Of the most significant Imāmiyyah traits mentioned here is the non-extremist, moderate view they hold on the Imāms, peace be upon them, a trend of great impact in my converting to the Shī‘ism. When I was a Wahhābī, I imagined the Sunnīs had a non-extremist view regarding the Household of the Prophet (s) as the Sunnīs themselves thought. But after I studied al-Ta‘ab al-Jamīl ‘alā Ahl al-Jarh wa’l-Ta‘dīl, written by Ibn ‘Aqīl, the Shāfi‘ī leader of the Sunnīs, and al-Imām Ja‘far al-Sādiq, written by Muhammad Abū Zahrah, I realized that the Sunnīs’ viewpoint on the Prophet’s Household (‘a) was not realistic, actual, or moderate, rather, it was the Shī‘ah school of thought that maintained the real moderate view.
Although the Sunnīs have rejected the Nāsibīs’ and the Ghulāt’s extreme views concerning the Imāms (‘a) and have disavowed the two groups, they have, nevertheless, opted for a negative stance as regards the Household of the Prophet (‘a); that is, although they have faith in what the Prophet (s) has said about Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) and consider it an Islamic necessity to resort to them along with resorting to the Qur’an, they turn to sources other than the Imāms (‘a), stick to their choice, and oppose the Imāms (‘a) in practice or in words. This is what we mean by “the Sunnīs’ negative position” towards the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt (‘a). The Shī‘ahs, on the contrary, have openly declared that they do not belong to the Extremism and never opt for an enmity towards the Ahl al-Bayt (‘a) but take the Holy Prophet’s (s) advice, resort to his Household (‘a) and admit their deeds and words as authentic.
This is the point where the Sunnīs’ and Shī‘ahs’ approaches diverge—a point so critical that has resulted in a thorough separation of the two approaches that have no common grounds. All praise is due to Allah, whose grace guided us to choose the Imāmiyyah school of thought and give up the Wahhābīsm.
