Calls for Taqrib – Contrasting View Point

The consequential objective of Taqrib (rapprochement) between the Mazhabs of Islam is undoubtedly a noble objective regardless of its groups and the credibility of its pioneers. The Book of Allah—which falsehood cannot approach from before it or behind it—and the noble Sunnah of His Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam encourage unity, affinity, peace of heart, and closing of ranks.

Texts indicating to this are too famous and explicit to mention. Young Muslims in different regions of the world memorise most of it by heart, let alone the elders.

However, the experiment of Taqrib (rapprochement), whereupon 7 decades have passed since inception, suffered and is still suffering a crisis in its cognitive structure, besides the political, religious, and social challenges it confronted.

A student who studies the literature of the institutes of Taqrib[1] and its conferences will observe the obvious shortcomings in the explanation of some of its loose headlines like ‘Islamic Unity’ for example. What does it really mean? Does it mean unity of fundamentals and subsidiaries, i.e. to adopt all those fundamentals which are agreed upon and discard the rest even though it may be a fundamental principle according to another group, such as the Ithna ‘Ashari Shia for example? Or is the unity on the level of subsidiary rulings and not fundamentals? How will this be possible as subsidiary rulings are mostly based on Ijtihad and using its tools to deduce, give preference, and harmonising?

The singular form of the word Wahdah (unity) in comparison to Taqrib (rapprochement), itself suffers from structural problems, which necessitates rejecting multitude of Mazhabs found today. If a person investigates the term ‘unity’ in pursuit of the Muslims coexisting with each other, establishing fruitful dialogues or real political proximity, it will not be possible for him to start his cognitive structure through the claim of unity as an alternative to accepting multiplicity and dealing with it honestly.

In other words, it is not desired from the Muslims, despite their different Mazhabs and sects, that they all dye themselves with the same colour in order to understand each other, coexist, and start dialogues regarding the many common things that bring them together, instead of being playthings in the hands of the enemies, whether they perceive it or not.

As for the term Taqrib (rapprochement), it is closer to reality than other terms. The reason being that here there is emotional, historical, contractual, Fiqhi, and ancient moral disconnection amongst the Muslim groups, especially between the Ahlus Sunnah and the Ithna ‘Ashari Shia, which in present times reached the stage of armed conflict, through the support and sponsorship of the non-Muslims.

I would not be exaggerating or harsh by openly and clearly saying that the initial defenders and advocators of Taqrib were and are always of two types:

The aspirant who sees Taqrib as a source of assistance to his Mazhab!
The naive abuser.

Discussing the second type is a waste of time. Time will tell whether it wakes him up from his slumber or keeps him a zero or even in the negative in the equation.

As for the first type, the advocators of Taqrib select the best of speeches to call towards unity, solidarity, and affinity; whereas their viewpoints indicate the opposite and the slips of their tongues expose their agenda. Thus, Taqrib is not their target and objective. It is a tool and a smokescreen. Through these flashy titles which they promote to the opposition, they achieve what they cannot achieve by competing through evidence and word of mouth.

‘Allamah Murtada al Mutahhari[2] clarified the objective of calling for Taqrib by stating in his book al Imamah:

إن ما ننتظره علي خط الوحدة الإسلامية أن ينبثق محيط صالح للتفاهم المشترك لكي نعرض ما لدينا من أصول وفروع تضم ما نحمله من فقه وحديث وكلام وفلسفة وتفسير وأدبيات بحيث بسمح لنا ذلك الجو أن نعرض بضاعتنا بعنوان كونها أفضل بضاعة حتي لا يبقي الشيعة في العزلة أكثر وتنفتح أمامهم المواقع المهمة في العالم الإسلامي ثم لا تبقي الأبواب مغلقة أمام المعارف الإسلامية الشيعية النفيسة

What we await, on one Islamic field is that such an environment emerges which is suitable for mutual understanding, so that we can present our fundamental and subsidiary rulings which encompasses Fiqh, Hadith, theology, philosophy, commentary of the Qur’an and literature. This environment would allow us to present our goods with the title of it being the best of goods, so that the Shia do not remain isolated most of the time and important opportunities open up for them in the Islamic world. Thus, the doors will not remain closed on the precious Shia Islamic knowledge.[3]

Then al Mutahhari confirms that this was the objective that the late Shia Marja’ al Sayed Hussain al Burujirdi (d. 1380 AH) strove to establish by raising the slogan of Taqrib, lauding the success he attained then, by saying:

ما كان يفكر به المرحوم آية الله العظمى البروجردي علي الخصوص هو إيجاد الأرضية المناسبة لبث معارف أهل البيت ونشرها بين الإخوة من أهل السنة وكان يعتقد أن هذا العمل لا يكون إلا بإيجاد أرضية التفاهم المشترك والنجاح الذي أحرزه المرحوم البروجردي جزاه الله عن الإسلام والمسلمين خير الجزاء في طبع بعض كتب الفقه الشيعي في مصر من قبل المصريبن أنفسهم إنما كان علي إثر هذا التفاهم الذي انبثق وكان ذلك أهم نجاح حققه علماء الشيعة

What the late Ayatollah al ‘Uzma al Burujirdi was considering about in particular was to create an appropriate ground for propagating the knowledge of Ahlul Bayt and spreading it among the Sunni brothers. He believed that this work could only be achieved by creating the ground for mutual understanding. The success achieved by the late al Burujirdi—may Allah reward him on behalf of Islam and Muslims the best of rewards—in printing some Fiqhi books of the Shia in Egypt by the Egyptians themselves, was as a result of this mutual understanding that emerged. That was the most important success achieved by Shia scholars.[4]

Likewise, that the late Shia scholar of reference, Sheikh Fadil al Lankarani (d. 1428 AH), clearly indicates that the objective for the claim of Taqrib was not honest, but rather its factional objective is completely visible, as he says:

إنه مما ذكرنا ظهر أنه لو أتي المخالف بما هو الصحيح عند الإمامية والمطابق لفتوى فقهائهم وإن لم يكن ذلك فاسدا بنظره بلحاظ جواز الرجوع إلى فقهاء الشيعة كما أفتى بذالك شيخ جامعة الأزهر الشيخ شلتوت بعد تمهيد مقدمات من ناحية سيدنا المحقق الأستاذ آية الله العظمي البروجردي قدس سره الشريف ولعمري إنه كان منه خدمة عظيمة للتشيع وخطوة مهمة في ترويجه وتأييده جزاه الله عن الإسلام وأهله خير الجزاء وحشره مع سيد الأنبياء عليه آلاف التحية والثناء

From what we have mentioned, it becomes clear that if the opposition came with something that is correct according to the Imamiyyah and conforms to the fatwa of their jurists, and if that is not corrupt in his view, then it is permissible to refer back to the Shia jurists, as the Sheikh of al Azhar, Sheikh Shaltut, issued a fatwa on that, after being introduced to some introductions of our master, the researcher, teacher, Ayatollah al ‘Uzma al Burujirdi. May my life be sacrificed; it was a great service from him to the Shia and an important step in promoting and supporting it. May Allah reward him on behalf of Islam and its people with the best reward, and may he be raised with the Master of the Prophets salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.[5]

Statements like these expose the objective behind promoting the idea of Taqrib amongst the Islamic Mazhabs and is a great eye-opener for the Sunni and other communities in the Islamic Republic of Iran, for whom the same steps of Taqrib were not taken and rights of the Sunnis in the country where this very idea arose not respected. This is despite their large numbers and ethnic diversity, and yet they still do not have appropriate representation in government etc.

How true is the saying of the Iraqi poet Ma’roof al Rusafi who speaks about the alleged national lie during his time, in a poem which he named ‘religion and homeland’? He says:

لا يخدعنك هتاف القوم في الوطن فالقوم في السر غير القوم في العلن

Do not be deceived by the cheering of the people in the homeland, as the people in private are not the same in public.

Despite all this, the pioneers of Taqrib acknowledge the reality, the like of which is rarely seen, which the contemporary Shia scholar of reference, Sheikh Yusuf Sani’i mentions by saying:

تأتي فكرة السيد حسين البروجردي حيث يتحدث كما ينقل بعض تلامذته عن ضرورة فهم نصوص أهل السنة ومواقفهم في الفقه والحديث، بوصف ذلك مقدمة لفهم نصوص أهل البيت

The idea of Sayed Hussain al Burujirdi becomes manifest when he discusses, as reported by some of his students, the necessity of understanding the texts of the Ahlus Sunnah and their stance regarding Fiqh and Hadith, by describing it as an introduction to understanding the text of the Ahlul Bayt.[6]

To consider the Fiqh of the Ahlus Sunnah as an introduction to understanding the fiqh and knowledge of the Ahlul Bayt is a matter that should be carefully noted, as there is a tacit acknowledgement of the Imami Fiqh’s dependence upon the legacy of the Ahlus Sunnah’s Ijtihadi Fiqh.

Some of the prominent figures of the Imamiyyah, who cannot be underestimated, have clearly declared a great proximity between the Ahlus Sunnah and the Imami Fiqh. The most prominent of them are:

The late Shia scholar of reference, Sayed Muhammad Hussain Fadl Allah (d. 1431 AH), who stated:

ما اتفق عليه السنة والشيعة أكثر من ‎٨٠‏% سواء في كلمة التوحيد والنبوة والمعاد والقرآن والإيمان بالرسل والإيمان بالملائكة والصلاة والصوم والحج والزكاة والجهاد في سبيل الله والأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر وعندما نأتي إلي الفقه نجد أنه ما من رأي فقهي عند السنة إلا وهناك راي فقهي يقابله عند الشيعة

What the Ahlus Sunnah and the Shia agree upon is more than 80%, be it with regards to proclamation of the Oneness of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala, prophethood, the Hereafter, Qur’an, belief in the prophets, belief in the angels, Salah, fasting, Hajj, Zakat, Jihad in the path of Allah, commanding and forbidding evil etc. When it comes to fiqh then we find that there is no Fiqhi view of the Ahlus Sunnah except that there is a corresponding view by the Shia.[7]

Ayatollah Muhammad ‘Ali al Taskhiri, former secretary general of the International Assembly for proximity between Islamic Mazhabs. He stated:

ولا أدل على ذلك من سعة المساحة المشتركة بين الفقه الإمامي والفقه السني حتى تصل إلي أكثر من ‎٩٠‏% من الفقه بمجموعه بل إن الروايات المشتركة بين الفريقين تشكل أروع صورة للتقارب بين المضامين بحيث تعود الروايات المختلفة قليلة الحجم وضعيفة الأثر خصوصا على الصعيد الفقهي

And nothing is more evident than the vastness of the common space between the Imami and the Sunni Fiqh, to such an extent that it reaches to more than 90% of fiqh in total. In fact, the common narrations between the two groups portrays a wonderful image of proximity amongst the contents, so much so that the differed upon narrations are small in size and have little impact, especially on a Fiqhi level.[8]

Sheikh Muhammad Wa’iz Zadah al Khurasani, member of the International Union of Muslim Scholars and one of the activists in the field of Taqrib. He said:

الاتفاق بين الشيعة وأهل السنة بشأن أصول الأحكام يبلغ ‎١٠٠‏% أما بشأن فروع الأحكام فمتفقة نحو ‎٨٥%‏ وعلي الصعيد الأخلاقي فالإتفاق أيضا ١٠٠‏% [إلى أن يقول] إننا بعد الرجوع إلى كتب الحديث المهمة للطائفتين وجدنا أن الأحاديث الفقهية التي هي الآن محل البحث في هذا المجال في أصول الأحكام كالترغيب إلي الصلاة والجمعة والجماعة والزكاة والصوم والحج وغيرها متفقة ١٠٠ % أما في فروع الأحكام فمتفقة نحو ‎٨٥‏ % كما أن الأحاديث في صعيد الموعظة والسلوك والأخلاق أيضا متفقة ‎١٠٠‏% معنى أو لفظا

The agreed upon matters regarding the fundamentals of rulings is 100%. With regards to subsidiary rulings, the agreed upon is about 85%. On the moral level, the agreed upon is also 100%, [until he says, that] after referring to the important books of Hadith of the two groups, we found that those Fiqhi ahadith that are now the subject of research in this field, in the fundamentals of rulings, such as encouragement to Salah, Friday Salah, Salah in congregation, Zakat, fasting, Hajj etc., the agreed upon is 100%. As for the subsidiary rulings, the agreed upon is about 85%, just as the Ahadith in the field of advice, conduct and morals also agreed upon 100%, in meaning or wording.[9]

The contemporary Shia scholar of reference Sheikh Jafar al Subhani. He stated:

طبع آية الله البروجردي في حياته كتاب (الخلاف) للشيخ الطوسي وأثبت عبر ذلك أن ‎٩٩%‏ من المسائل الفقهية يوافق فيها الرأي الشيعي رأي أحد المذاهب الفقهية السنية وليست سوى مسائل معدودة تلك التي تفرد الشيعة بها كما هو الحال في كل مذهب حيث ‎له‏ متفرداته

Ayatollah al Burujirdi, during his lifetime published the book al Khilaf of Sheikh al Tusi and he established through it that in 99% of the Fiqhi rulings, the Shia view corresponds with one of the Sunni Fiqhi Mazhabs. There are only a few rulings where the Shia are isolated in their views, as is the condition of every Mazhab that it has some isolated views.[10]

Sheikh Najm al Din al Taba He states:

ولعلم أنه قل أن توجد مسألة فقهية عند الإمامية لم تطابق فتوى مذهب من مذاهب أهل السنة إذا نقاط الاشتراك والالتقاء في الفروع والفقه فضلا عن أصول الدين أكثر من نقاط الاختلاف والافتراق

It should be noted that very seldom a Fiqhi ruling would be found by the Imamiyyah which does not correspond with the fatwa of any one of the Sunni Mazhabs. Thus, the points of collaboration and conformity in subsidiary rulings and fiqh, let alone fundamentals of din, are more than the points of differences and separations.[11]

All these statements, despite what comes to mind first is that they endorse the issue of Taqrib between the Ahlus Sunnah and the Imamiyyah, yet there is another dimension which one should be alerted to. It necessitates acknowledgement, whether we like it or not, that the Ahlus Sunnah, on the level of fundamental and subsidiary Fiqhi rulings, have reached where they are, regarding beliefs, fundamentals, and sound Fiqhi Ijtihad without a single infallible Imam who would teach, issue fatwa, specify, restrict, give preference, and without all that the Imamiyyah mention about divine books other than the Qur’an which descended on the two Imams such al Jafr, al Sahifah al Jami’ah, and Mushaf Fatimah.[12]

And by practicing on the fiqh of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, who the Imamiyyah slander with regard to their din and truthfulness, at the forefront are the three[13] Khalifas—Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and ‘Uthman—’Aishah bint Abi Bakr, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, Ubay ibn Ka’b, Muaz ibn Jabal, Zaid ibn Thabit, and ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhum.

And by practicing on the Ahadith of Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, which his Companions narrate from him, who the Imamiyyah claim to have turned apostate except a few individuals,[14] and by practicing on their transmissions and the transmissions of their successors who follow them in all that is good such as al Hassan al Basri, al Zuhri, al Sha’bi, and others.

And by considering the books and Sunni Hadith compilations, which compiled the ahadith of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and the transmissions of the Companions such as Sahih al Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, and other books of the Sunnah, Musnads, and Ma’ajim.

When the result of these differences in fundamentals, Hadith sources, and symbols leads to this satisfactory result according to the Imamiyyah and a similar proportion of unity and proximity, then this is a tacit acknowledgment of the validity of what the Ahlus Sunnah practice upon, and that the precondition of the presence of an infallible Imam and following of the 12 Imams to be protected from deviation and misguidance is just rhetoric which has no effect in reality other than creating illusions and fantasies. In this case, the first step towards real unity among the Mazhabs would be to eradicate these illusions which bring no good at all.

NEXT⇒ The Extinct Fiqhi Mazhabs

[1] By this I mean: Dar al Taqrib which was established by Sheikh Muhammad Taqi al Qummi—who was sent by the late Shia Marja’, Sayed Hussain al Burujirdi at that time, in Egypt in 1947 CE. And the International Assembly for Taqrib between Islamic Mazhabs, which was established in Tehran in 1990 CE by order of the Iranian Leader, Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei.

[2] Murtada al Mutahhari (1919-1979 CE), religious scholar and philosopher, founding member of the Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iran during the last days of the fall of the Shah’s regime, one of the theorists of the Islamic Republic of Iran and one of the most prominent students of the commentator and philosopher, Sayed Muhammad Hussain al Tabataba’i, and the late religious authority and leader of the Iranian Revolution Ruh Allah al Khumayni

[3] Al Imamah, pg. 28-29.

[4] Al Imamah, pg. 30.

[5] He mentions it in his book Tafsil al Shari’ah fi Sharh Tahrir al Wasilah, book on Hajj, 1/318.

[6] Yusuf Sani’i: Muqarabat fi al Tajdid al Fiqhi, pg. 33, researched and translated by Haydar Hub Allah.

[7] Al Nadwah, 6/569.

[8] Adwa’ ‘ala Tariq al Wahdah al Islamiyyah, pg. 95

[9] Majallat al Majma’ al ‘Alami li al Taqrib Bayna al Mazahib al Islamiyyah, no. 33, pg. 10 -13.

[10] Al Insijam al Islami wa al Wahdah al Qawmiyyah, Majallat Nusus al Mu’asirah, 1 November 2014.

[11] Dirasat Fiqhiyyah fi Masa’il Khilafiyyah, pg. 113.

[12] Baha’ al Din al Amili states in al Arba’un Hadithan, pg. 299:

وقد تظافرت الأخبار بأن النبي أملى على أمير المؤمنين كتابي الجفر و الجامعة وأن فيهما علم ما كان وما يكون إلي يوم القيامة

Information have converged on the fact that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam dictated the two books, al Jafr and al Jami’ah to Amir al Mu’minin, and that these books contain the knowledge of what happened and what will happen till the Day of Qiyamah.

Sayed Murtada al ‘Askari states in Ma’alim al Madrasatayn, 2/302:

تواترت الأخبار بأن أئمة أهل البيت ورثوا كتاب الإمام علي الجامعة في ‎الأحكام ‏والجفر ومصحف فاطمة وفيها أنباء الحوادث الكائنة

This information has been consecutively narrated that the Imams of the Ahlul Bayt inherited the books al Jami’ah fi al Ahkam, al Jafr, and Mushaf Fatimah from Imam ‘Ali and it contains information of incidents that will take place.

[13] I did not say ‘the four Khalifas, and I mention ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu taking into consideration the condition that I mentioned, which is the Imamiyyah’s slander regarding their din and truthfulness.

[14] Texts regarding this are plenty and declarations of this belief are even more. Some of them are:

Statement of Mirza Hussain al Nuri al Tabarsi (d. 1320) in Nafs al Rahman fi Fadail Salman, pg. 583, wherein he states, after investigating the Imami narrations in this field:

وتحصل من تلك الأخبار وغيرها مما لم نذكرها أصل أصيل وهو الحكم بإرتداد جميع من بقي بعد النبي ممن صحبه في حياته إلا ثلاثة منهم أو أربعة والوجه في ذلك مضافا إلى تلك الأخبار هو إنكارهم ما سمعوه منه من النص على خلافة أمير المؤمنين مما هو مذكور مفصلا في كتب الإمامة وليس بغريب منهم فإن كثير الخلائق ضلوا عن الأنبياء الماضين وعبدوا غير رب العالمين بل لو لم تضل أكثر هذه الأمة كان ذلك ناقضا للعادات وخلاف ما تقتضيه طبائع البشر واختلافهم في الاعتقادات بل الذين كابروا واشتبه عليهم الحال بين علي وبين من تقدمه من الخلفاء أولي بالضلالة من الذين اشتبه عليهم الحال بين الله وبين خشبة عبدوها من دونه

From these narrations and others that we did not mention, we obtain an authentic principle, which is the ruling that all who remained after the Prophet, those who accompanied him during his life, turned apostate except for three or four of them. And the reason for that, in addition to those narrations, is their denial of the statements they heard from the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam regarding the Caliphate of Amir al Mu’minin, which is mentioned in detail in Imami books. This is not something strange from them as many people deviated from the previous prophets and started worshiping other than the Lord of the universe. In fact, if most of this Ummah did not deviate then this would be contrary to the norm and the dictates of human nature. They turned apostate because of their contradiction in beliefs. In fact, those who are obstinate and are confused between ‘Ali and those who preceded him in Caliphate, are more deviated than those who are confused between Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala and the wood which they worship.

And his statement in Fasl al Khitab, pg. 47, first chapter, second proof regarding the description of the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, wherein he states:

الذين آمنوا بألسنتهم ليحقنوا دماءهم وهم بين جاهل غبي ومعاند غوي ولاه عن الدين وتائه في شيع الأولين رصارف همتة في ترويج كفره وجبار يخاف من مخالفة نهيه وأمرو وليس فيهم من يرجى خيره ويؤمن شره لا يكاد يشك أنهم اخس قدرا وأعجز تدبيرا وأضل سبيلا واخسر عملا واجهل مقاما وأشر مكانا وأسفه رأيا وأشقي فطرة

They are those who believed with their tongues, to protect their blood. They are amongst the stupid ignorant, deviated, obstinate, the one who is heedless of his din, arrogant regarding the former sects, using his ability in promoting his disbelief, an oppressor who is feared if his prohibition or command is transgressed. There is none from amongst them, from whom one can hope for any good and be safe from his evil. There can hardly be any doubt that they are the most inferior, of the weakest planning, most deviated from the path, of the worst actions, most ignorant standing, in the worst place, of the most foolish opinions and the most wretched nature.

Statement of the late Shia scholar of reference, Sayed Muhammad al Wahidi (d. 1421 AH) in Ihqaq ‘Aqa’id al Shia, pg. 108, wherein he states:

إن حديث ارتداد الناس بعد النبي من الأحاديث المعتبرة المتواترة ووجهه أن إنكار ضروري الدين والمذهب يوجب الارتداد فلما كانت الإمامة والخلافة أصلا من أصول الدين ومما آتاه الرسول الأكرم بالقطع فمن رد على الرسول الأكرم وانكر ما جاء به يكون مرتدا بإجماع المسلمين وهذا معني ارتداد الناس بعد الرسول إلا الثلاثة المذكورة (سلمان وأبوذر والمقداد)

The hadith regarding the apostasy of the people after the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is from the reliable, consecutively narrated ahadith. Reason being that denial of any necessary aspect of din and Mazhab necessitates apostasy. Thus, when Imamah and Caliphate are fundamentals of din and something that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam definitely bestowed upon him, then denying the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and that which he brought would be apostasy according to the consensus of the Muslims. This is the meaning of the people becoming apostate after the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam except three, namely, Salman, Abu Dhar and al Miqdad.

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