The Love of Ahlul-Bayt

The Holy Prophet [s] said: "Train your children in three things: the love of your Prophet, the love of his progeny, i.e. Ahlul-Bayt, and recitation of the Qur'an."

AI-Jami'-ul-Saghir, vol. 1, p. 14

Imam Sadiq [a] said: "He who is not able to do any good unto us (Ahlul-Bayt) then be may do good to our pious adherents; and he who is not able to visit us, he may visit our righteous followers by which the reward of visiting us (pilgrimage) will be recorded for him."

Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 74, p. 354

Imam Baqir [a] said: "The best means by which servants can obtain nearness to Allah, Mighty and Glorious, is the obedience to Allah, the obedience to His Messenger, and the obedience to those charged with (spiritual) authority."

Then, he [a] added: "The love of us (Ahlul Bayt) is Faith and the hatred of us is infidelity."

Al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 187

Imam Sadiq [a] said: "Verily, there are various degrees of serving Allah, but affection (and cordial inclination) for us, Ahlul Bayt, is the highest one."

Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 27, p. 91

Reports of Love for of ahlulbayt

Reports of Love for him, Peace be on him, Being a Sign of Faith (in a Person) and Hatred of him Being a Sign of Hypocrisy (in a Person).

[Abu Bakr Muhammad b. `Umar - known as Ibn al-Ji`ibi al-Hafiz - told us: Muhammad b. Sahl b. al-Hasan told us: Ahmad b. `Umar al-Dihqan told us: Muhammad b. Kathir told us: Isma°il b. Muslim told us: al-A'mash told us on the authority of 'Ad! b. Thabit, on the authority of Zirr b. Hubaysh, who said:] I saw the Commander of the faithful, `Ali b. Abi Talib,on the pulpit and I heard him say: "By Him Who split the seed and brought the soul into being, the Prophet made a promise (ahd) to me: `Only believers will love you and only hypocrites will hate you!"

[Abu `Abd Allah Muhammad b. `Imran al-Marzubani informed me: `Abd Allah b. Muhammad b. `Abd al-`Azlz al-Baghawi told us: `Ubayd Allah b. `Umar al-Qawarlrl told us: JaYar b. Sulayman told us: al-Nadr b. Hamid told us on the authority of Abu al-J3rUd, on the authority of al-Harith al-HamdNnl who said:]

I saw `All, peace be on him. One day he came and went up on the pulpit. He praised and glorified God. Then he said: "A decree which God, the Most High, decreed by the tongue of the Prophet, may God bless him and his family, was that only believers will love me and only hypocrites will hate me. Whoever forges a lie is lost."

[Abu al-Hasan Muhammad b. al-Muzaffar al-Bazzaz informed me: Muhammad b. Yahya told us: Muhammad b. Musa al-Barbarl told us: Khalaf b. Salim told us: WaO` told us: al-A'mash told us on the authority of 'Ad! b. Thabit, on the authority of Zirr b. Hubaysh, on the authority of the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him, who said:]

The Prophet, may God bless him and his family, made a promise (ahd) to me: "Only believers will love you and only hypocrites will hate you."

Doctrine of Love for the Household of the Prophet

Allah said:

Say (O Muhammad, unto mankind): I do not ask of you a wage for this except love of my kinsfolk. (42; 23)

We believe that in addition to the obligation to hold fast to the Household of the Prophet, it is necessary for every Muslim, from the point of view of his d1n, to love them. For Allah, in this verse, has told mankind to love them.

It is narrated from the Prophet:

Love of them (my Household) is a sign of belief, and to show enmity towards them is a sign of unbelief. Whosoever loves them, loves Allah and His Messenger. And whosoever shows enmity towards them shows enmity towards Allah and His Messenger.

Naturally we must love them; it is one of the necessary Islamic duties over which there can be no dispute or doubt. All the sects of Islam have accepted this, apart from a few people who are recognised to be enemies of the Household of Prophet, and they have been given the derisive name of Nawasib' (i.e. those who have planted enmity of the Household in their hearts). They are counted among those who deny one of the necessary beliefs of Islam.

One who denies one of the Islamic commandments about which there is no doubt, such as the obligation to pray or to pay zakdt, undoubtedly ranks with a denier of Prophethood, even though he may utter the two testimonies of the Islamic faith (i.e. ashhadu an ld ildha ila 'lldh wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasul Allah. I testify that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah). Enmity towards Muhammad's Household is a sign of unbelief, and love of them is a sign of faith. Therefore enmity towards them is the same as enmity towards Allah and His Messenger.

Allah has ordered us to love the Imams, because they merit this, and because of their high degree of obedience to the commands of Allah, their high position in the presence of Allah, their purity from polytheism, sin and that which keeps His servants away from the Mercy of Allah.

It is impossible that Allah should enjoin us to love someone who commits sin and does not obey Him as he should be obeyed; for all mankind are His slaves and created equally, and none have a special relationship or friendship with Him. The noblest of them in the sight of Allah is the best in conduct. So, if He instructs all people to love someone, that person must be the best among them in virtue and above them all, otherwise he would not deserve to be loved, and Allah would never prefer some person to another for no reason, or if that person had no merit.

Ritual Practices in Shi'ism

The religious rites practiced by Twelve-Jmam Shi'ites are essentially the same as those of the Sunnis with certain minor modifications of posture and phrasing which are little more than the differences that are to be found among the Sunni schools (madhhabs) themselves, except in the addition of two phrases in the call to prayer. For Shi^'ism, like Sunnism, the major rite consists of the daily prayers (salãt in Arabic, namãz in Persian and Urdu), comprised of the prayers of sunrise, noon, afternoon, evening and night. Altogether they consist of seventeen units (rak'ahs)divided in the ratio of 2, 4, 4, 3 and 4 for the respective five prayers. The only singular quality of Shi'ite practice in this respect is that instead of performing the five prayers completely separately, usually Shi^'ites say the noon and afternoon prayers together, as well as the evening and the night prayers.

Shi'ites also perform supererogatory prayers and prayers on special occasions such as moments of joy, fear and thanksgiving, or when visiting a holy place of pilgrimage. In these practices also there is little difference between Shi'ism and Sunnism. However, we can sense a distinction in the Friday congregational prayers. Of course these prayers are performed in both worlds but they definitely have a greater social and political significance in the Sunni world. In Shi^'ism, although these prayers are performed in at least one mosque in every city and town, in the absence of the Imam, who according to Shitism is the true leader of these prayers, their importance is somewhat diminished and more emphasis is placed upon individual prescribed prayers.

As for the second basic Islamic rite of fasting, it is practiced by

Shi^'ites in a manner that is nearly identical with that of Sunnis and differs only in the fact that Shi'ites break their fast a few minutes later than Sunnis. when the sun has set completely. All those capable of fasting and above the age of puberty must abstain from all drinking and eating during the month of Ramadan from the first moments of dawn until sunset. The moral and inward conditions that accompany the fast are also identical for the two branches of Islam. Likewise, many Shi'ites, like Sunnis, fast on' certain other days during the year, especially at the beginning, middle and end of the lunar month, following the example of the Holy Prophet.
Also, for the pilgrimage (hajj), Shi'ite and Sunni practices have only very minor differences. It is the pilgrimage to other holy places that is emphasized more in Shi'ism than in Sunnism. The visit to the tombs of Imams and saints plays an integral role in the religious life of Shi'ites, one which in fact is compensated for in a way in the Suñni world by visits to the tombs of saints or what in North Africa are called tombs of marabouts. Of course these forms of pilgrimage are not obligatory rites such as the prayers, fasting and hajj, but they play such an important religious role that they can hardly be overlooked.
There are certain religious practices besides the basic rites which are specifically Shi'ite, yet curiously enough found also in certain parts of the Sunni world. There is the rawdah-khãni, that combination of sermon, recitation of poems and Quranic verses and drama which depicts the tragic life of the different Imams, particularly Imam Husayn. Although the rawdah began to be practiced widely only during the Safavid period, it has become one of the most widespread and influential of religious acts in the Shi'ite world and leaves a profound mark upon the whole community. The rawdah is performed most of all during the Islamic months of Muharram and Safar, during which the tragedy of Karbala and its aftermath took place. The rawdah does not exist in Sunni Islam in the exact form it has taken in Shi'ism but other forms of elegy (marathi) and dramas depicting the tragedy of Karbala are seen during Muharram as far away as Morocco.
Connected with the rawdah during Muharram Is the passion play (ta.^'ziyah), which has become an elaborate art in both Persia and the Indo-Pakistani world. It is no longer directly a religious rite in the sense of the prayers, yet it too is a major manifestation of religious life as it traverses the depth and breadth of society. There are also at this time elaborate street processions in which people chant, cry and sometimes beat themselves in order to participate in the passion of the Imam. In this matter also, equivalences in the Sunni world must be sought in the Sufi processions which have become rarer in many Muslim countries during the past few years.
On the popular level there are certain Shi'ite religious practices which must be mentioned because of their wide popularity. These include almsgiving, in addition to the religious tax (zakat) promulgated by the Shari^' ah, petitioning God for the accemtance of something asked in a prayer by giving to the poor, arranging special religious tables whose food is given to the poor, and many other practices of the kind which carry religion to the intimate activities of everyday life.
The recitation of the Holy Quran is a rite par excellence and it is a basic Shiite practice as much as a Sunni one. The Quran is chanted during special occasions such as weddings, funerals and the like, as well as at different moments of the day and night during one's daily' routine. In addition the Shi'ites place much emphasis upon the reading of prayers of great beauty in Arabic from the prophetic hadith and from the sayings of Imams as contained in the Nahj al-ba ldghah, Sahifah sajjadiyah, Usul al-kafi, etc. Some of these prayers, like the Jawshan-i kabir and Kumayl, are long and take several hours. They are recited only by the especially pious, on certain nights of the week, particularly Thursday night and the nights of Ramadan. Other believers remain satisfied with shorter prayers. But the whole practice of reciting litanies and prayers of different kinds constitutes an important aspect of the rites of Muslims and their religious devotions in both the Shi'ite and Sunni worlds. And in both worlds these devotional prayers and litanies come from the works of the saints, who in the Shi'ite world are identified with the Imams and the Household of the Prophet and in the Sunni world with Sufisrn in general.

Ahlul-bait and the perverted groups

The opponents of Islam realized that the Ahlul-Bait were the very embodiment of originality and purity and acted as refuge for Muslims in times of distress .and calamities. In their bid to prevent the message of Islam, certain subversive elements pretending love for the Ahlul-Bait, tried to infiltrate the ranks of the followers of the very source of purity. These groups falsely raised the slogan of attachment to the Ahlul-Bait, who in fact had cursed and denied them. This was part of an elaborately designed treachery aimed at distorting belief in Monotheism, which is the essence of Islam.

To carry orit their mischivous plots - they fabricated perversive ideas and deviated philosophies. These elements alleged that Allah the Most Glorified, had transmigrated into the bodies of the Imams of the Ahlul-Bait. They even went to the extent of difying the Imams of the Prophet's household. These movements were backed by the idolatrous Arabs, the Magis, the Manichaeans, the Mazdakis: and the like, who had outwardly embraced Islam to deceive the Muslims. Jewish and Christian thought also participated in this treacherous campaign against Islam, in order to splet the Muslims into new factions. In this way they were able to cause much intellectual confusion by implanting doubts, coining misleading narrations and concepts and allegedly ascribing them to the Ahlul-Bait. To counter the plot a number of learned scholars wrote research-books on `Rijal' (Who-is-who) and managed to expose the imposters, the liars, the fabricaters and the coiners of perversive ideologies, eversince the days of the Prophet. They sifted truth from falsehood on the basis of the authentic traditions, uncovering every mischief monger and scrutinizing each and every narrator, as was done by Najashi in his famous book `Rijal alNajashi', and by Shaikh Tusi in his `al-Fihrist' and `Rijal alTusi' eviated groups who claimed attachment to the AhlulBait, such as `the Exaggerators' were strongly repudiated, cursed and dismissed by the Imams.

Nawbakhti(1), in his book `Firaq al-Shi'a' (Shi'a Sects), classifies such groups and relates the attitude of the Imams of the Ahlul-Bait towards them. Hereunder we refer to some of them:

"As to the companions of Abi Khattab Muhammad ibn Abi Zainab Aida' Asadi and those who follow them, they had disputes when they heard that Abu Abdulla Ja'far ibn Muhammad, the Imam al-Sadiq (a. s.) had cursed him (Abi Khattab) and renounced him and his followers: Nawbakhti then says:

"A group of them had said that Abu Abdulla Ja'far ibn Muhammad (al-Sadiq) was Allah-the Elevated, the Great, Who is too far above these things - and that Abu Khattab was a prophet.

"Another group said Ja'far ibn Muhammad was Allah the Great, the Mighty, the Elevated too far above all that. He is a light that enters the bodies of the vicegerents. That light was Ja'far ibn Muhammad (al-Sadiq), then it left him and entered into Abu Khattab ...."(2)

Nawbakhti adds,

"These perversive groups were the `Exaggerators' who styled themselves as Shi'a. They, may Allah curse them all, (actually) belonged to such groups as the Khurramdins, the Mazdakis(3), the Heretics (4)and the Atheists(5)All of them denied Allah's divinity - Blessed is He and Elevated far above all they ascribe and admitted it in a creature's body, alleging that the body was the dwelling-place of Allah, and Allah was a light, a soul, that moved into those bodies - Elavated is He above all they ascribe. But they differed in respect to their leaders whom they were attached to, each group denouncing the other, and cursing one another.(6)

Continuing his reports about the perversive groups who feigned themselves as lovers of Ahlul-Bait, Nawbakhti narrates, that one of those groups claimed that Muhammad ibn Hanafiya, son of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) was al-Mahdi who did not die -nd would never die, had only gone into occultation. Nobody knows where he is. But he would come back and possess the earth, and there would be no Imam after his occultation till his return to his companions, who are the companions of Ibn Karb."(7).

"Among holders of such deviated beliefs, Nawbakhti lists Hamza ibn Amara Barbari of Madina, who in his wild fantasy claimed himself a prophet, and said that Muhammad ibn Hanafiya was Allah - far Elevated is He from what they ascribe - and He himself was his prophet, and that seven means would come down to him from Heaven, by which he would conquer the earth and possess it. A number of people of Madina and of Kufa followed him. Thus, Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Husain (Imam al-Baqir), and his Shi'a cursed him and renounced him.(8)

Sa'ed al-Nahdi who belonged to a perverted group, was also cursed by Imam al-Sadiq, who regarded him among those miscreants who fabricated lies and ascribed them to the Ahlu]-Bait (9).

Hereunder we state what had been related by the Shi'a scholars, quoting Imam al-Sadiq about his attitude towards exaggeraters and their deviated beliefs.

Regarding Abu Jarud and his group, Ibn Nadim, in his `al-Fihrist', says:

"Imam al-Sadiq cursed him and said: `He is blind in his heart, and blind in his sight'. Kishshi relates identical narrations which prove this. (10)

Al-Sadiq also cursed Abu Mansur Ijli thrice, as stated by Kishshi in his `Rijal'.

`Bazee' ibn Musa Ha'ik was cursed by Imam al-Sadiq (a. s.), as were some others, like Mughira ibn Said, Sirri, Abi Khattab Muhammad ibn Abi Zainab Ajda', Mu'ammar, Bashshar Sha'iri, Hamza Barbari and Sa'ed Nahdi. According to Kishshi's text, the Imam says:

"May Allah curse them. We never went without there being some liar to lie against us, or someone with crippled opinion. May Allah rid us of all liars and make them taste burning iron". (11).

Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) is cited to have renounced the `Exaggeraters' in the following speech:

"O Shi'a community - the Shi'a of the family of Muhammad (s.a. w.) be like the cushion in the middle (as between a rider and his saddle). The exaggerator should turn back to you, and the one who lags behind should catch up with you". When a man called Sa'ed inquired about the exaggerator, the Imam replied: "Those who say about us, what we do not say ourselves, are not of us, and we are not of them. "The man further asked as to who are those who lag behind. The Imam answered: "The wanderers who intend good, and they get it and get rewarded for it". (12)

On learning of Abi Khattab's exaggeration, Imam alSadiq wept and invoking Allah as his witness, renounced Abi Khattab.

It is written in `al-Kafi' that once Sadir informed Imam al-Sadiq that some people regard the Imams of Ahlul-Bait as gods, he said:

"O Sadir, my hearing, my sight, my skin, my flesh, my blood, and my hair do renounce them, and Allah has renounced them. They are not of my religion, nor of the religion of my ancestors... "(13)

Similar lies were fabricated against the other Imams of the household of the Prophet, by charlatans masqurading as shi'a, but whose real intention was to pollute the cause of the Ahlul-Bait, and to empty the message of Islam, of it true contents.

There was a time, in the history of Islam, when every discontented political aspirant, no matter how ignorant he was of Islam and the Ahlul-Bait, tried to give Shi'a colours to his deviated ambitions in a bid to attract simple people to his cause.

By doing so these rebels, of all shades and colouring, ranging from Iranian infidels to religious interpolaters, did a great disservice to the human society, the scars of which can still be discerned on the body-politic of Islam.

It was a great blessing that the majority of such deviationists who tried in vain to defame the Shi'a, died out, and it was no ordinary task for the Imams of the Ahlul-Bait to pilot the ship of Islam through these troubled waters. The sickly hearts withered away from the history, and only their record of infamy remains in books, which, quite unfortunately certain ignorant modernists have confused with the Shi'a cause.

Regretably, even today some Islamic sects believe in fatalism and incarnation. In their ingnorance they ascribe a body to Allah (far glorious is He from what they say), and weave up all sorts of silly yarns. These retarded minds say that the Almighty sits on a chair, whose widith is seven spans, and that on the Resurrection Day, He puts His leg into Hell to satiate its thirst for more sinners, and that He descends to the lower sky on a white donkey, and many other absurdities. To a rational mind, it is clear this is all heresy and falsehood, and these poor creatures have been unable tocomprehend and have failed in understanding the Greatness of the Power that created them. As discussed earlier, He, the Creator is not bound by time and place and has neither physique nor form. As a matter of fact, such absurd notions, which run contrary to monothism are soundly condemned by Islam.

------------------

(1) Abu Muhammad Hasan ibn Musa Nawbakhti, one of the most known lmami scholars of the third century A. H.

(2)Nawbakhti, 'Firaq al_Shi`a' , p 59,ed.1388 H

(3) The Mazdakis were the followers of Mazdak, who appeared in the days of the Persian Emperor oubad, Anowshirwan's father. His Book was called `Distaw'. Their belief was similar to the Manichaeans (an old Persian religion) in respect to the two principles of Light and Darkness, (Refer to `al-Fihrist' by Ibn Nadim. The Mazdakis were those who allowed the unlawful advocating the sharing of everything including wealth and women.

(4)'The Zindiks denied all divine religions on the pretext of being free thinkers.

(5)The Dahriyun (Atheists) believed that the world existed from pre-eternity and would remain without end, and has no Creator. They were actually, a group of infidel disbelievers.

(6) Ibid., p. 60

(7) Ibid.,p.44.

(8) Ibid.,p.45.

(9) Ibid.

(10)Ibid.,p.21

(11)Ibid.,p.43

(12) Tabasi,`Mishakat al-Alnwarfi Ghurar al-Akhbar',p.66,2nd ed.

(13) Allama Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar,v.47,p.378,3rd edition