Reply: In Arabic âShiâahâ literally means âfollowerâ. The Glorious Qurâan states:
ï´¿ÙØ¥ÙØ¨Ù’Ø±ÙØ§ÙÙÙÙ…Ù Ø´ÙÙØ¹ÙتÙÙÙ Ù…ÙÙ ÙÙØ¥ÙÙÙ’Ù ï´¾
âIndeed Abraham was among his followers {Shiâah}.â[36]
But the Muslims use the word âShiâahâ to mean the group of people who believe that prior to his demise, the Prophet (S) had designated his successor and the caliph of the Muslims in numerous occasions such as the day known as âGhadirâ on Dhuâl-Hijjah 18, 10 AH and in a mammoth assembly (of Muslims) he (S) appointed him as the political, intellectual and religious authority after him (S).
To elucidate, after the Holy Prophet (S), the Muhajirun[37] and the Ansar[38] were divided into two groups:
1. A group believed that the Prophet of Allah (S) did not ignore the question of caliphate and he designated âAli ibn Abi Talib (âa)â”the first person who believed in him (S)â”as his successor.
This group is composed of Muhajirun and Ansar with all the leading figures of the Bani Hashim[39] and a number of great Companions {sahabah}[40] such as Salman al-Farsi, Abu Dharr, Miqdad, Khabbab ibn Art, and the like. They remained firm in their belief and were called the âShiâah of âAli (âa)â.
Of course, this appellation has been given by the Holy Prophet (S) himself during his lifetime to the followers of the Commander of the Faithful (âa). While pointing to âAli ibn Abi Talib (âa), he said:
â.اÙÙÙØ§Ù…Ø© ÙÙÙ… اÙÙØ§Ø¦Ø²ÙÙ ÙÙÙ… Ø´ÙØ¹ØªÙ Ù ÙØ°Ø§ Ø¥ÙÙ’ Ø¨ÙØ¯Ù ÙÙØ³Ù ÙØ§ÙْذÙâ
âBy Him in Whose hand my life is, verily this man (âAli) and his Shiâah shall be the triumphant on the Day of Resurrection.â[41]
Therefore, âShiâahâ means a group of Muslims of the early period of Islam who, on account of the belief that wilayah {guardianship}[42] is based on revelation {tansisi}, are given this appellation, and this group has remained faithful to the Prophetâs Household {Ahl al-Bayt} (âa) until today.
From this, we realize the station and position of the Shiâah, and in this way the groundless statement of some ignorant or spiteful concocters who claim that Shiâism is a product of the later periods, becomes clear. For further information on the history of the Shiâah, one may refer to such books as Asl ash-Shiâah wa Usuluha, Al-Murajaâat, and Aâyan ash-Shiâah.
2. Another group believed that the station of caliphate is an electoral position. As such, they paid allegiance to Abubakr and later on, they were known as the âAhl as-Sunnahâ or âSunniâ.
The result was that notwithstanding the fact that these two Muslim sects have so many common views about the roots of religion, they have different attitudes toward the question of caliphate and succession to the Prophet. The members of each of the two groups were from among the Muhajirun and Ansar.
Notes:
[36] Surah as–Saffat 37:83.
[37] Muhajirun: a title given to the Muslims of Mecca who accompanied the Prophet (S) in his hijrah (migration) to Medina. {Trans.}
[38] Ansar: a title given to the Muslims of Medina who received the Prophet (S) and the Muslims of Mecca who migrated (hijrah) to Medina. {Trans.}
[39] Bani Hashim: a clan in Mecca to which the Prophet and his descendants belong. {Trans.}
[40] Companions {sahabah}: it refers to the Companions of the Prophet (S). In earlier times, the term was given only to his close friends who had close contact with him. Later, the term was extended to include the believers who had seen him, eventhough it was for a brief moment or at an early age. {Trans.}
[41] Jalal ad-Din as-Suyuti, Ad-Durr al-Manthur, vol. 6, on the commentary of Surah al-Bayyinah 98:7:
ï´¾ اÙÙ’Ø¨ÙØ±ÙÙÙ’ÙØ©Ù Ø®ÙÙْر٠ÙÙمْ Ø£ÙÙÙ’ÙØ¦ÙÙÙ Ø§ÙØµÙ’اÙÙØÙØ§ØªÙ ÙÙØ¹ÙÙ…ÙÙÙÙØ§ ءامÙÙÙÙØ§ اÙÙ’ÙØ°ÙÙÙ٠إÙÙ’Ù ï´¿
âIndeed those who have faith and do righteous deedsâ”it is they who are the best of creatures.â
[42] For further information about the idea of guardianship {wilayah} and the guardian {wali}, see Murtada Mutahhari, Wilayah: The Station of the Master, trans. Yahya Cooper (Tehran: World Organization for Islamic Services, 1982). {Trans.}
— taken from the book “The Shi’ah Rebuts” by Sayyid Rida’ Husayni Nasab. Written under the supervision of Ayatullah Ja’far Subhani
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