hating me. Your lover is the lover of Allah and your hater is the hater of Allah, and woe be unto that who detests you.”
He further says: “To love ‘Ali is faith, and to hate him is hypocrisy.”286He also says:“Whoever dies with the love of Al Muhammad be in his heart, his death is that of a martyr. Verily that who dies upon the love of Al Muhammad shall die forgiven, and whoever dies upon love of Al Muhammad shall die penitent. Whoever dies upon love of Al Muhammad shall die a believer of perfect faith, and that who dies upon love of Al Muhammad the angel of death will augur him with heavens...”287And why to blame or reproach the Shi’ah if they love a man about whom the Messenger of Allah (S) said: “Tomorrow I will give my standard to a man loves God and His Messenger, and God and His Messenger love him...”288As the lover of ‘Ali is the lover of Allah and His Messenger, with being a mu’min (true believer), while the hater of ‘Ali is in fact the hater of Allah and His Messenger, and being a munàfiq (hypocrite).It will not be out of context here to cite al-’Imàm al-Shàfi‘i’s famous quartrain on their love:O Household of the Messenger of Allah, love for you.Is an obligation from Allah, revealed in the Qur’àn. It suffices as the greatest honour bestowed on you, That his prayer is as nothing who does not salute you.
In regard of them and their love, al-Farazdaq disclosed his famous poem:From a folk whose love is Din, and hatred is.Kufr and their nearness is deliverance and refuge. When counting pious people, they be their leaders, Or said who the best on earth, none be except them.The Shi’ah loved Allah and His Messenger, and through this love they were made to love Ahl al-Bayt: Fàtimah and ‘Ali and al-Hasan and al-Husayn, the fact on which countless traditions are there, reported by the Sunni ‘ulamà’ in their Sihàh, some of which I have cited for the sake of brevity.And when the love for ‘Ali and Ahl al-Bayt represents in general the love for the Messenger of Allah (S), we have to know the extent of love required from the Muslims so as to learn if there be ghuluww (excess) as alleged by some.The Messenger of Allah (S) said:“None of you will be a (true) believer till I become for him more beloved than his children, and father and all people.”289On this basis, every Muslim should love ‘Ali and the Pure Imams among his sons more than people as a whole including his family and children, as only through this the
faith (imàn) can be established, as confirmed by the Prophet (S) in the aforementioned hadith.
Thus the Shi’ah never overstate, but give each right owner his due, and they were commanded by the Messenger of Allah to hold ‘Ali in a position parable to that of the head to the body, and the same position of the two eyes to the head. Is tere anyone ready to relinquish of his eyes or his head?On the other side, an excessive extravagance is found with Ahl al-Sunnah in their love for the Sahàbah and undue consecration.But it seems as merely a reaction against the Shi’ah, who never believed in the ‘adàlah (justice, straightforwardness) of the Sahàbah as a whole.Whereas the Umayyads used to elevate the status of the Sahàbah, belittling and degrading on the other hand the Prophet’s Household, to the extent that when sending benedictions upon Muhammad and his Progeny, they would add: “and upon his Companions all.” All this is due to the fact that sending benedictions upon Ahl al-Bayt has a virtue to which there was no precedent, nor can be reached by anyone. So they (the Umayyads) intended to elevate the Sahàbah to that sublime degree, being unaware of the fact that Allah the Glorified has commanded the Muslims on top of whom be all the Sahàbah, to send benedictions upon Muhammad and ‘Ali and Fàtimah with al-Hasanayn. And the prayer of that who does not send blessings upon them is rejected and can never be accepted by Allah if it be
confined upon Muhammad alone, as is confirmed and recorded in Sahih al-Bukhàri and Sahih Muslim.
The reason why we call it ghuluww on the part of the Sahàbah lies in the fact that Ahl al-Sunnah exceed the logic limits when ascribing justice to all of the Sahàbah while Allah and His Messenger bear witness that among them are debauchees, renegades, deviators and hypocrites.Their ghuluww is quite manifest when claiming that the Messenger of Allah (S) may err and be corrected by a Companion, or that the Satan plays and sports in the presence of the Prophet, but escapes when seeing ‘Umar. And also the ghuluww is explicit when they say that if Allah inflicts the Muslims, including the Messenger of Allah, with a tribulation, no one would be in safe of it except Ibn al-Khattàb. The extravagance is even more explicit when they annul the Prophet’s Sunnah and follow the sunnah of the Sahàbah particularly al-Khulafà’ al-Ràshidun. Till now I have revealed instances of some of these practices, and anyone desires to get more information, has to search and meditate in order to put his hand on more of such misconceptions.
