Kuwait Praises Imam Khamenei's Fatwa

Kuwait Praises Imam Khamenei's Fatwa

Kuwait government praised Monday Muslim scholars to address discord and sectarian extremism, while commending World Shia leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei's religious decree (fatwa) in which he forbid offending Sayyeda Aisha, wife of Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), or any Muslim icon.

The Cabinet, in its meeting chaired by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, said it was confident that Muslims were aware of all attempts to create discord amongst them.

The Cabinet, in this context, discussed all efforts to confront plans of sectarian discord and to show how Islam was a "civilized" religion, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Roudhan Al-Roudhan said in a statement after the government meeting.

Source: http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&Id=207666

Al-Azhar Chancellor Welcomes Imam Khamenei's Fatwa

Al-Azhar Chancellor Welcomes Imam Khamenei's Fatwa Chancellor of al-Azhar University of Islamic sciences welcomed Fatwa (verdict) issued by the World Shia Leader, Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei, which bans any insult to the companions of Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.) as well as his wives.

Chancellor of al-Azhar University of Islamic sciences welcomed Fatwa (verdict) issued by the World Shia Leader, Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei, which bans any insult to the companions of Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.) as well as his wives.

Such insults have always been a source of controversy and dispute between Shia and Sunni Muslims and barred them from forging a robust unity against their common enemies, unlike a multitude of commonalities between the two sects.

Ahmad al-Tayyib wrote in a statement that the fatwa was prudent and timely and would help ram the door shut to seditions.

"I received the blessed Fatwa with appreciation," he wrote.

He said it was incumbent on all Muslims to try to keep inter Muslim unity and no dispute between different Islamic sects should be allowed to harm the unity of Islamic ummah.

Tayyib also noted that Egypt has ever been at the forefront of every initiative for Muslim unity.

Western media have kept mum on the Fatwa.

Source: http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=207276

Unity in Muslim World Urged by Imam Khamenei

Unity in Muslim World Urged by Imam Khamenei Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the Muslim world is in great need of unity in the face of growing Western plots

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the Muslim world is in great need of unity in the face of growing Western plots.

"Zionist and American elements are looking for an opportunity to create rifts between Muslims through religious, sectarian and racial excuses, whenever they come together," Imam Khamenei said in a meeting with Iranian Hajj officials on Saturday.

"Zionism, as a political party hated by even the Jewish, has occupied the Islamic territories of Palestine, and the Muslims' first qibla, for the past 60 years and is committing fresh crimes every day," Imam Khamenei noted.

"This is while most Muslim countries keep silent despite the Palestinian call for justice and help," the Leader said, adding that the Holy Hajj offers a great opportunity for the Muslim world to outline a united stance in response to the Palestinian suffering.

The Leader said the enemies of Islam want Muslims to lose hope, become reactionary nations and feel inferior, adding that the collective, correct and responsible move of the Muslim Ummah during Hajj would "return the sense of dignity, strength and hope to the Muslim world."

He referred to the line-up of various "anti-Islam and anti-truth sects" against Islam and said, "The manifestation of the unity and grandeur of the Muslim Ummah during Hajj can break the spirit of the enemies of Islam."

Imam Khamenei said arrogant powers are making "concerted and calculated" efforts to find the weakness of the Muslim world and infiltrate it. "They are carefully seeking to highlight the Muslim Ummah's differences and the unifying Hajj of Muslims will foil their efforts."

The Leader said the animosity of arrogant powers towards Islam should cause the Muslim world to be vigilant.

"Muslim nations and governments should be cautious about and aware of the evil acts and plots hatched by the enemies otherwise Islam will be hurt by the arrogant enemies."

Ayatollah Khamenei urged Muslim nations and governments to comprehend the "deep need" of the Muslim world for understanding, compassion and cooperation and to remain committed and loyal to the pillars of unity.

Source: http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=208128

Fatwa for Shia Sunni unity

The chancellor of Al-Azhar University of Islamic Sciences welcomed a fatwa issued by Iran's Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei that prohibits insulting the companions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his wives.

Ahmad al-Tayyib said in a statement issued on Sunday that the fatwa (religious edict), which was issued by Imam Khamenei, was prudent and timely and would help ram the door shut to fitna (creating divisions among Muslims)

"I received the blessed fatwa with appreciation," he added.

Such insults have always been a source of controversy and disputes between Shia and Sunni Muslims and prevented them from forging a robust unity against common enemies, the Press TV correspondent in Cairo quoted him as saying.

The Western media have not given the fatwa wide coverage, but the Egyptian people and the North African country's media outlets have welcomed the brave move by Iran's Leader.

The Secretary-General of the Nation movement Sheikh Abdel Nasser El-Jabri hailed the fatwa during an interview with Al-Manar TV. Jabri said that the awareness of the Islamic nation leaders will cut the way on all the American and Zionist schemes to cause sectarian strife.

The head of the Sunni society to support the resistance in Lebanon Sheikh Maher Mezher welcomed the wisdom and knowledge of Imam Khamenei's fatwa stressing that his eminence possesses all the qualities required for the commander of the Islamic nation.

In turn, the association of Muslim Scholars in Akkar and the North considered the fatwa a bridge of unity between Muslims calling the Imam a just and devout leader.

Head of the Akkar gathering former MP Wajih Baairini appreciated the responsible attitudes that seek to bury the strife and unite the people.

"Imam Khamenei is a leader who has the talent and religious thought that grants him to be the Nation's leader with a heart filled with love and tolerance," former MP Mustafa Hussein stressed.

Islamic Action Front in Lebanon issued a statement in which it praised the fatwa issued by Sayyed Khamenei considered that the issuance of this fatwa from the Shiites' highest religious and political authority is the best evidence on the consciousness of the Islamic nation in the face of intrigues and conspiracies.

Source: Al Manar Television Network

Egypt's Grand Mufti

Egypt's Grand Mufti, Ali Gomaa expressed that it is permissible to use Shia Jurisprudence which is useful for Islamic Ummah and there should be no-blame for using it.

According to Egyptian News Agencies, Dr. Ali Gomaa issued a Fatwa (religious verdict) based on permissible use of Shia Jurisprudence and stressed: we should confess the progress of Shias and we can collaborate with each other. There is no objection to follow Shia school of thought because there is not any difference between Sunni and Shia.

The prominent grand Mufti referred to pro-Shia Fatwa of Sheikh Mahmoud Shaltout, the former Sheikh of Al-Azhar, and said: Islamic Ummah is unique until they pray in the same direction (Qiblah) and there is not any difference between Shia and Sunni Muslims.

"Enemies of Islam and Muslims try to cut union and coalition of Muslims. They look for Shia books to find some differences to encounter Shia and Sunni" Ali Gomaa affirmed, "This is a big mistake and everyone should be aware of enemies' conspiracies".

Sheikh Ali Gomaa (Alī Jum'ah) is the Grand Mufti of Egypt through Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah succeeding Ahmad El-Tayeb. He has been called "one of the most widely respected jurists in the Sunni Muslim world,"

Source: http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=163141

Shias are not Kafir- A Sunni Scholar

 

Question and Answer Details

 

Name of Questioner	Zahid   - United Kingdom
Title	Shi`ites & Sunnis: Time for Unity
Question	Scholars of Islam, as-Salamu `alaykum. Is Shi`ah part of Islam? Are Shi`i people Muslims? Please shed light on this sect. Jazkum Allah khayran.
Date	22/Jan/2007
Name of Counsellor	`Atiyyah Saqr, Yusuf Al-Qaradawi
Topic	Ideologies, Movements & Religions

 

Answer

 

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Brother, first of all, we'd like to say that we are impressed by your question, which emanates from a thoughtful heart. May Allah Almighty help us all adhere to the principles of this true religion, Islam, and enable us to be among the dwellers ofParadise in the Hereafter, Ameen.

Here, we'd like to stress the fact that at a time when the enemy of Islam encroaches the Muslim Ummah, elements of enhancing unity should dominate and creedal disputes between different Muslim groups and sects are to be avoided. We do admit that there are shortcomings in some sects, but do you think that the time is ripe to discuss such shortcomings now?

Hence, Muslims should beware of all routes and channels that may lead to divisions, differences and conflicts among them. They should abide by the Qur'an and Sunnah, which are the assured means of salvation. Almighty Allah says: (And hold fast, all of you together, by the covenant of Allah and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah's favor on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, ye became brethren; and ye were on the brink of the pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus doth Allah make His Signs clear to you: That ye may be guided.) (Aal `Imran 3: 103)

In our day and age, it is more important to stress points of agreement rather than points of disagreement and to try to bring a bridge between the Sunnah and the Shi`ah without compromising any Islamic values, because what unites Muslims is much greater than what disunites them.

With the enemies of Islam trying hard to sow the seeds of discord among us, we should try our best to render their attempts futile.

Also, it should be clear that not everything that goes under the name of Shi`ah is considered Islamic, just as not everything that goes under the name of Fiqh (jurisprudence) can be considered as authentic or proper Fiqh.

In order to judge something as Islamic, it must be judged and weighed by the well-established criteria and standards of Shari`ah as enshrined in the Qur'an and the Sunnah.

Thus if a certain Shi`i practice or custom is opposed to the prescribed criteria of the Shari`ah as enshrined in the Qur'an and the Sunnah, it shall be judged as un-Islamic; if, however, it agrees with these criteria it shall be judged as perfectly Islamic.

Elaborating more on the point whether or not Shi`i people are Muslims, the eminent Muslim scholar  Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi points out:

We have seen all over the world how all the religious groups and sects try to reconcile their differences; the Jews are trying to have common ground with the Christians, so they claim innocence to what the history records of the Jews' responsibility in crucifying Jesus. The same happens among the Christians as they are trying to bring together all the Christian denominations around the world.

Amidst all these amiable gestures, where do we Muslims stand? Why do we kindle the fire of disagreement? What is the reason for all this argument about Shi`ah as if they are not Muslims?

Let it be known to all that the Shi`ah are Muslims who believe in the Oneness of Allah and the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
Yes, there is no doubt that the Shi`ah have their beliefs and dogmas which we condemn as heresy but this doesn't make them non-Muslims.

We should try to make use of what we have in common for the benefit of all Muslims. No one can deny that all Muslims, Sunni and Shi`ah, condemn the Zionists and what they do against our brethren in Palestine. We maintain the same view concerning the persecution of Muslims in many parts of the world. This means that we have many things in common, which should be the pivot of our interaction.

All Muslims should be alert against the schemes and plots planned by the enemies of Islam. They are the ones that want us to disagree and fight each other. Now they resort to another scheme by filling our minds with hatred against one another under the name of belief. We should not give them this chance.

Shedding more light on this thorny issue, Sheikh `Atiyyah Saqr, former head of Al-Azhar Fatwa Committee, states:

Whenever we use the word Shi`ah, we are referring to a group of people who are the followers of Imam `Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and they show full fidelity to Aal' Bayt (the household of Prophet Muhammad). Such fidelity is required of all Muslims, and this is pursuant to many Qur'anic verses.

Allah Almighty says,  (Allah's wish is but to remove uncleanness far from you, O Aal' Bayt, and cleanse you with a thorough cleansing.)(Al-Ahzaab 33: 33)

Also, there are many hadiths that urge Muslims to give due regard to the household of the Prophet (peace and blessings upon him). For example: "Fear Allah concerning my household (by giving them due regard)", said the Prophet three times. (Reported by Muslim)

 

Read at:

http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?cid=1119503544230&pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE#ixzz0oCCZYnTi

The Ashura and Muharram- A Sunni Muslim's Perspective

While the Iranian revolution had increased apprehension and distance between Shia Islam and USA, the current situation in Iraq and war on terrorism has brought them closer to each other. Thus American people and policy makers must try to understand the core of Shia Islam.
Muhurram, the first month of the Islamic calendar which marks the concept of emigration (Hjjra) in the cause of God is also sacred for many other reasons. It was the tenth of this month that Prophet Noah ( sailed his arc, and it was this day that Prophet Moses led Israelites to the exodus from Egypt. Jews used to fast on this day but Prophet Muhammad advised Muslims to fast both ninth and tenth of Muhurram.
However, it is the Martyrdom of Imam Hussain and seventy one members of his family and associates which took place of this day at Karabala that Muslims remember most. Caliph Muawiya called for appointing his son Yazid to follow him. After Muawiya's death his son Yazid declared himself the Caliph starting an unprecedented tradition.
He demanded allegiance from Hussain, son of Ali ibn Talib (Prophet's cousin, son-in-law,and the fourth caliph). At that time, Imam Hussain, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad was the Islamic religion symbol living at that time. The people of Kufa (the capitol of Iraq) did not like the rule of Muawiya or his son Yazid because of their certain policies and practices of Islam. So they invited Hussain to come to Kufa to talk Yazid out of Caliphate. Thus Imam Hussain set out to Kufa at the invitation of the people on a mission of peace, along with his family and associates. He should have rebelled and declared himself the caliph in Medina, but he did not.
On his way to Kufa, it became evident to Imam Hussain that war was the being forced upon him, when the army of Yazid stopped him at Karbala. He made an offer of peace in asking: a) he be allowed to return to Medina b) he be taken to Yazid for a direct one to one talk c) he be sent to a Muslim land. Hur bin Yazid, with 20,000 men strong did not accept any of his orders from the governor of Iraq, Abdullah bin Ziyad to his mistake and defected to the side of Hussain just before the starting of war. For ten days, while Hussain and his caravan camped at Karbala, they were surrounded by the hostile force and deprived of food and water. On the tenth day, orders to force Hazrat Imam Hussain to accept allegiance or to kill him were given to Shamir, commanding 5000 to 10,000 soldiers. All male members of Hussain's family and close associates were killed. He was last to be killed and beheaded. He had sixty-seven wounds on his body. A seven month old infant son of Hussain was also killed by an arrow while in Hussain's lap who was asking for some water for the baby. Their bodies were run over by horses or desecrated and then left to decompose. Seventy-two heads were taken of Kufa at the tip of spears and presented to the court of Ibn Ziyad, then across the desert to Damascus to face Yazid. The prisoners of war were mostly women and children and one man in his twenties Zainul Abedin who was very sick in the tent, thus spared.

Key lessons from the martyrdom of Imam Hussain(a.s).

1. Islam is not a religion of compromise. Living with peace with forces of oppression is wrong. If Imam Hussain had pledged allegiance to a tyrant ruler, he could have saved his neck, and would have most likely given a high post by the Caliph who would have allowed him to do his prayer, fasting, and other ritual acts of worship. But he was the grandson of a prophet who said, "One of the greatest jihad is to stand up to a tyrant ruler, and say a word of truth.
"Therefore, Imam Hussain in one of his speeches on the way to Karbala said, " To live with an oppressor is a crime in itself" He also knew Quran, and knew that striving in the cause of God brings immense reward, " Those who believe, and suffer exile and strive with might in God's cause, with their goods and their people, have the highest rank in the sight of God, They are the people who will achieve salvation. (9:20)"O you who believe! Shall I read you to a bargain that will save you from a grievous penalty? That you believe in God and in his messenger, and you strive in the cause of God with your property and your people, that will be the best for you if you knew it. 11(69:10-11) "And strive in the cause of God as you ought to strive". (22:76)And those who strive in our cause-we will certainly guide them to Our Path. For verily Allah is with those
who do good" (29:69)
2. The second lesson is the concept of ownership of life and giving it to the cause of the owner. Our body and life belong to our Creator, and should be spent on His cause. Even if we do that, all we are doing is returning it to the original owner. There is a great reward for martyrdom. A martyr is next to Prophets in heaven. "And if you are slain or die in the cause of God, Forgiveness and Mercy from God are far better than they could amass, and if you die or are slain, lo it is unto God that you are brought together" (3:157-158) "Those who leave their homes in the cause of God and are then slain or die, on them Allah will bestow good provision. Truly God is He who bestows the best provision." (2:58-59)
3. The third lesson, is standing up to trial when Muslims are called. This has to be a criterion for entering into Heaven. Quran mentions, " Do you think you will enter the Garden (of Bliss) without such (trails) as come to those before you." (2:214) and "God has purchased of their believers their persons and their goods. For theirs (in return) is the Garden (of Paradise)". (9:111) All of the prophets had tests of their own. Prophet Abraham had many tests,including being thrown into fire.
4. The fourth lesson to learn from the story of Imam Hussain is that of sacrifice. To strive in the cause of God at the expense of life is the ultimate sacrifice. Can we sacrifice our money we love so much for charity, our precious time for the education of our children, can we sacrifice our false pride in our race, color, language, and national origin, and of our sect, and accept all humans as our brothers and sisters?

It is this death of Yazid's ideology about which a poet said:

In the murder of Hussain,
Indeed is the death of Yazid.
For each Karbala
Is the revival of Islam.

Muhurram is not just for ten days, and then going back to the old business as usual. For a Muslim "who stands up to strive in the cause of God, for him the place is Karbala, the month is Muhurram, the day is Ashura. He is Imam Hussain and his opponent is Yazid." ( Dr. Ali Shariati).

Sheikh M. Al-Khatib gave the eight reasons on

why it is impossible to have unity and understanding between Sunnis and Shias.

1. Shias have a different Quran from that of the Sunnis.
   
2. The sources relied upon by Shias in understanding Prophet's Traditions (ahadith) are not the same as those of the Sunnis.
   
3. Shias do not respect the Companions of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.w.; on the contrary they in fact insult and curse them!
   
4. Shias believe in taqiyya, by which they appear to Sunnis "contrary to what they conceal". Therefore one is not in a position to know the truth about them.
   
5. Shias do not recognize the first three Caliphs accepted by Sunnis. They only recognize their twelve Imams.
   
6. On the Uniqueness and Omniscience of Allah, and on whether He can be seen or not, Shias believe differently from the Sunnis.
   
7. Shias‟ principles of religion and jurisprudence are different from Sunnis‟.
   
8. Contrary to the Sunnis, Shias believe in raj‟ah – which means that, while approaching the end of this world, the Mahdi (a.s.) will come and "slaughter all his political opponents" and will consequently restore to the Shias all their rights which were denied them previously by the followers of other sects (madhaahib). 
   

The above were the reasons which prompted Sheikh M. al-Khatib to write his book. His objective was to warn the Sunnis of the impending danger of answering to any call meant to bring about unity and understanding between them and their Shia brothers and sisters. One could safely conclude that his followers too were driven by the same reasons to have his book translated into Kiswahili and English.

 

In replying to these arguments, I shall try to show that:

Some of Sheikh M. al-Khatib's statements go against the very tenets of Shiism;Whatever religious belief the Shias hold is based on the Qur'an and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w)

Almost all of Sheikh M. al-Khatib's accusations against the Shias could also be made against the Sunnis, based on what is contained in the books relied upon by the latter; and therefore the differences between Sunnis and Shias are not that great as to prevent unity and understanding between the two.

 

WHO IS A SUNNI?

Sheikh M. al-Khatib's objective in writing his book was to warn Sunnis against the dangers of Shiism. I therefore thought that it would be better if a Sunni knew himself or herself first before talking about Shias because, as it has so far transpired, either many Sunnis do not know who they are or, if they do, do so erroneously. For example, some of the learned Sunnis are of the opinion that they have been called so because of the fact that they are the only ones who abide by the sunna of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w.) – as if other Muslim madhaahib, like the Shia Ithnaashari, Zaydis or Ibadhis, do not do so. Others think that it has been so because Sunnism had been in existence from the time of Prophet Muhammad. However, on both beliefs the contrary is the case.

In actual fact a Sunni is one who, when it comes to matters of Islamic jurisprudence, follows the opinion of one of the four imams (Abu Hanifa, Malik, Shafi or Hanbal) or their students; and in matters of aqida follows the views of Abul Hassan al-Ash'ari. In other words, if one follows the views of others than the above mentioned in those two areas, then one is not regarded to be a Sunni.

In order for one to understand exactly when Sunnism started, it is important to know, at least in brief, the history of those imams:

Imam Abu Hanifa was born in Kufa in the year 80H, and died in Baghdad in 150H. Among his teachers was Imam Jafar as-Sadiq a.s. (who was the sixth Imam of the Shia Ithnaashari). Abu Hanifa is quoted to have said that had it not been for the two years he was the student of Imam Jafar, he (Abu Hanifa) would have perished.

Imam Malik was born in Madina in 93H, and died there in 179H. He, as well, had Imam Jafar among his teachers.

Imam Shafi was born in Gaza in 150H, and died in Egypt in 204H.

Imam Hanbal was born in Baghdad in 164H, where he died in 241H.

The last, Abul Hassan al-Ash'ari, was born in Basra in 260H, and died in Baghdad in 333H.

What the above dates testify to is that the first of them, Abu Hanifa, was born about seventy years after the death of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.w. who died in 10H. Therefore the question which arises here is: Between the death of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.w. and Abu Hanifa becoming an Imam, who did the Muslims, living during that period of more than seventy years, follow? Weren't they Muslims? Or what about those who taught Abu Hanifa; didn't they have followers of their own? If they did, where did those followers disappear to? Is it conceivable that one who follows the views of a teacher cannot be accepted as a Muslim, but he who follows the views of that teacher's student can? If the answer is in the negative, on what grounds is it so? If it is in the positive, then why are the ordinary Sunnis made to believe that they are the only genuine Muslims?

I would like you to do, dear reader, is to ask yourself these questions or ask whomsoever you think knows better than you do – and then ponder over the answers given; because it is only after getting the right answers to them that you will be in a better position to understand this riddle which has caused the friction and misunderstanding between Muslims.

As regards the question of aqida, we have seen that Sunnis follow the opinion of Abul Hassan al-Ash'ari (260H -333H) who, as we can see, was born nineteen years after the death of the last Sunni imam, i.e. Imam Hanbal (164H -241H). Therefore al-Ash'ari never met any of the Sunni imams. That being the case, which aqida did the four imams follow during their lifetime? Was it the one based on the views of al-Ash'ari (who had not been born yet), or a different one which existed before al-Ashari's birth? If it was the latter, which one was that? And were those imams still Muslims despite doing so? If they were – and I don't think that there is anyone who can dare say that they were not – why should this apply only to them? Why should somebody else be regarded as a non-Muslim just because one follows a different aqida from that of al-Ash'ari? Definitely al-Ash'ari was not born with his views. Before forming his own, did he not follow the views of the experts who were in existence in those times? If he did so – and the truth is that he did – was he then not a Muslim? If he was, despite following the views which were not his own, why should one be regarded today as a non-Muslim by doing exactly the same?

These are among the questions which I would like you to ask yourself (or whomsoever is more knowledgeable) and consider the answers very carefully. For the correct answers are the ones that will help you to understand the source of the controversy we are discussing.

 

Reason No.01: Shias have a different Quran from that of the Sunnis.

Allah (s.w.t.) has said:

Verily We are the Ones who revealed (this) Reminder, and verily We are the Ones who will protect it. (Chapter 15:9)

… And verily it is a Book Unassailable. Falsehood shall not come from before it nor from behind it: a revelation from the All-Wise, the Most Praised One.(Chapter 41:41-42)
Those are Allah's words which prove that the Qur'an is a book which is protected against any additions, omissions or alterations. All Muslims – of all times and all countries believe that the Qur'an which we have in this age is the same one as that which existed during the time of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.w., and that it will remain so till the Final Day (Qiyamah). Therefore, whoever believes otherwise is not a Muslim.

This is my request to all my Muslim brothers and sisters that please clear your doubts related to any religion or caste by reading books and asking from scholars of that religion. Do not believe anything before investigating.
If you want to know about what Shias or Sunnis believe then you need to read their books and ask their scholars before accepting anything from other source.

PLEASE WRITE YOUR COMMENTS. BECAUSE YOUR COMMENTS ARE VERY IMPORTANT FOR ME IN MANY WAYS

SHIA SUNNI UNITY: SHIA SUNNI DIFFERENCES, SHIA SUNNI CONFLICT

Dr. Shahid Athar M.D. is Clinical Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis, Indiana, and a writer on Islam.
Let's take a look at his article.


The centuries old Shia Sunni differences are the major obstacle to Muslim unity (Shia Sunni unity). The enemies of Islam to their benefit have always fanned these differences. Unfortunately, some so-called Muslim scholars on their payroll have also played a key role in keeping these differences alive.
Although I was born into a Sayyid Sunni family, I did not know of many differences while growing up as a child. Our families always respected Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) and his parents and participated in ceremonies marking the anniversary of his martyrdom (the 10th day of the month of Muharram which is called Ashura) by reciting the first chapter of the Holy Qur'an (al-Fatihah) and other chapters and verses of the Holy Quran and fasted on the ninth and tenth days of that month.

Now when I give lectures on Islam to non-Muslims, one of the questions they always ask me is if I am Shia or Sunni. I ask them if they know the difference. They have no knowledge, other than what has been given to them by the media. So they say Shias are the ones who are the bad guys, the militant version of Islam, and cause all the trouble in the Middle East these days.These non-Muslim American audiences of mine are surprised to learn that some of the known tyrants like Saddam Hussain and troublemakers like the PLO and Hamas are all Sunni's, just as they are surprised to learnthat Tariq Aziz (Former Iraq's Foreign Minister) was Christian and not a Muslim.

This is what I say to them about Shiite. "If Ali ibn Abu Talib (cousin of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)) was a Shia, then I am a Shia. If he was a Sunni, then I am a Sunni [i.e., a follower of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)]." In Islam there are five recognized schools of Divine Law: 1) Hanafi; 2) Shafi; 3) Maliki; 4) Hambali and 5) Jafari.

The first four are called Sunni, and the fifth one, who in addition to following sayings and actions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), also follows those of Ali ibn Abu Talib and consider him as the rightful successor of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), are called Shia. The first four have many major theological differences among themselves and according to a Christian friend of mine, "The only time Sunni's are united is when they are fighting Shias." Shiism started as a political movement (Shia means follower or partisan) to help Ali ibn Abu Talib become successor of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Around every successful popular figure, there are some admirers whose own future interests rest with the rise of their leader. Thus in Indiana, we have "Friends of Lugar Club", who are hoping that some day Senator Richard Lugar will become a US President. Nationally, we now have a "Hillary Rodham Clinton Fan Club" with 4,000 members! Thus, there were the Followers of Ali ibn Abu Talib Club, which later on became a political movement. During the initial battles with unbelievers, Ali ibn Abu Talib, the Sword of Islam, was in the forefront and defeated and killed many of their leaders whose children and grandchildren, even when they became Muslims, always remembered who killed their father (animosity).


Ali ibn Abu Talib was raised by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as a child so he knew Islam very well. Thus, when Ali ibn Abu Talib became a judge, his judgments were based on strict Islamic principles, much to the disappointment of many who expected him to be lenient to the rich and powerful. Ali ibn Abu Talib was so well respected and trusted by both Caliph Abu Bakr and Umar, that in difficult cases they asked his opinion.


Nevertheless, I tell my non-Muslim audience that both Shia and Sunni have many things in common. They both believe in One God (Allah), follow the same Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as the last Prophet, offer five daily prescribed prayers, perform the prescribed fast in the month of Ramadan, go to Makkah for the Hajj pilgrimage, read the same book of Allah, Holy Qur'an, and pay the poor-due (Zakat).


However, my answers can only satisfy my uninformed non-Muslim audience. The Sunni brothers, misguided by western propaganda, who are ready to embrace non-Muslims (especially the white ones), in the pretext of invitation to Islam, will not do so for Shia. They are ignorant Sunni's. Our job as a missionary should be to invite both groups to the true Islam and not chase them out. There is a movement in the Sunni world to have Shias labeled as disbelievers. I have been told that Shaykh Bin Baz of Saudi Arabia has declared an edict that the meat of the People of Book (Jews and Christians) is permissible for Sunni Muslims to eat but not the meat slaughtered by Shias.

There are scholars on both sides, like Imam Khomeini and Shaykh Shaltut of al-Azhar who have done their best to minimize these differences and bring unity, but it is not working due to the misinformation prevailing in the common masses of Sunnis about Shiism. Thus I am listing their misconceptions of Shia belief and practices. For answers, I have consulted two Shia scholars in America. Dr. A. S. Hashim of Washington and Imam Muhammad Ali Elahi of Detroit.


Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr wrote to me "to ignore and not waste time in responding to such wrong allegations." He also mentioned that "a great deal of money and effort is being spent in the last few years to fan the fire of hatred between Shia and Sunni in the Persian Gulf region with obvious political and economical fruits for powers to-be." However, in the interest of Islamic unity, I must deal with the questions rather than shun them. Please note that Imam Jafar as Sadiq (peace be upon him), founder of the Shia school of law, was the teacher of Imam Abu-Hanifa (peace be upon him).


Misconception #1: Shias have a different Holy Qur'an. They add another 10 chapters to the original Holy Qur'an.

Response: Not true. I have checked many times Holy Qur'an kept in Shia homes and mosques. I still find it the same as the original Holy Qur'an. More recently, I took care of an Iranian lady patient hospitalized here. I saw a copy of the Holy Qur'an by her side. I borrowed it from her and browsed through cover-to-cover. In Arabic it was the same as our Holy Qur'an. Of course, since I did not know the Persian language, I can't say much about the translation. It is a sin to even say that the Holy Qur'an can be changed or added to by Shia when Almighty God protects it.


Misconception #2: Some Shia considers Ali ibn Abu Talib as God.

Response: Not true. It is disbelief to even think of such a thing. During the time of Ali ibn Abu Talib, some pagan groups called Gholat did consider Ali ibn Abu Talib as Lord. When he found out, they were burned to death.


Misconception #3: Shias have different declarations of faith and they add to the call to prescribed prayer.

Response: The declaration to become a Muslim, as administered to non-Muslims, is the same. Some Shia add to themselves, "Ali ibn Abu Talib is a friend of God or Ali ibn Abu Talib is a spiritual leader of God," after the call to prescribed prayer, but not as part of the call to prescribed prayer.


Misconception #4: Shias do not perform Sunnah prayers. Sunnah prayers are non-obligatory prayers performed by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Response: Shias do perform non-obligatory prayers, 36 cycles per day in total, but call it Nawafil and not Sunnah.

Misconception #5: Some Shia believes the Angel Gabriel made a mistake and prophet hood was meant for Ali ibn Abu Talib and not Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Response: Not true. No Shia thinks of such false claims. "Only demented minds think of such questions."

Misconception #6: Shias slander and ridicule the first three caliphs (Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman) and Prophet Muhammad's wife, Ayesha.

Response: Shia considers the first three caliphs as companions and administrators, but not spiritual leaders (Imams). Imam Jafar as Sadiq (peace be upon him), whose mother and grandmother came from the line of Abu Bakr, said of Abu Bakr, "He gave me birth twice." Ayesha is respected by Shias as the "Mother of Believers," as Ali ibn Abu Talib respected her when he sent her back from Basra to Madinah after the Battle of the Camel. If some Shia do slander the three caliphs and Ayesha, they do it out of ignorance and should ask God's forgiveness. (As we have witnessed how Imam Khomeini, The Shia bravely declared death of Salman Rushdie - The author of Satanic Verses who abused the wife of Prophet Ayesha and Shia Leader declared blasphemy, just for his Fatwa the whole western countries became against Iran. See how much price did Shia pay to defend Ayesha - while Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE etc. etc. as the Sunni government were silent they did not defend Ayesha. Now who loves Ayesha?)


Misconception # 7: Shias combine all five prayers into one prayer in the evening.

Response: Not true. In Shia mosques, whether in Iran or the USA, all five daily prayers are performed. Shia do combine noon and afternoon and evening and night, but Shia scholars recommend performing them separately. Such combinations may not be ideal, but better than not praying at all. How can a Sunni who does not pray at all be better than a Shia who combines prayers?


Misconception # 8: Shias do not pay zakat (poor-due).

Response: Not true. They not only pay 2.5% left over from savings as zakat, but also an additional 20% as Khums or general charity. However, they prefer to pay directly to the needy rather than corrupt Sunni government.


Misconception #9: Shias practice temporary marriages (Mutah).

Response: Temporary marriages (Mutah) was allowed during the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and he himself practiced it. Ibn Zubayr was born out of the temporary marriage. Later on Caliph Umar prohibited it due to social reasons as the Islamic world was rapidly expanding. Shias discourage Mutah but do not consider it prohibited. Some do abuse this. As a temporary privilege during travel, it is better than adultery.


Misconception #10: They consider Imams infallible and above the Prophets.

Response: Not true. All prophets are born Prophet but as mentioned in the Holy Qur'an about Abraham that after passing the test, a prophet becomes a leader (Imam). Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is the Prophet (Nabi), Messenger (Rasul) and leader (Imam). Imams are carriers of the message of Islam. Shias consider Ali ibn Abu Talib only as an Imam and not prophet.

With the little knowledge I have, I tried to do my best as a Sunni in defending my Shia brothers in Islam with the hope and prayer to God Almighty that He will "instill love in the heart of the believers" and bring us closer to each other so that we jointly can fight our common enemy, Satan and his followers.

May God forgive my mistakes in this article (Amin)

Shaykh Ahmad Deedat- A Sunni Scholar

IN THE NAME OF GOD THE BENIFICIENT THE MERCIFUL

The Following speech By Shaykh Ahmad Deedat, who is a world renowned Sunni scholar from South Africa was made following his trip to the Islamic Republic of Iran on 3 March , 1982.

INTRODUCTION

In the Holy Quran, Allah (SWT) says "It is he who has sent his apostle with guidance and the
religion of truth so that he may make it prevail over all religions even though those who worship false Gods may detest it" (Quran 9:33). Even though the United States, Russia and all the superpowers may detest it. Allah's promise is not conditional on the strength of the superpowers. In its widest sense the Islamic movement spans the entire ummah, in its narrowest it represents that part of the ummah which is most advanced in its struggle towards establishing Islam as a total way of life.


A few years ago one could not recognize a single leading edge in the Islamic movement. This was the bleak outlook which faced the ummah as history moved into the final decade of the 14th century Hijra. But the world was unaware of the Islamic movement in Iran. Iran under the ex-shah was beyond the pale of Islam. Iran was a blind spot. We were Sunni and our age old ignorance was deep and total, and thus when the Islamic revolution in Iran began to make headlines in early 1978. The bulk of Muslims, who called themselves Sunni, were caught unaware. The Shah's propaganda had then blamed the Islamic masters. The western media, and the Muslim media manipulated by the west, and the alienated regimes of Muslim countries had then dismissed the events in Iran as insignificant. All of us were slow in recognizing the new reality in Iran. There has been a systematic attempt at smearing Islamic Iran. And the western media deliberately promoted false accounts of the events of the Islamic revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeini who was indeed the founder of the revolution, and the leader of the Islamic republic of Iran.


This campaign against Iran is nothing new. Right from the beginning vested interests have carried on an unending campaign against the Islamic revolution in Iran. this evening our guest speaker, Mr. Ahmad Deedat who is a distinguished scholar of Islam, who hardly needs any introduction to the public and who has just returned from his trip to Iran, will present to us his first hand account on Iran. I now call upon Mr. Ahmad Deedat to speak to you.(applause).

Sheikh Ahmed Deedat

I seek refuge in the accursed Satan, In the name of God the Beneficent the Merciful.
The Holy Quran says:
"And if you turn away (from Islam and the obedience of Allah), He will substitute you for some  other people, and they will not be like you." Quran 47:38

Mr. chairman and brothers: While we are looking skeptically of the miracle of a nation reborn. 

Allah's inexorable decree is finding its fulfillment in the rise and fall of nations which is  mentioned in the verse I have just read to you from Surah Muhammad. In the last section of the last verse Allah(swt) reminds us, and warns us that if ye turn back from your duties and responsibilities if you do not fulfill your obligations then he will replace you with another nation.

Our urdu speaking brethren use these words so beautifully when they describe some mishap that occurs in the community in talking about that other nation that can replace them. It is actually Quranic. And this really has been happening throughout history again and again. Allah (swt) first chose the Jews, the Bani Israel as he tells it in the holy Quran:

"O children of Israel! call to mind My favor which I bestowed on you and that I preferred you to all other nations."(Quran 2:47).

That favor was that they should become the torchbearers of the knowledge of God to the world. This was the honor, this was the privilege that was at first given to the Jews But because they did not fulfill their end of the obligation, a Jew amongst the Jews  Hadhrat Isa (A.S.) as recorded in the Christian gospels told them "That the kingdom of God shall be taken away from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. "(The Bible, Matthew 21:43). And that nation, we will happily own up is the Islamic ummah. It was taken away from the Jews and given to the Muslims. The Muslims then, among them who were the Arabs at first, were given by Allah (SWT)the privilege that they became the torchbearers of light and learning to the world , but when they relaxed and failed to bring forth the fruits, Allah(swt) replaced them with another nation. In history, we remember the Turks and Mongols destroyed the Muslim empire and when they accepted Islam they became the torchbearers of light and learning to the world.

As Iqbal beautifully describes this situation: "O' you Muslims, you will not perish if Iran or the Arabs perish, that the spirit of the wine is not dependent on the nature of it's container." The container is our nations, our boundaries and the spirit of Islam is not dependent on our geographical boundaries or national limitations. So this is what Allah (swt) does again and again, he chose the Jews then he chose the Arabs then when they became lax he chose the Turks and when they became lax another people and so on and this is a continuous process. If you don't do the job, Allah(swt) will chose another people who will. In the world today there are a thousand million Muslim, that is ,one billion we boast! And 90 percent of this one billion happens to be the Sunni branch. We have stopped delivering the goods so Allah(swt) chooses a nation that we have all been looking down upon. The Iranians! The Shias! History has been very unkind to our brethren in Iran that the shah happened to be the ruler, and his name happened to be Muhammad. Imagine, that this mans name happened to be Muhammad and he really wasn't a believer. It's hard for us to imagine today, but once you go to that country and 

Now about this visit of mine to Iran and my impression. Let me begin with the place where I had  the first fragrance of this Iranian brotherhood of ours and it happened to be in Rome. First I  smelled it, and then some of my companions had smelled it in the Rome airport. We were  waiting to get on the plane, and we had some problems with visas and one of our men was  given the responsibility of overcoming these problems. So he goes to the Iran air office and he  tells our problem to a young lady wearing full Islamic attire with her body well covered. It was  Beautiful, Just beautiful to look at. And I mean that when you look at these people in this attire  you see that they are beautiful people. So there was a lady in Rome and you brothers should  have seen the way she handled these problems. And someone came to me and told me, man if  you want to see a real Iranian Muslim girl you should come over and I went and some others  went and we saw. And that was the first whiff we had of the Iranian ummah in Rome.

When we landed in Iran, we were taken to a five star hotel which was there before the revolution  known as the Hilton hotel but is now known as Hotel Istiqlal. And we were taken  around. to places of interest and I will relate to you some of the things we saw and I will try to  describe the feelings one has. If I remember correctly, the first thing we visited was the Behesht Zahra cemetery. Behesht means paradise in Persian and Zahra is the title of Fatima Al-Zahra (AS) who was the daughter of Prophet Muhammad (saw). And Zahra means the radiant one. So it was called Radiant paradise. And before arriving in Iran, I had read about the Behesht Zahra cemetery. And I remember when Imam Khomeini had arrived in Tehran he made a trip to the cemetery. And I'm thinking why does one go to the cemetery? To make du'a? Yes. For the departed souls? Yes. And when you think of cemeteries here in South Africa you think of Brookstreet and Riverside. You cant imagine that this cemetery is square kilometers by square kilometers. You Just cant imagine. It is a big open ground where about a million or two million people can be accommodated. And people gathered here because it is the easiest place where people can release their emotional and spiritual baggage because there you have the martyrs.

Their were 70,000 or so people who were martyred in this revolution and 100,000 maimed.  Unarmed people with only the slogan "Allahu Akbar" as their weapons had toppled the mightiest  military force in the middle east. So we went to this cemetery There were about a million people  there. There were men and women and children and we were greatly inspired by the enthusiasm and the feeling of our brothers and sisters there. It was mid winter there, and the men and women and children were sitting on the cold ground for hours on end. In mid-winter on the ground with no carpets or chairs! A nation that could endure that discipline for hours on end, you can only imagine what destiny Allah(swt) has planned for them. A day or 2 later on my program I read Behesht Zahra cemetery, again. The first time we went for a lecture, but we had seen the graves people reciting poems of sorrow and reciting dua' and I thought this second visit would be redundant. Why should one go a second time? I've seen what a cemetery is. But all my companions were going and I thought if everyone else was going, it wouldn't be good for me to stay in the hotel relaxing when all my companions are going in these buses to a cemetery. But I went and I became very happy. And the second time I went it was a Thursday afternoon and Thursdays in Iran is like Saturdays for us. And tens of thousands of people werein the cemetery. This was a custom. It was like Eid. Tens of thousands are there, for what else, but to charge their spiritual batteries. It was a constant reminder to not forget. "My son gave his life for Islam" or "my father gave is life for Islam " that they gave their life for Islam. With that kind of system, Every Thursday is a spiritual injection and reminder that they are willing to give their life for Islam.

There was a town hall that accommodated 16,000 people, compared to the biggest town hall in South Africa which is the Good Hope Center in Capetown for 8,000. This was built by the shah to boast his own "Aryan myth". He was boasting not only that he was the shahanshah or king of kings, but also that he was the aryamehr, light of the Aryans. What is this Aryan sickness?

Remember Hitler bragging about being Aryan because the Germans are Aryans. And the Hindus boasting we are Aryans. If my people, the Gujarati people, weren't Muslims we'd be boasting about being Aryans as well. The ex shah claimed to be the light of Aryans and he built this monument as a tribute. He built another monument spending millions to commemorate his ancestor Cyrus the great, a pagan, a mushrik and squandering the wealth of this nation for this project. In 1984 he was supposed to have the world Olympics in Tehran to boost his ego even further. In this town hall we saw athletics, gymnastics, acrobatics. Unfortunately we Muslims here in South Africa are like jellyfish, that is we have made ourselves into jellyfish. Our young men do not participate in that kind of activity. Who here does athletics, gymnastics, acrobatics we do not do that here. It's not for us. Who does jogging, You know the young people here, when I meet them I shake hands with them and they are like jellyfish. Almost every young man you meet in Iran appears to be an athlete. They are doing sports on a world standard and it makes one feel so happy because there they are not projecting Iran. They are not talking about Iran "we are Iranians, we are Aryans" instead they are talking about Islam, about Islam, about Islam. There was not one semi-naked girl, not a single girl who was half naked there. If the shah had his way, if he was alive and organized it, there would have been semi-naked girls for everyone to stare at and feast upon.

In Iran everything is Islamic to strengthen the morality of the people, boosting the men and women by the thousands. We were thrilled , we were thrilled to see our children, we felt as if theses were our children, our own brothers and sisters, we were really thrilled. We saw these as things that our children can do. Then we went through a military parade with different groups of Iranian men and there was no shortage of man power. You know, some people want to go and help our Iranian brethren. Alhamdulilah there is no shortage of man power they only want the tools, and the weapons. If the Iranians had the military weapons that the Israelis had, the whole of the middle-east would be free from every kind foreign intervention in no time. This is a nation that can do it. The spirit is there, the spirit of Jihad is there in each and every man and woman in the nation. It seems that the whole nation is involved in promoting Islam. We are talking about 20 million people that they can put into the field. If they had the weapons and the materials, every man woman and child would can go and do jihad.

Then we visited the Iraqi prisoners of war. As you know when this war started Iraq attacked Iran. The whole country was in turmoil. Iraq felt that the Jews did it to the Arabs in 6 days, then they will do it to the Iranians in 3 days and the whole world thought that in one weeks time, Iran would crumble to pieces. And do you know how long it has been now? It's been a year and a half, and even more. And in the beginning there were twenty to one odds against them in men and materials and the Iranians turned the tables and brought the odds to 3 to one still against them. And they were able to push them back. They recaptured all their land and a hill that was named Allahu Akbar. Before I went to Iran Dr . Kalim Siddiqui from the UK jokingly remarked that "you guys have half a chance of becoming martyrs (shahid).." It was a joke and it nearly became true. While we were coming out of a city on the war front there was a field of tanks. And our young men came out of the buses and started to climb onto the tanks taking pictures to show people back home. Then one of the tanks in the courtyard came out for a training demonstration on how it works and suddenly we hear gunfire and in the distance we saw smoke coming from a few places and some of our young men got scared and started hiding behind bushes., and it turns out that we were under attack from the Iraqis. And there were bombs exploding all around us and Allah (swt) saved us. And remember Khaled had said that was half a chance that we would become martyrs, well it almost became a full chance. (laughter).

We visited those wounded in the war and no one was complaining about what had happened to them. One man had his leg amputated, and there were no tears, I never saw a single tear from anyone, and they were asking if it was possible to go back to the front. Their regrets were not about their injuries but why they can't go back to the front to fight and become shahid, this is the ambition of each and every Muslim there. When we visited the prisoners of war the Iranians had captured 7000 prisoners of war and they looked healthy, well clothed, well fed. One of my friends was interested in finding out what the Iraqi prisoners felt about their condition first hand. And anyone he asked said that they were being looked after very well. Then I had an idea. Some were here for over a year and others for a few months and I was wondering how many people had committed suicide. And I asked each group of the prisoners of war and asked each group how many people committed suicide. They said not one. I then asked the next group and so on. Not one single person committed suicide amongst the 7800 prisoners of war. And if we look at our so called civilized western country of South Africa, 46 people committed suicide in our prisons this year alone and they are well fed well clothed have their own cells and 46 committed suicide so far. And if people are not well treated some are going to want to find an easy way out but there was not one single person who committed suicide amongst the 7800 prisoners of war.

We went to visit the Imam, Ayatollah Ruhollah Musawi Khomeini. There were about forty of us who waited for the Imam and the Imam came in and was about ten meters away from where I was, and I saw the Imam. He delivered the Lecture to us for about half an hour, and it was nothing but the Quran, the man is like a computerized Quran. And the electric effect he had on everybody, his charisma, was amazing . You just look at the man and tears come down your cheek. You just look at him and you get tears. I never saw a more handsome old man in my life, no picture, no video, no TV could do justice to this man, the handsomest old man I ever saw in my life was this man. There is something unique to his name, too. First he is called Imam Khomeini. The word Imam is to us a every cheap word. Wherever we go somewhere we ask who is the Imam of the Masjid here. To the Shia there is only one Imam in the world and he is the Twelfth Imam , they believe in the concept of Imamate and that the Imam is the spiritual leader of the ummah. And the first Imam according to the school of Imamate is Hazrat Ali(RA). Then comes Imam Hassan who is the second Imam, Imam Hussein the third Imam all the way until the twelve Imam, Imam Mohammad who disappeared at the age of 5 and they are expecting his return. They use the term "occultation" something like a spiritual hibernation like the Ashab Al-cahf. And that he is expected to come back and he is the only one in the world who can be called Imam. Most of their scholars are called mullah, and Ayatollah means Allamah And Ayatollah Khomeini is called Imam out of respect but they are waiting for the real Imam to come. Ruhollah is the name his father gave him and do you know what it means? Ruhollah means the 'word of God' and this is the title of Hazrat Isa(as) in the Quran. Then he is Ayatollah which is another title of Hazrat Isa(as) in the Quran. Al-Musawi is from the family Musa and from the city of Khomein which is where his last name Khomeini comes from. ...(break in audio at 41: 05 seconds). But they are waiting for the Mahdi, and not Khomeini. They want to clean the stables and make preparations for the Mahdi to come. In the Sunni world we are also waiting for the Mahdi to come but we want him to clean the stables for us, make us masters of the world and to make us sit on the thrones. The Sunni world is just passively waiting. Until then we can carry on with all our petty little squabbles, whatever we are carrying on now. And it is only the Imam Mahdi which can clean the world for us. This is the Sunni line of thinking. Khomeini on the other hand tells his followers that we must help prepare the way so that when he does come everything is already set up for him to act on. While we, the Sunni world are waiting for Imam Mahdi to pull the chestnut out of the fire for us, the Shias are preparing the world for his arrival. You know there were many people with us from all over the world. And I found types and types and types of sick people, a mental sickness that is. I came across an alim from Pakistan Mauna Sahib and he thought that there was something wrong with our Shia brothers. You see in Iran when someone is lecturing and the name Khomeini is mentioned people stop and everyone says durood on the Prophet(S) three times. But when the name Mohammad is mentioned they send durood once. And this alim from Pakistan says " look at these people just look at them. What kind of Muslims are these people. When the name Mohammad is mentioned they send durood on the Prophet(s) once but when the name Khomeini is mentioned they send Durood on KHOMEINI three times."
I said " What do they say , what do they say in this so called 'durood on Khomeini'. "
He said: Peace be upon Mohammad and the family of Mohammad.
I said " Who is Mohammad? Khomeini? Who named Khomeini as Mohammad. Their durood is on Prophet Mohammad(s) and you say it is on Khomeini." You know it's a sickness. There are many learned men but their minds are so prejudiced. They are just looking for faults.


Another example is that the Shia brothers when they make salat, they have a piece of clay (turbah) that they do sajjdah on. And he says "see what they are doing here. This is shirk. They are worshipping a piece of clay. " I said why don't you ask them why they place their foreheads on a piece of clay and learn the logic behind this. You see, the first time I experienced this was in Washington D.C., the Iranian students there had invited me to give a lecture there at the university where they were studying in America. At that time, it was time for Isha and we made salat. And everyone was given a piece of clay. I at the time thought it was so funny, so I put it aside and I made my salat with the Iranian students. And after salat I wanted to know about this and I asked them. Why do you carry this clay tablet everywhere you go in your pocket. They said " we are supposed to do sujood on Allah's earth with our foreheads touching the earth. We say "subhanna rabia Allah" three times with our foreheads touching the earth." So the Shia want to actually touch the earth with their foreheads and not a manmade carpet. They want to be true to the expression of praying with the forehead actually touching Allah's earth. You see they don't worship the clay tablet as many wrongly think. And this is always something that we Sunnis are always making fun of and mock the Shia, but on my way out from Tehran across the plane in the aisle were two Shias and when prayer time came one of them took his clay tablet out of his pocket and, Allahu Akbar, performed salat right there on the plane in his seat, and when he finished he gave this to his neighbor and he performed salat. And this may seem like a joke to us. Isn't it? And there were dozens of Sunnis on the plane and out of those dozens of Sunnis only one young man did the salat, and I tell you that young man wasn't me. But we are laughing at the other Guy. He is sitting there and doing something better than we are and we make fun of them and sit in judgement. He may not as polished and refined as we are in South Africa. You know we Muslims in South Africa are very polished and refined in our salat. The Arabs are no match for us, the Iranians are no match for us, the Americans bilalans, the Negroes they are no match to us. With the Arabs you are bowing down in ruku and the guy next to you pushes you aside to make space.(laughter) Who knows brothers, maybe it is valid, we don't know. You know, between the four Sunni mazhabs the Hanafi, Hanbali, Maliki and Shafei there are over two hundred differences in salat alone. Did you know that? Two hundred. But we take it for granted. The Shafei says amin loudly and we say it silently, they say bismillah loudly we say it silently and there is there is no problem. As a child my father would repeat the famous formula that he in turn learned from his father. : "all the mazhabs are equally valid and the truth for them is in the hadith and the Quran." And so we accept it. When it comes to the Shafei, Hanbali, Hanafi and Maliki we are tolerant but when it comes to the Shia you see he is not in the formula that we are taught as a child, so what ever little idiosyncrasies there exists between us and them we cant tolerate and reject we say that he is out because we are programmed to believe in only the four. But we accept the idiosyncrasies between the four. I say why cant you accept the Shia brothers as a fifth madhab. And the astonishing thing is that he is telling you that he wants to be one with you. He is not talking about being Shia. He is shouting "there is no Sunni nor Shia there is one thing, Islam." But we say to them "no you are different you are Shia." This attitude is a sickness of the devil. He wants to divide us. Can you imagine we Sunnis are 90% of the Muslim world and the ten percent who are Shias want to be partners and brothers with you in faith and the 90% are terrified. I cant understand why should you the 90% be so terrified. They should be the ones terrified. And if you just knew the feelings that they have for you. During Jummah prayers in Iran, there are a million people. And you should see the way they look at you when you pass by, they recognize that you are a foreigner and not one of them and tears start rolling down their cheeks. This is the feeling that they have for you, but you say no, you want to keep they out, afraid that they will absolve you. You can only be absolved if there is something better than what you have. I don't know, maybe some of you think I am a Shia, but I'm still with you all here. What is all this Shia-Sunni tensions? It is all politics. These antagonisms we have are all politics now. If a Sunni brother somewhere does something wrong you say oh the individual is not being very Islamic, he is a kaffir, But if a Shia  does something wrong you want to condemn the whole Shia community, the whole nation of millions, and say they are all rubbish just because one Shias actions are not very Islamic.At the  same time where we look the other way if one of your relatives does something serious  because he is your father or your uncle. One group of Sunnis says to another "you are not a Muslim" another group of Sunnis says "you are not a Muslim you are a kaffir" look that's among us, and we fight among ourselves. And some of us do funny things.

I met one brother who told me when you go to Newcastle go visit Mr. So and so and inshallah  everything will be taken care of for you. So I went to the man and exactly as I was told he took me home for lunch and when I'm sitting at the table I see on the wall 'burat' you know what burat is? A donkey like animal with the face of a woman its supposed to provide electrical force. 

I told him this is not right. Allah(swt) created electrical force, you can not create it with a statue of a donkey with a woman's face. Oh and he was so upset. But he's a Sunni, he was a brother and is still my brother. This Sunni-Shia tensions is the work of the devil to divide us.

Let me say something about Iran. What I found was that everything is islamically oriented. The  whole nation is geared towards Islam. And they are talking about nothing but the Quran. I have never had a single experience with an Iranian when the man contradicted me when I'm talking about the Quran. Whereas our Arab brethren again and again you quote them the Quran and they try to contradict you with the Quran. They are Arabs, they are supposed to know the Quran better than us, but the Iranians seem to be on the wavelength of the Quran. Everything he is doing everything he is thinking about is the Quran. You remember Tabas  when the American people wanted to free the hostages. The mightiest most technologically advanced nation on earth, a nation that can land a man on the moon and bring him back, a nation which tells you 

A nation that warned Pakistan about the tidal wave tragedy and they didn't heed the warning.  They warned the Israelis in 1973 that the Arabs were on the move, they didn't heed the  warning. That nation couldn't land in Iran. Imagine they went there with their helicopters and  crashed them selves and got themselves killed. Imagine. A nation that lands on the moon and comes back cant land in Iran. And the Iranian people were not in any position to do anything to  them. The Americans could have gone and done what they wanted to do. I went and saw the  American embassy and you think that its just a big building, but man its acres and acres right in  the center of Tehran. They could have easily gone in and gotten these people out, even if they  lost a few men. They could have achieved their goals. It was very well planned. But you know  what happened? Fiasco, retreat failure, the Imam Khomeini is told what has happened. He  doesn't say Subhananla, he doesn't say Alhamdulilah, you know what he said.

He quotes the  Quran :

"Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant?" 105:1 

These are the words that came out of him. I tell you he is a Quranic computer.
You know what they call those huge helicopters? Jumbo helicopters, and those big planes are  called jumbo planes. You know what jumbo means in Swahili, Elephant. It's a Swahili word. 
That's where they got the name. So these elephant sized helicopters go and the Imam says:

"Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with the possessors of the elephant? Did He not cause their war to end in confusion," Quran 105:1-2

But we are so skeptical, the Muslim world has become so skeptical we don't believe in the  Quran anymore. You don't really believe in the Quran, for most people it is all for entertainment,
They don't say "this is an Iranian revolution "or "we are Iranians". They are talking about Islam, an Islamic Revolution. This is not an Iranian revolution but that this is an Islamic revolution. It's a revolution for Islam and little wonder why the nations of the world cant stomach it because it is  Islam that they cant stomach. So my dear brothers and sisters I have taken so much of your 

Questions.

 " O ye who believe! if any from among you turn back from his Faith, soon will Allah produce a people whom He will love as they will love Him,- lowly with the believers, mighty against the rejecters, fighting in the way of Allah, and never afraid of the reproaches of such as FIND FAULT. That is the grace of Allah, which He will bestow on whom He pleaseth. And Allah encompasseth all, and He knoweth all things." Quran 5:54

May Allah forgive my mistakes in this article (Amen)