Twelver Shi'ah Doctrine: Imams Born from Thighs of Their Mothers!

  بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام على سيدى رسول الله

وعلى آله وصحبه ومن والاه

Among the absurdities of the Twelver Shi’ah sect is the belief that the Twelve Imams were not born in the manner of humans. They attribute the following statement to their eleventh imam, Hasan al-Askari:

إنا معاشر الأوصياء لسنا نحمل في البطون وإنما نحمل في الجنوب ولا نخرج من الأرحام وإنما نخرج من الفخذ الأيمن من أمهاتنا لأننا نور الله الذي لا تناله الدانسات

“We the Awsiya are not carried in the bellies but in the side, and we aren’t born from womb, but from the right thigh of our mothers, because we are the light of Allah which is not defiled by impurity.” (Bihar al-Anwar v.51 p.26):

Divine Attribute of Arriving, Coming (2:210; 89:22)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام على خاتم النبيين

والعاقبة للمتقين

Among the divine attributes of Allah Most High are:

الإتيان والمجيء

al-Ityān wal-Majī

These are attributes of activity or صفات الفعلية and they basically mean that Allah comes, as He says:

هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّآ أَن يَأْتِيَهُمُ ٱللهُ

Do they wait but that Allah should come to them

(Surah 2:210)

وَجَآءَ رَبُّكَ

Your Lord has come

(Surah 89:22)

The holy Quran teaches that Allah Most High shall come Himself in His holy Person with all glory in all glory on Judgment Day, with a massive army of Angels in the shade of clouds. Many misguided Muslims object to this doctrine, imagining it to be anthropotheism. They make ta’wil (figurative interpretation) of these Verses, stating that it refers to the coming of Allah’s command and not Allah Himself in His Person. This is because they imagine the divine attributes of ityān and majī (arriving, coming) require harakah (movement, motion), and according to them, movement is negated for Allah. This, of course, is a wrong approach to theology, as it is built on the outdated model of Aristotelian metaphysics. According to that model, movement is an incidental attribute of a substance or body, and since, according to them, Allah is not a substance or body, motion must be negated for Him. Again, based on Aristotelian metaphysics, these misguided Muslims understand Allah to be the unmoved mover. But Islam itself never describes Allah as “unmoved” nor does it explicitly negate movement or motion for Him. Simultaneously, Islam does not affirm movement or motion to Allah either, therefore we avoid the term harakah (movement, motion) with respect to Allah’s Essence, neither affirming nor negating it. But we affirm the attributes of ityān and majī (arriving, coming) for Allah, without expressing that in the modality of movement and motion. It’s modality is known to Allah alone and we are not permitted to speculate upon it. But as for sukūn I affirm this attribute for Allah upon the meaning of dwelling and not the Aristotelian meaning of stasis (rest, stillness). So I believe that Allah Most High occupies the Throne, it is filled with His Glory, and His Presence dwells there. He is settled upon it, and it may be said that He is sitting upon it. And it says in the Torah:

וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתֹוכָֽם

And let them make Me a Sanctuary that I may dwell among them

(Exodus 25:8)

The Hebrew verb שָׁכַן shakan means to settle down, abide, dwell, like it Arabic equivalent سكن (rest, dwell).

Allah is the Creator of Human Deeds (Surah 37:96)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام على خاتم النبيين

وعلى آله واصحابه اجمعين

Among the Muslims there arose two deviated denominations concerning the subject of free will. The Mujbirah or Jabariyah believe that Allah is the doer of everything in truth, and man can only be said to commit his deeds metaphorically. This false doctrine not only absolves man from responsibility for either the goodness or evil of his deeds, it imputes evil deeds to Allah’s Person, such as the act of adultery (I seek refuge with Allah from such a heinous idea). On the other end of the spectrum are the Qadariyah. They believe man is the independent creator of his own deeds. They hold to this doctrine so as to justify the idea that man alone is to be held accountable for his deeds, good or bad, but consequently impugn the Lordship and Sovereignty of Allah in assigning a rival, independent creator to Him. This is a sort of dualism, which is why the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) reportedly prophecied the appearance of the Qadariyah and named them the “Magians of the Ummah”. Magians or Majus refer to the old, dualist religion of Iran, which believes in two divine beings that are independent of each other, “good” Ahura Mazda and “evil” Angra Mainyu. The false doctrine of the Qadariyah was inherited by two misguided sects, the Mu’tazilah and the Shi’ah, the latter persist and continue to uphold this doctrine.

But as for orthodox Islam, we believe that Allah Most High is the Creator of our deeds and acts, as the holy Quran says:

وَاللهُ خَلَقَكُمْ وَمَا تَعْمَلُونَ

Allah created you and that which you do

(Surah 37:96)

So the false belief of the Qadariyah, Mu’tazilah and Shi’ah that man is the independent creator of his own deeds directly opposes the clear teaching of our Scripture. At the same time, orthodox Islam teaches that while Allah creates man’s acts, man earns and performs them of his own intention and volition. This is the doctrine of Kasb, that is, the earning of man’s deeds that are created for him on the basis of the condition of his heart and soul. So while Allah is the Creator of man’s deeds, He is not the doer or performer of those deeds, hence they cannot be ascribed to Him. That is because man does not have the capacity to create his own deeds, indeed, there is no creator in a true and independent sense apart from Allah Himself. In this way, orthodox Islam maintains the Lordship, Sovereignty and Omnipotence of Allah while also relegating responsibility of the good or evil of man’s acts to man alone.

Fitnah of Evil Ulama (Part 1)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

صلى الله على محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم

اللهم صلى على سيدنا ومولانا محمد وبارك وسلم وصلى عليه

I subscribe to the narrative that the present religious establishment of the Muslims is corrupt to the core. The vast majority of the Ulamā earn their livelihood through discharging of various religious services. Many are on the payroll of the states and governments. It is regarding the corrupt and evil scholars and learned teachers of the Law that Allah Most High puts forward the parable of a donkey carrying a load of scrolls:

مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ حُمِّلُوا التَّوْرَاةَ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَحْمِلُوهَا كَمَثَلِ الْحِمَارِ يَحْمِلُ أَسْفَارًا ۚ بِئْسَ مَثَلُ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِ اللَّـهِ ۚ وَاللَّـهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ

The example of those who were entrusted with the Torah and then did not take it on is like that of a donkey who carries volumes [of books]. Wretched is the example of the people who deny the signs of Allah. And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.

(Surah 62:5)

In another passage, Allah Most High puts forward the parable of a dog:

وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ الَّذِي آتَيْنَاهُ آيَاتِنَا فَانسَلَخَ مِنْهَا فَأَتْبَعَهُ الشَّيْطَانُ فَكَانَ مِنَ الْغَاوِينَ ۞ وَلَوْ شِئْنَا لَرَفَعْنَاهُ بِهَا وَلَـٰكِنَّهُ أَخْلَدَ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ ۚ فَمَثَلُهُ كَمَثَلِ الْكَلْبِ إِن تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْهِ يَلْهَثْ أَوْ تَتْرُكْهُ يَلْهَث ۚ ذَّٰلِكَ مَثَلُ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا ۚ فَاقْصُصِ الْقَصَصَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

And recite to them, the news of him to whom we gave [knowledge of] Our signs, but he detached himself from them; so Satan pursued him, and he became of the deviators. And if We had willed, we could have elevated him thereby, but he adhered [instead] to the earth and followed his own desire. So his example is like that of the dog: if you chase him, he pants, or if you leave him, he [still] pants. That is the example of the people who denied Our signs. So relate the stories that perhaps they will give thought.

(Surah 7:175-176)

According to majority of the mufassirīn (exegetes), this passage is speaking of one Balaam son of Beor, a wicked scholar in time of the prophet Moses (peace be upon him). These Quranic passages may be extended in meaning to apply to all evil religious scholars and teachers who fit the description given of the Jewish rabbis and scholars and the like of Balaam son of Beor.

My illustrious master, the Prophet Muhammad (sall Allāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said:

إِنَّمَا أَخَافُ عَلَى أُمَّتِي الأَئِمَّةَ الْمُضِلِّينَ

“I fear for my Ummah misguided Imāms”

As it occurs in this Hadīth, the term A’immah refers to both religious and administrative leaders, but particularly to the former. According to the narration of sayyidinā Abī Dharr al-Ghifārī (radī Allāhu ‘anhu), the Prophet (sall Allāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) stated that he fears for his Ummah the misguided Imāms more than he fears for them the tribulation of the Dajjāl/Antichrist (Musnad Ahmad). That these narrations are referring primarily to the religious leadership of the Muslims, meaning their learned scholars and teachers, is inferred from another Hadīth on the authority of sayyidinā ‘Umar al-Fārūq (radī Allāhu ‘anhu) that the Prophet (sall Allāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said:

إِنَّ أَخْوَفَ مَا أَخَافُ عَلَى هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ كُلُّ مُنَافِقٍ عَلِيمِ اللِّسَانِ

“What I fear most for this Ummah is every hypocrite with a tongue of knowledge”

(Musnad Ahmad)

According to another narration:

شِرَارُ النَّاسِ شِرَارُ الْعُلَمَاءِ فِي النَّاسِ

“The worst of the people are the worst of the ‘Ulamā’ among the people”

(Musnad al-Bazzār)

Althought somewhat weak, the following Hadīth related by Imām al-Bayhaqī reinforces the established narrative from the Prophetic Tradition that during the latter days the worst of people shall be the so-called Ulamā of the Muslims:

يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ لا يَبْقَى مِنَ الإِسْلامِ إِلا اسْمُهُ ، وَلا يَبْقَى مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ إِلا رَسْمُهُ ، مَسَاجِدُهُمْ عَامِرَةٌ ، وَهِيَ خَرَابٌ مِنَ الْهُدَى ، عُلَمَاؤُهُمْ أَشَرُّ مَنْ تَحْتَ أَدِيمِ السَّمَاءِ ، مَنْ عِنْدَهُمْ يَمْدَحُ الْفِتْنَةَ

“A time will come upon the people when nothing shall remain of Islām except its name, and nothing shall remain of the Qurān except its script. Their mosques will be decorated but bereft of guidance, their Ulamā will be the worst of those under the canopy of Heaven”

(Shu’b al-Īmān)

It is plain to any Believer who is blessed with firāsah and nūr that it is our own time concerning which this Hadīth speaks. There are thousands of mosques that are beautiful in form, considered the finest examples of architecture, such that even the non-Muslims flock to visit them as part of their tourism and sight-seeing. But in reality, these mosques are bereft of guidance. Within them hardly anything of substance is preached that is remnicient of the message and narrative of the Scriptures and the Prophets. Likewise, many of our Ulamā, rather than being a source of knowledge and guidance for ordinary Muslims, have become a tribulation of themselves. They are all too often a source of dischord and mischief in the Ummah, such that they may be described as the worst of creation beneath the canopy of Heaven.

To be continued إن شاء الله

Review of Sayyid Qutb's Milestones (Part 1)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

اللهم صلى على محمد وآل محمد

A little over two years ago, I completed a highly impressive and successful series of articles constituting a detailed critique of ‘Allama’ Iqbal’s Islam and Ahmadism. It is a highly impressive examination and evaluation of the misguided notions and un-Islamic thinking of an individual who is, ironically, considered a great Muslim philosopher and thinker. It was this individual whose modernist and materialist thinking animated the religious and political discourse of the modern-day, so-called “Islamic” Republic of Pakistan. Today, I post the first part of a new critique, similar in spirit and theme to the aforementioned one, that shall constitute an intellectual evaluation of Sayyid Qutb’s (1906-1966) notorious manifesto entitled Ma’ālim fīt-Tarīq (Eng. Milestones or Signposts).

This was Qutb’s last work before his execution in 1966. Regarding this extremely controversial text, Gilles Kepel writes: “Qutb’s last work, Signposts, describes the Nasser regime in particularly severe terms, as seen from the vantage point of a man who knew only its concentration camps. The Nasserist state, Qutb argued, belongs to the Islamic category of jahiliyya, or pre-Islamic barbarism. That designation placed the regime beyond the bounds of Islam. In a simple and lucid style, Qutb presented his analysis of the regime and his recommendation of how to destroy it and replace it with an Islamic state. Although conceived on the basis of Qutb’s observation of the Nasser regime, the basic analysis of Signposts would retain its validity under Nasser’s successor as well. Signposts is therefore a major document offering a direct encounter with the ideology of the Islamicist movement. The actions of the major tendencies of that movement are implicit in the principles it presents, and ultimately it became a manifesto for most Islamicists. The religious scholars (ulema) of al-Azhar and all the various Muslim dignitaries linked to the regime have condemned this last book of Sayyid Qutb as abomination and heresy. The most traditional of the Muslim Brethren consider it a simultaneously fascinating and repellent text, some of whose assertions they consider admirable, others beyond the pale. Signposts, in other words, is the royal road to the ideology of the Islamicist movement of the seventies” (Muslim Extremism in Egypt: The Prophet and Pharaoh, pp.37-38).

With this basic background in view, let us now proceed to read Milestones. Interestingly, Sayyid Qutb begins this manifesto, this supposed blueprint for how mankind may be saved from annihilation, with a detailed criticism of Marxism. Sayyid Qutb belonged to that generation of Muslim thinkers who were now only strongly influenced by Marxism and Leninism, but were at times completely under its spell. These individuals, the “godfathers” of the so-called Islamist or political Islamic movement, did not come from a background of traditional Islamic learning, but were quite often ex-Marxists who had become disillusioned with Marxism and Leninism as a viable solution for the economic and social disparities of their Muslim homelands. Throughout the mid-20^th century, certain European political ideologies and philosophies (materialism, modernism, socialism, Marxism, communism, Leninism, Stalinism, fascism, etc.) had deeply penetrated the imagination of Western educated Muslim thinkers and intellectuals. It was only natural their conception and approach to Islam was through the lens of these materialist ideologies. Now according to Qutb, revolutionary Marxism-Leninism, as embodied in the policies of the Soviet Union, is essentially refuted for its failure to produce material prosperity: “But now Marxism is defeated on the plane of thought...But now, even under these circumstances, its materialistic economic system is failing, although this was the only foundation on which its structure was based. Russia, which is the leader of the communist countries, is itself suffering from shortages of food. Although during the times of the Tsars Russia used to produce surplus food, it now has to import food from abroad and has to sell its reserves of gold for this purpose. The main reason for this is the failure of the system of collective farming, or, one can say, the failure of a system which is against human nature.” In summary, Qutb points to economic difficulties and specifically food shortage as evidence for Marxism or communism being “a system which is against human nature”. My purpose in drawing attention to this seemingly minor point is that in Qutb’s mind material prosperity and success is the scale by which various ideologies are to be weighed. It reveals his underlying materialist mode of thinking which is contrary to the teachings and principles of Religion. For Qutb, failure on the plane of thought is contingent to an ideology, when realized, being incapable of adequately addressing material, Earthly problems like food shortage. So we see here how Qutb is setting the stage for Islam to be presented as an ideology that is in the same category as materialist, political ideologies like Marxism and Leninism. We can assume, therefore, that the selling point for “Islam” as an alternative political and economic system, according to Qutb, is that once realized or implemented, material and Earthly problems of mankind shall be solved, problems like food shortage. Here I would like to raise a critical question: Is the purpose of Islam to solve mankind’s material, Earthly problems, or does it have a higher purpose of saving the human soul from damnation in the Afterlife? This is of course a rhetorical question, and the answer should be obvious to any Muslim. Next, Qutb states his thesis: “It is essential for mankind to have new leadership!” This too exposes the materialist and extremely hollow, shallow thinking of Qutb. For him, the issue is leadership, i.e., the change of leadership is what will save mankind from annihilation. Such a view is more or less in line for anyone who views mankind’s dilemma as essentially political. The tragedy with the so-called Islamist movement, particularly this Qutbist strain of it, is that for them the axis of Islam revolves around the issue of leadership. This is a highly reductionist approach to the Religion. Not only that, it has actually disfigured the Religion by putting to the side its most fundamental tenets, that are concerned with the salvation of the soul and establishing a living relationship with Allah Most High.

To be continued ان شاء الله

Corruption of the Congregational Salat

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

The Covid-19 pandemic is one of those trials whose purpose is to throw light on the condition of the Muslims’ Faith. The result is shockingly disturbing. Mosques were immediately sealed worldwide, and where they did reopen, they did so under regulations that plainly violate the Sunnah and the spirit of Islamic worship. The original excuse given by the authorities who made this erroneous decision whose repercussions reverberated throughout the world is that because Covid-19 is a highly infectious contagion, it is imperative to prevent assemblies and encourage “social distancing” instead. But this facade was uncovered when permission was given for restoration of other routine activity outside the Mosque in which people congregate in large numbers. We saw crowds moving to and fro in the markets and shopping centers, riding public transportation, etc. It was said that it is essential activity in order for the wheels of the economy to keep turning, thereby implying that worship of Allah that is done in the Mosque is not essential (God forbid). This despite the fact that the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) said:

أَحَبُّ الْبِلاَدِ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَسَاجِدُهَا وَأَبْغَضُ الْبِلاَدِ إِلَى اللَّهِ أَسْوَاقُهَا

“The most beloved (places) of the land to Allah are its Mosques, and the most hated (places) of the land to Allah are its marketplaces.” (Sahih Muslim)

But in opposition to this guidance, we see the Muslims thronging to the open air markets and the shopping malls despite the fact that the pandemic hasn’t ended but continues to spread, whereas the Mosques are either completely or nearly deserted. Sayyidina Anas bin Malik (radi Allahu anhu) states that during the time of the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam):

إِنْ كَانَتِ الرِّيحُ لَتَشْتَدُّ فَنُبَادِرُ الْمَسْجِدَ مَخَافَةَ الْقِيَامَةِ

“If the wind were to blow strongly, we would rush to the Mosque, fearing the Resurrection (had arrived)” (Sunan Abi Dawud #1196, isnaduhu hasan)

This is the first time in Muslim history mosques have been closed out of a wahm or a mere fear of the possibility of the outbreak of a disease. Before this, when there was actual danger of going to the Mosque, due to Kharijite and Takfiri terrorism and suicide bombings, even then the Mosque was not closed. Therefore, those evil and filthy men who made the decision to close the Mosque, and those of their pigs and dogs who enforced this decision, fall under the category described in this Ayah:

وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن مَّنَعَ مَسَاجِدَ اللَّـهِ أَن يُذْكَرَ فِيهَا اسْمُهُ وَسَعَىٰ فِي خَرَابِهَا ۚ أُولَـٰئِكَ مَا كَانَ لَهُمْ أَن يَدْخُلُوهَا إِلَّا خَائِفِينَ ۚ لَهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا خِزْيٌ وَلَهُمْ فِي الْآخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ

And who are more unjust than those who prevent the Name of Allah from being mentioned in His Mosques and strive toward their destruction. It is not for them to enter them except in fear. For them in this world is disgrace, and they will have in the Hereafter a great punishment

(Surah 2:114)

Now that the Mosques are gradually being reopened, another fitnah has surfaced. Our fake religious establishment, under pressure from the state or of their own prerogative, have altogether changed the form of our worship, the Second Pillar of Islam, which we received from Allah, through the Angel Gabriel, through the Prophet Muhammad (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam), through his Sahaba (radi Allahu anhu), and through the Believers thereafter generation to generation in an unbroken chain of mass transmission. So they have instituted the Satanic innovation of gaps of two feet, three feet, four feet, five feet, six feet, or even more, between the worshipers in the congregational Salat. To participate in such a “worship service” is not only invalid, it is a mockery of the congregational Salat. This evil corruption of our Religion is a serious matter in the sight of Allah. But let Him bear witness that I free myself from this evil, and do not participate in it out of zeal and jealousy for the Lord God, and for His Prophet Muhammad’s (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) blessed Sunnah.

Murder of the Prophets عليهم السلام

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Allah Most High says about the Jews and their killing of His Prophets:

وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ آمِنُوا بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللَّـهُ قَالُوا نُؤْمِنُ بِمَا أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا وَيَكْفُرُونَ بِمَا وَرَاءَهُ وَهُوَ الْحَقُّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا مَعَهُمْ ۗ قُلْ فَلِمَ تَقْتُلُونَ أَنبِيَاءَ اللَّـهِ مِن قَبْلُ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

And when it is said to them: “Believe in what Allah sent down” they say, “We believe in what was sent down to us” and they disbelieve in what came after it, though it is the Truth, confirming that which is with them. Say: “Then why did you kill the Prophets of Allah before, if you are believers?”

(Surah 2:91)

The argument of the stone-hearted Jews who reject the Revelation and Prophesy of sayyidina Muhammad (peace be upon him & his family) is that they only believe in that which was revealed to them. They are of course referring to the Revelation that came to them through the ancient Israelite Prophets, which they read from the Hebrew Scriptures and claim to believe in. But in answering this argument, Allah instructs His holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him & his family), and by extension the rest of the Believers, to rhetorically ask the Jews who make this false argument that if their claim is that they restrict themselves to believing in what was revealed to their own – meaning the Prophets of Israel – then why did they kill many of those very Prophets?

The question that naturally arises is why does Allah Most High, in this Verse and in several others throughout the Holy Quran, put the collective responsibility for the murder of His ancient Prophets upon the Jews of latter generations? It is because the Children of Israel were given the Covenant at Mount Sinai, and according to this Covenant, they are to be collectively rewarded and punished for their national behavior and attitude. Hence it is written in the Torah that the Lord God says: “I am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me”. It is also written: “A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 23:2). Therefore, though it was the ancestors of the latter generations of Jews who unjustly murdered the Prophets of God, they are collectively (but not personally or individually) tainted by that evil transgression, and as a nation the sin of murdering Prophets is attributed to them. And consider also the amazing words of Jesus of Nazareth (peace be upon him): “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:29-33), and in another version: “Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres. Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation” (Luke 11:47-51). Now it becomes evident that those self-righteous among the Jews who boasted about their faith and deeds in the times of the Messiah Jesus and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon them both), had the same evil in their hearts which motivated their forefathers to murder prior Israelite Prophets who were sent to them. The identical condition of their hearts to the hearts of those who actually murdered the Prophets with their hands makes them guilty and they stand condemned in the Court of the Most High. And remember, these are the people who attempted to have the Messiah Jesus put to death through crucifixion (through the agency of the Romans), and attempted to assassinate the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) several times, including by poisoning him after the conquest of Khaybar, but he was protected by Allah Most High and survived their evil murder attempts. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:

إِنَّ أَشَدَّ النَّاسِ عَذَابًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ رَجُلٌ قَتَلَ نَبِيًّا أَوْ قَتَلَهُ نَبِيٌّ

“The worst of people to be punished on the Day of Resurrection is a man who killed a Prophet or a Prophet killed him” (Fath al-Bari)

So the murder of a Prophet is the most heinous offense in the sight of Allah Holy and Exalted is He. This is yet another indication that the Prophets are the most beloved and superior of Allah’s creation. The murder of a Prophet kindles the fury of God Almighty, as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is reported to have said:

مَنْ أَعَانَ عَلَى قَتْلِ مُؤْمِنٍ بِشَطْرِ كَلِمَةٍ لَقِيَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مَكْتُوبٌ بَيْنَ عَيْنَيْهِ آيِسٌ مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ

“Whoever helps to kill a Believer, even with half a word, he will meet Allah with the words written between his eyes: ‘He has no hope of the Mercy of Allah’” (Sunan Ibn Majah #2620)

So if the murder of an ordinary Believer is so serious that even one who did not actually murder him with his own hand but merely incited it with words, how much more serious is the murder of a Prophet? Will not the murderer of a Prophet come on Judgment Day with the words “No Hope of Mercy” branded on his brow? Now let us consider the condition of our own Ummah, which, as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) foretold, shall follow the ways of the Jews and Christians before them. So just a wicked section of the Jews are collectively guilty of the murder of the Prophets, likewise, a section of this Ummah is guilty of the murder of Allah’s righteous servants and His Saints:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْفُرُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّـهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ النَّبِيِّينَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ وَيَقْتُلُونَ الَّذِينَ يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْقِسْطِ مِنَ النَّاسِ فَبَشِّرْهُم بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ

Those who disbelieve in the Signs of Allah and kill the Prophets without right and kill those who order justice from among the people - give them tidings of a painful punishment

(Surah 3:21)

So a section of this Ummah is guilty of murder of “those who order justice from among the people”. Consider the tragic murder and martyrdom of three of the Prophet’s Rightly-Guided Successors, namely, Umar al-Faruq, Uthman bin Affan and Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with them). And it is mentioned that Hasan al-Mujtaba (peace be upon him), the Prophet’s eldest grandson, and one of the Rightly-Guided Successors, was martyred, killed by poisoning. Although sayyidina Umar, the Prophet’s second Successor and the first of them to be martyred, was not killed by a Muslim but by the infidel Abu Lu’lu’ah Firuz or Piruz Nahavandi (curse him). Sayyidina Uthman, the third Successor, was tragically and shockingly martyred at the hands of a band of Muslim rebels, which broke open the door that hitherto had prevented the entry of trials and tribulations within the Ummah. Subsequently, Amir al-Mu’minin Ali bin Abi Talib (peace be upon him) became the fourth Successor, but he embraced martyrdom at the hands of a Kharijite assassin, Abd ar-Rahman bin Muljam al-Muradi (curse him). The Kharijites were the first breakaway sect in the history of the Ummah, so the murder of sayyidina Ali is the second instance in which a Successor of the Prophet was killed by evil elements within the Ummah. Then of course there is the tragedy of Karbala, in which the Prophet’s grandson sayyidina Husain (peace be upon him) was martyred, along with members of his immediate and extended family, such as his son Ali al-Akbar and his infant son Ali al-Asghar, his brother, and the moon of the Hashemites Abul-Fadl al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them). These pure and innocent individuals, from the Family of the Prophet (peace be upon them) were martyred at the hands of elements from within this Ummah; Yazid bin Mu’awiyah, Ubaid Allah bin Ziyad, Shimr bin Dhil-Jawshan, Umar bin Sa’d, Harmalah bin Kahil al-Asadi, and others (curse them all). And the Shi’ah of Iraq, who are the spiritual progeny of their predecessors in Kufah, who betrayed the Imam Husain, and constituted the force of Ibn Ziyad which intercepted the Imam at Karbala, massacring him and seventy or so others from the Prophet’s Family and their devotees, are collectively tainted with the sin of that massacre. In a sense, they recognize this collective guilt of theirs, which explains why they annually perform rituals of self-flagellation and self-mortification in the sacred month of Muharram. So the Rafidi Shi’ah community are like the Pharisaic Jews, as we hold the former collectively responsible for the murder of the Prophet’s sacred progeny and family members, and the latter collectively responsible for the murder of God’s Prophets. And in a broader sense, the Ummah is guilty of the murder of the Prophet’s rightly-guided Caliphs and the Imams of his Family. The great Imam Zayd bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred in Kufah in a failed uprising against the Umayyads. Like what happened to Imam Husain, the majority of the Shi’ah of Kufah deserted Imam Zayd, and so are also responsible for his martyrdom.

Prophecy of European Colonialism and Conquest of Muslim World

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Being a prophet of God, Muhammad Nabi (sall Allahu alaih wasallam) naturally made countless prophecies on the authority of divine Revelation and the news vouchsafed to him through the Angel Gabriel. Indeed, the basic definition of prophet is someone who makes prophecies – predictions concerning the future. The prophecies of the Israelite Prophets and our darling Prophet Muhammad (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam), generally speaking, are regarding the condition of the community of Believers, and certain events that will directly impact them. Hence, we read in the Hebrew Scriptures about how the Israelite Prophets and Seers like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel (peace be upon them), issued prophecies detailing the future condition and events surrounding the nation of Israel. Likewise, our master Muhammad the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) gave detailed news about the future course of his Ummah. He mentioned the various phases they would pass through, starting with what would happen immediately after his death. He spoke of the initial trials and tribulations the Ummah would face, how his Faith would spread to the extremities of the East and the West. He (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) said:

إِنَّ رَبِّي زَوَى لِيَ الأَرْضَ فَرَأَيْتُ مَشَارِقَهَا وَمَغَارِبَهَا وَإِنَّ مُلْكَ أُمَّتِي سَيَبْلُغُ مَا زُوِيَ لِي مِنْهَا وَأُعْطِيتُ الْكَنْزَيْنِ الأَحْمَرَ وَالأَبْيَضَ

“My Lord levelled the Earth for me so I was able to see its east and its west, and the dominion of my Ummah reached the extent to which it (the Earth) was unfolded for me, and I was granted two treasures; the red and the white (people)”

(Sunan Abi Dawud)

In this Hadith, the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) is describing a vision in which he was shown the Earth unfolded or leveled for him. Incidentally, this is an indication that Islam does not teach that the Earth is flat. In this vision, he saw the extent to which the dominion of his Ummah would spread, in both the east and the west. At the time of the Prophet’s death, the Ummah was confined to and its dominion extended over the Arabian Peninsula only. But very soon, beginning during the caliphate of sayyidina Umar al-Faruq (radi Allahu anhu), this dominion spread exponentially with the miraculous and divinely brought about conquests of the entire Middle East and North Africa. The dominion of the Muslims continued to expand into the Iberian Peninsula and Transoxiana during the subsequent rule of various Arab dynasties. Today, the dominion of the Muslim Ummah extends from Morocco and West Africa in the west to the Indonesian Archipelago in the east, and from Kazakhstan in the north to the Horn of Africa in the south. Additionally, the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) saw that he was granted two treasures, the conversion of a white-skinned people and a red-skinned people to his Faith. This refers to the fact that the people of Anatolia, the Caucasus, and many in the Balkans are Muslim peoples who have a white complexion, and likewise, the Turkic peoples of the Steppes of Central Asia are also Muslim, who have a reddish or ruddy complexion. It may also refer to the people of the Levant and the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent who may respectively be described as having white and red complexisions. And we expect the continued spread of Islam among new populations that are presently non-Muslim, in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and elsewhere, in sha Allah. At any rate, this prophetic vision has been literally and spectacularly fulfilled with utmost precision. The Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) said:

كَانَ كُلُّ نَبِيٍّ يُبْعَثُ إِلَى قَوْمِهِ خَاصَّةً وَبُعِثْتُ إِلَى كُلِّ أَحْمَرَ وَأَسْوَدَ

“Every Prophet was sent to his specific people, but I have been sent to all, red and black.”

(Sahih Muslim)

But in another prophecy, our darling Prophet Muhammad (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) spoke of the downfall of this Ummah, and how it would be conquered and colonized by the foreign, unbelieving nations of this world:

يُوشِكُ الأُمَمُ أَنْ تَدَاعَى عَلَيْكُمْ كَمَا تَدَاعَى الأَكَلَةُ إِلَى قَصْعَتِهَا ‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ قَائِلٌ وَمِنْ قِلَّةٍ نَحْنُ يَوْمَئِذٍ قَالَ ‏"‏ بَلْ أَنْتُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ كَثِيرٌ وَلَكِنَّكُمْ غُثَاءٌ كَغُثَاءِ السَّيْلِ وَلَيَنْزِعَنَّ اللَّهُ مِنْ صُدُورِ عَدُوِّكُمُ الْمَهَابَةَ مِنْكُمْ وَلَيَقْذِفَنَّ اللَّهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمُ الْوَهَنَ ‏‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ قَائِلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا الْوَهَنُ قَالَ ‏‏ حُبُّ الدُّنْيَا وَكَرَاهِيَةُ الْمَوْتِ

“Soon, the nations will invite (one another) to partake of you, as diners call one another to a large dish.” Someone said, “Will it be because we will be few in number on that day?” He said: “No, rather you will be many on that day, but you will like the refuse of the flood. Allah will take away fear of you from the hearts of your enemies, and Allah will pelt your hearts with Wahn (weakness).” Someone said, “O Messenger of Allah, what is Wahn?” He said: “Love of this world and dislike of death.” (Sunan Abi Dawud #4297)

How accurately this prophecy describes the conquest and dividing up of the Muslim world by European colonialism, and the phenomenon of neo-imperialism which the Muslim world continues to be a victim of till the present. Consider the fact that the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) made this prophecy while the spread of his Faith had not yet gone beyond the boundaries of Arabia, but was apparently on the ascendant. Yet, counterintuitively, he is describing a future in which his Ummah is large but weak. In an analogy, the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) compared the foreign nations summoning one another to conquer the Muslims the way a host invites guests to feast alongside him from a large dish of food. Does it not describe how after the First World War, the imperial powers of western Europe divided up the conquered territories of the Muslim world among themselves? And likewise, does it not describe how the United States and other imperial powers invited other non-Muslim nations to join them in a “coalition” to attack and conquer various Muslim countries (Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya)? Consider the fact that at its greatest extent, European colonialism had directly colonized the vast majority of the Muslim world, and the remainder was either under its partial control or within its sphere of influence:

According to this map, Japan, Korea, Siam and Liberia were the only countries in the world which managed to remain outside the European sphere of influence. Notice also that apart from Arabia, Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan, the rest of the Muslim world was directly ruled and colonized by the European powers.

Another significant element of this prophecy is that the fear of the Muslims would vanish from the hearts of the non-Muslim nations. From the very beginning at the emergence of Islam, the non-Muslims were struck by a fear and awe of the Muslims that was surely put into their hearts by God Himself. This allowed the Muslims to remain the most powerful force on Earth for centuries. But beginning with the First Crusade, in which the Catholic Pope called upon the world of Christendom to unite and attack the Muslims, that fear began to be taken away from their hearts. It was completely removed at the height of European colonialism and subsequently American neo-imperialism. India, which for centuries had by ruled by various Muslim dynasties, was colonized by the British (becoming their “crown jewel”), the Muslim states and emirates of Central Asia were gobbled up by the Russians, the French took over North Africa, while the Dutch ruled the East Indies (Malaysia and Indonesia). After the age of colonialism, despite the fact that the Muslim world is at least nominally independent, there is the inescapable secular influence of the French in North Africa, in terms of both culture, lifestyle and law, the remaining of the British legal system in Pakistan and Bangladesh over and above the Islamic Shari’ah, the the atheistic influence of the Soviet Russians in Central Asia. We see that there is only some remaining semblance of Islamic culture and lifestyle in remote parts of the Muslim world, such as Afghanistan, Yemen and parts of Arabia, which the Europeans never managed to completely colonize or control directly. But apart from these remote places and isolated examples, the rest of the Muslim world has been almost completely Europeanized in terms of law, culture, lifestyle, dress, philosophy, political ideology, and language. This is a consequence of, according to the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) the Muslims, by and large, having excessive love for this transient world and dislike of death. It is this inner condition that has made the Muslims weak – easy prey for the predatory, foreign powers of this world.