Beliefs

Any researcher who studied the prophetic conduct (sirah) and bacame aware of the Islamic history, has no doubt that the prophet (S) himself has appointed the twelve Imams and determined them to be successors after him and guadians over his ummah. Their number has been stated in the sahih of Ahl al-Sunnah,that they are twelve and all being from Quraysh.This was reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim and others. Some Sunni references have reported that he (S) has identified them by names,clarifying that the first Iamm being Ali ibn Abi Talib, after his son al-Hassan, then his brother al-Husayn and then nine of the descendants of al-Husayn, the last of whom being al-Mahdi.

The author of yanabi al-Muwaddah has reported in his book: "Jew called al-A'tal came to the prophet and said : "O Muhammad I have some inquiries pressing in my bosom,when I get their replies from you I will embrace Islam at your hands".

The prophet replied: You can ask, O Abu Ammarah ". Then he put forwaard his questions till he said: "You said the truth " Then he said : " Tell me who will be your excutor ( Wasi) ? As for every prophet there should be an excutor, and our prophet Musa ibn Imran has made Yusha ibn Nun as his wasi.

The prophet (S) said: "My excutor is Ali ibn Abi Talib, after him my two grandsons al-Hassan and Husayn, and then nine Imams from the lineage of al-Husayn'

He said: "O Muhammad, mention their names"

He said: when al- Husayn passes away comes his son Ali, then his son Muhammad, then his son Ja'far, then his son Musa, then his son Ali, then his son Muhammad, then his son Ali, then his son al-Hasan and the his son Muhammad al-Mahadi, they will be twelve altogether ".

Then the author said: Thereat the Jew man converted to Islam, and praised Allah for being guided .74 If we go through the shi'a books and persue the facts they contained about this subject, we will find many more examples.

But we are sufficed with the proof that the ulama of Ahl al-Sunnah recognize the number of the tweleve Imams, being none other than Ali and his pure sons.

Our certainty is multiplied by knowing that the tweleve Imams have not been disciples under any of the ulama of the ummah, as the historians, Muhadidithun and biographers have never narrated that any of Ahl al-Bayt ' Imam has acquired his knowledge from some Companion or Tabi'un,as it is true in regard of all the ulama and Imams of the ummah ( the sunnah).

Abu Hanifah has becaome a disciple under al-'Imam Ja'far al- Sadiq, then Malik became a pupil under Abu Hanifah, then al- Shafi'i acquired his knowledge from Malik and so did Ahmad from Malik.

The Imams of Ahl al-Bayt had a knowledge talented by Allah,the Glorified, the Exalted, being inherited a father from grandfather, as they were meant by Allah 'saying:

Then We gave the cripture a inheritance unto those whom We elected of Our bondmen' .(35:32)

Al-Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (A) has once expressed this fact by saying:How wonderful that people proclaim of acquiring their whole knowledge from the Mesenger of Allah (S), applied it and were guided! At the same time they narrate that we-- Ahl al-Bayt -- have neither acquired his (S) knowledge nor being guided by him, though being his Household and progeny, in our houes the revelation (wahy) was descndent and from us the knowledge went out to people. Can anyone say that they (Sunnah) had knowledge and were guided, and we had no knowledge and went astray?!

Yes, how could al-Imam al-Sadiq (A) not be astonished at those who claim having acquired the knowledge from the Mesenger of Allah, while they contract the enmity of his (S) Household and the gate of city of his knowledge, from which all should enter ? And how couldn't he be surprised by their adopting the name of " Ahl al-Sunnah"whereas they contradict this Sunnah?!

Then the Shi'ah on one hand as history testifies, have been concerned only with 'Ali, supprting him and withstanding against his enemies, fighting whoever fought him and making peace with whoever reconciled him with acquiring all their knowledge from him. On the other hand Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'a have naver followed his guide, nor supported him, but rather they fought him, intending to exterminated him, chasing his sons through killing, imprisoning and scarttering, and opposing him in most of the rules, through following knowledge claimants, who had no agreement in their opinions and ijtihadat concerning Allah's rules, resorting then to change and modify them according to their desires and as required by their interests.

How couldn't we be surprised today those claiming to follow the prophetic Sunnah, while they testify against themselves that they abandoned it since it became a motto for the Shi'ah 75Isn't this surpprising?!

The Ahl al-Sunnah are only divergent groups differed in the rules of Allah and His Messenger, but they agreed upon approving the unfair Saqifah caliphate, with abondoning and isolating the pure Kindred ( Itrah).

How could such people allege being Ahl al-Sunnah while they have disobeyed the prophet's (S ) ordered to hold on to the Thaqalayn ( two precious assets) -- the book of Allah and his progeny (Itrah) -- despite their reporting and approving of the tradition? They neither held on the Qur'an nor to the Itrah , since by distancing themelves the pure Itrah they have abandoned the Qur'an as mentioned in the tradition that they ( Qur'an and Itrah) will not separate, as announced by the Messenger of Allah when saying: " And the Sublite, the Aware has informed me that they (Qur'an and Itrah ) will never separate till they come to me upon the pond (Hawd) .76

Why shouldn't we be amazed at people claiming to be Ahl al- Sunnah, while they contradict what is stated in their sihah of the prophet's acts, orders and forbiddings ?77

If we believe in and approve of the hadith: I am leaving behind among you the Book of Allah and my Sunnah, as long as you hold fast to them you will never stray after me " as narrated by some of the Ahl al-Sunnah, the surprise will be greater and the candal will be more explict, since their eminent leader and Imams have themselves burnt the sunnah left by the prophet among them, preventing people from conveying and writing it down, as mentioned earlier.

Once Umar ibn al-Khattab has expresly disclosed: " The Book of Allah is sufficient for us "which is an explicit refutation against the prophet, and as is know whoever refute the prophet is refuting Allah.

This saying by Umar ibn al-KHattab has been reproted by all Sihah of Ahl al-Sunnah including Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. If the proohet said: Iam leaving behind among you the Book of Allah and my Sunnah, so Umar said to him you: We are sufficed with the book of Allah, then Abu Bakr emphasized on executing the opinion of his friend through diclosing, when becoming a Caliph: Do not narrate from the Messenger of Allah anything and when you are asked (about any tradition ) you can reply by saying: the book of Allah is between us and you, You are allowed to do what is deemed lawful in it, and are not allowed to do what is deemed unlawful haram in it "78

How couldn't we be astonished at a people who left and abandoned their Prophet's Sunnah, substituting it with heresies innovated by them, with no warrant revealed by Allah, and they call themselves and their followers"Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah"?

But our astonishment will disappear when knowing that Abu Bakr, 'Umar and 'Uthman were not aware of this title at all, as can be seen through Abu Bakr's saying: "If you acknowledge me with your Prophet's Sunnah, I cannot endure it".79

How couldn't Abu Bakr endure the Prophet's Sunnah? Was his (S) Sunnah so impossible that it could not be endured by Abu Bakr?

How Ahl al-Sunnah dare to claim being committed to it,while their first Imam and the founder of their schools couldn't endure it??!

Has not the Almighty Allah said about it: "Verily in the Messenger of Allah ye have a good example" (33:21)? He also says: "Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope," (2:286). He further said..." He hath not laid upon you in religion any hardship..." (22:78)

Do Abu Bakr and 'Umar believe that the Messenger of Allah has innovated a religion other than the one revealed by Allah, and commanded the Muslims with unbearable acts and tasked them with hardship? Far be it from him to do it, as he used to say: "Bear good tidings and never startle (people) away, make easy and never render difficult, Allah has given you permission, so do not constrain yourselves.

But Abu Bakr's confession that he can never endure the Prophet's Sunnah certifies our belief, that he has innovated a heresy he could endure, being in agreement with his desire,and goes along with the policy of the state he presided over.

Further, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab may opine that the rules of the Qur'an and Sunnah are unbearable, so he decided to abandon prayer (salat) when being ritually unclean and could not find water, giving a legal verdict (fatwa) for doing the same during his caliphate days, being a known fact about him by all the elect and common people and was reported by all the traditionsts..

Since 'Umar was found of excessive copulation, and in his regard the Almighty's saying has been revealed: "Allah is aware that ye were decieving yourselves in this respect and he hath turned in mercy towards you... " (21:87), as he couldn't endure abstaining from copulation during fasting time, and due to scarcity of water, 'Umar opined it was easier for him to leave prayer and take rest till the availability of enough water for ritual bathing, whereat he could return to perform prayer.

But 'Uthman has contradicted the Prophetic Sunnah as is known, until 'A'ishah brought out the Prophet's shirt saying: 'Uthman has worn out the Prophet's Sunnah before his (Prophet's) shirt is worn out, till the Companions charged him with contradicting the Prophet's Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Shaykhayn, and killed him for this charge.

In regard of Mu'awiyah, you can say what you like, as he has opposed and challenged the Qur'an and the Sunnah. While the Prophet has said: "'Ali is reviling me, and whoever reviles me has reviled Allah", 80 Mu'awiyah has indulged in reviling and cursing 'Ali, and morever he ordered his governors and agents to revile and curse him, deposing and killing whoever refrained from this act .

It is inevitable to know that Mu'awiyah himself has ascribed the title "Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah" to himself and his followers, while calling the Shi'ah as the followers of truth. Some historians report the year in which Mu'awiyah seized the Islamic caliphate, after al-'Imam al-Hasan's recociliation, was called 'Am al-Jama'ah(the Company year)

Our astonishment will vanish when apprehending that by the word "Sunnah" Mu'awiyah and his followers meant nothing but cursing 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, from over the Islamic pulpist (manabir) on Fridays and bairams (a'yad)

If "al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah "was involved by Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, so we implore Allah- Subhanahu -to make us die on the heresy of rafd established by 'Ali ibn Abi Talib and Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) .

Don't be amazed of hearing that the heretics and misleaders turned to be 'Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah ", while the Pure Ahl al-Bayt Imams turned to be heretics (Ahl al-bid'ah).

Herewith 'Allamah Ibn Khaldun, one of the renowned Sunni scholars, dars to say so impudently, after enumerating the Sunni schools that: " Ah al-Bayt have excepted themselves and deviated by schools (madhahib) innovated by them, and fiqh (jurisprudence) followed by them alone, and founded it upon their creed (madhhab) based on censuring some of the Companions" .81

I said from the beginning: "If you reversed the matters you would hit the mark (be right ) ", when the Umayyad debauchees be "Ahl al-Sunnah " and Ahl al-Bayt be Ahl al-bid'ah, as started by Ibn khaldun, so Islam would vanish and would be forsaken.
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74.Al-Qunduzi al-Hanafi in Yanabi 'al-mawaddah, p.440, and Fara'id al-simtayn, by al-Hamini, from Mujahid from Ibn 'Abbas.

75. See Ma'a al-Sadiqin, pp.159-160, to recognize that Ibn Taymiyyah calls for abanding the Prophetic Sunnah if it be a motto for the Shi'ah. Nevertherless they call me Mujaddid al-Sunnah (Revivalist of the Sunnah).

76. It is reported by Ahmad ibn Hanbal in his Musnad, vol.v.p.189, and al-Hakim in his Mustadrak, vol. iii p. 148, saying: it is a veracious hadith on the condition of al-Shaykhayn.

77. Al-Bukhari reported in his Sahih that the Prophet has forbidden from salat al-tarawih congregationally during month of Ramadan, saying: ''O people pray inside your houses as the best prayer be at home except the prescribed prayer". But Ahl al-Sunnah forsook the Prophet's forbidance and followed 'Umar's bid'ah (hresy).

78. Tadhkirat al-huffaz, by al-Dhahabi, vol. i, p.3.

79. Musnad al-'Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, vol. i, p.4; kanz al-'ummal, vol.iii, p126.

80. Mustadrak al-Hakim, vol. iii, p.121, Musnad Ahmad, vol. vi, p, p.323; Khasa'is al-Nasa'i, p.17

81. Maqaddimat Ibn Khaldan, p. 494, in chapter 'ilm al-fiqh and the consquent obligations (fara'id)

Adapted from the book: "The Shi'ah; The Real Followers of the Sunnah" by: "Dr. Muhamad al-Tijahi al-Samawi"