Judaism

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All praise is due only to Allah and peace and salutations descend upon Noble Messenger.

 

Judaism

Nabi Ibrahim ‘alayh al Salam was an illustrious nabi of Allah Ta‘ala. He was born during the time when Namrud was king, whose subject’s practised idolatry and worshiped the stars. Namrud himself claimed to be a god. Nabi Ibrahim ‘alayh al Salam used to prevent people from idol worship and propagated the worship of one Allah Ta‘ala, thus Namrud and his subjects were extremely displeased with Nabi Ibrahim ‘alayh al Salam. Even the father of Nabi Ibrahim ‘alayh al Salam– Adhar, who used to make idols and was also an idol worshipper himself, became annoyed and disgusted with his son.

Namrud ordered wood to be gathered and a huge fire to be lit, in which Nabi Ibrahim ‘alayh al Salam was cast. However, Allah Ta‘ala ordered the fire to become cool for his friend, such that even his clothes were unscathed.

All the Prophets who were mentioned in the Qur’an after Nabi Ibrahim ‘alayh al Salam were from the progeny of Nabi Ibrahim ‘alayh al Salam. His eldest son was Nabi Isma‘il ‘alayh al Salam who was born from Sayyidah Hajirah radiya Llahu ‘anha. It was Nabi Isma‘il ‘alayh al Salam who Allah Ta‘ala had instructed Nabi Ibrahim ‘alayh al Salam to slaughter in a dream. For the friends of Allah life has no value when compared to one’s friendship with Allah. Nabi Ibrahim ‘alayh al Salam began making preparations to slaughter his son and Nabi Isma‘il ‘alayh al Salam assisted his father. These obedient servants of Allah laid the foundations of obedience for centuries to come. Allah Ta‘ala only wanted to test them and when they set out to fulfil Allah’s command, Allah Ta‘ala sent a ram to be slaughtered in his place.

The names of these two eminent servants of Allah are still remembered. Every year on the occasion of Eid al Adha, there sacrifice is re-enacted. In the five daily salah, after the recitation of tashahhud, durud is recited; wherein the name of Nabi Ibrahim ‘alayh al Salam and his progeny are mentioned in high esteem. Nabi Isma‘il ‘alayh al Salam was also a nabi of Allah Ta‘ala and it is from his progeny that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam descends and after Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam there will be no other Nabi. Allah Ta‘ala completed the din of Islam and concluded the line of nubuwwah.

The youngest son of Nabi Ibrahim ‘alayh al Salam– Nabi Ishaq ‘alayh al Salam was born from Sayyidah Sarah radiya Llahu ‘anha and was the younger half-brother of Nabi Isma‘il ‘alayh al Salam. The son of Ishaq ‘alayh al Salam was Nabi Ya‘qub ‘alayh al Salam, whose title was Isra’il. Isra’il means “Man of Allah”. His twelve sons and their progeny are known as the Bani Isra’il, i.e. the children of Isra’il. This progeny later became known as the Yahud (Jews). Among the twelve sons of Ya‘qub ‘alayh al Salam was Nabi Yusuf ‘alayh al Salam, who became the grand adviser of the king of Egypt. He called his parents, brothers and their children, which numbered around seventy, to Egypt where they then stayed. Their numbers began to increase immensely over the coming years, which did not bode well with the Egyptian people. Thus, after the demise of Nabi Yusuf ‘alayh al Salam, they enslaved the Bani Isra’il, and this slavery continued for approximately two hundred years. In this period they were degraded, oppressed, abused and mercilessly tormented. On the slightest error and the majority of the time on a mere suspicion, they were killed along with their innocent children. In order to end their lineage, their daughters were left alive and their sons were murdered. A few moments of such slavery is impossible to bear, let alone centuries.

During this period of slavery the Bani Isra’il were not treated as humans and as time progressed all meritorious human qualities forsook them. They possessed no sense of honour, bravery, courage or even any aspirations and in reality they possessed no sense of piety. Remaining under oppressive rule as well as aloof from the cries of battle for such a long period of time was sufficient to rid all feelings of patriotism and nationalism. Battle which consists of bloodshed, also instils bravery, courage, patience, persistence, ambition, benevolence and a sense of nationalism. War should be waged in defence and in protection of one’s life and wealth, and not for conquest, plunder or to enslave another nation. A nation that is unacquainted with battle or are prohibited from it by their religious beliefs becomes cowardly. Fear of death drains their courage and makes them lethargic. The spirit of sacrifice is removed and wickedness, shrewdness and dishonesty becomes the character of that nation. The entire nation is robbed of its integrity. One of the harms of an extended period of slavery is that the slave develops an attachment to being a slave and the thought of freedom leaves one’s heart, just as one forgets a beautiful dream that he had previously seen.

Whenever the Bani Isra’il faced any difficulty, after escaping from Egypt, they would complain to Nabi Musa ‘alayh al Salam: “We were far better off than this in Egypt!” Even though they were slaves, belittled and disgraced. They might have been living but in reality that was death.

Today many Indians have this view and prefer slavery over freedom. They regard honour as disgrace and difficulty as ease.[1] See the effects of slavery that even those who long for freedom are satisfied with totalitarianism. However, there is Hasrat Muhani who has been persistently working towards complete freedom for many years. Ghandi also severely opposed this in Ahmedabad. Now even Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru has fully backed and supported Hasrat Muhani. These are the worshippers of graves and tombs, who are up to date with the latest fashions, who prostrate before rank and position, who have become cynical towards nationalism, patriotism and antagonistic towards independence. They will never give preference to another if it means that they will not make a profit or if they will have to bear a minimal loss. Their lack of perception and insight are all the results of slavery. They are slaves of their desires, even if they outwardly portray to be devout individuals. In reality, they have surrendered their hearts to their idols. Point out one individual in England or Germany who is cynical towards his own nation. They lack all morals and are oppressive and tyrannical towards weaker nations under their rule but are still well-wishers for their own people. As long as there are detesting, selfish, self-centred and immoral people in a nation, then gaining independence is far-fetched, and truthfully speaking they should not attain it. This is the rule of Allah and it is inevitable. A nation first has to instil within themselves the aptitude for freedom and once they do, the help and aid of the Most Generous, Most Kind will descend on that nation. Allah Ta‘ala will never deprive any person of what he deserves. Outside help and assistance remains ever ready to descend with all of its blessings but inner aptitude is a requirement first. Is it not a reality that a clean mirror will never fail to reflect the glorious rays of the sun but a filthy mirror will always be deprived of these rays?

The Bani Isra’il desired mercy from Fir‘oun and his people but received none, so they said that they have complete conviction in Allah Ta‘ala and asked: “O our Rabb! Do not leave us under the rule of this oppressive nation and save us from this disbelieving nation.” Allah Ta‘ala then showed mercy to them and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy. He drowned Fir‘oun and his nation in the sea and saved the Bani Isra’il. The living descendants of Nabi Ya‘qub ‘alayh al Salam were given control of the land of Egypt. The lands of Syria had already been promised to them previously but the Yahud were ungrateful and disobedient to Allah. Let alone the Prophets they openly rebelled against Allah Ta‘ala and showed the worst form of disrespect to the Prophets. The truth is that one can be freed from slavery but its effects still linger on, from one generation to another generation. How ungrateful and cheeky were they that two months had not yet even passed since they were freed from slavery, when they passed by a nation worshipping an idol and asked Nabi Musa ‘alayh al Salam to construct for them an idol as well, as they desire to worship it. Subhan Allah! First they were slaves of Fir‘oun and his people now they desire to become the slaves of idols. Once slavery has set into the heart then it will always desire to be the slave of another. Nabi Musa ‘alayh al Salam possessed insight and kept them away from idol worship. Man was created free and should remain as such. Freedom is the right of man but it is his repulsive nature that makes him desire slavery over freedom, and in so doing he oppresses himself.

 

Worshipping creation

Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was sent to this world to end worship of idols, stars, man and in essence all forms of worship that had been taking place besides Allah and to bring the entire creation upon the worship of one Allah Ta‘ala alone. Throughout his life Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam ordered that his grave should not be worshipped, i.e. he should not be made into an object of worship. However, today there are certain individuals who are labouring arduously to make Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam a deity to worship and instead of feeling ashamed, are extremely proud of their efforts.

To Allah do we belong and unto Him shall we return.

One group have equated Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to Allah Ta‘ala by believing Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to have knowledge of the ghayb (unseen). They claim that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam possessed the same knowledge as Allah Ta‘ala and whoever denies this is a kafir (disbeliever) and if it is strictly refuted then he is labelled a Wahabi.

The Noble Qur’an has refuted this belief of shirk (ascribing partners to Allah) time and again but people are not even ready to listen to the admonishment of Allah Ta‘ala. Shirk is such an act which Shaitan often attempts to make appealing to man, bewitching the hearts of man.

Another group insists on calling Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam Ahmed, without the letter Mim (م). They themselves refer to Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in this manner and encourage others to do the same. What a foolish path to adopt and even more foolish are those who guide people on this path. A selfish pursuer of this world, residing in a village near to Baghulpur, has misled the weak minded Muslims of that area, dividing them into two groups. One group was termed Wahabi and a verdict issued that marriage between these two groups is not permissible and those marriages that were performed previously are impermissible as well. As a result of this verdict, some parents did not hand over their married daughters to their husbands. These poor girls must be praying for such clerics just to console their own hearts.

One person, who claims to be a sufi, has described his beliefs in the following poem:

The same deity Who was above the ‘Arsh

Descended in the form of Mustafa in Madinah

He regards Allah Ta‘ala and Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam as the same. In his mind, he thinks that he has just rendered a valuable lesson. May Allah Ta‘ala have mercy; many people are inclined towards the beliefs propagated by this ‘sufi’. Some have said with very little regard: “Do not worry yourself with the utterings of the smitten.” Some have said: “One can only imagine the lofty status of Shah sahib at this moment.” One deviant scholar said: “This (belief) is beyond the understanding of simple minds.” To Allah do we belong and unto Him shall we return.

It is extremely distressing; since Allah Ta‘ala has said that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is a human just like us, with the exception that wahi (revelation) descends upon him. Every nabi is from the best of creation and Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is the best of the Prophets and the seal of nubuwwah. Words are at a loss in describing the illustrious rank of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, but at the same time he was never Allah nor is it possible for him to be Allah and it will never occur as such. Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam himself has said that he is the servant of Allah and His Rasul. O My friends! We all bear witness every day that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is the servant of Allah and His Rasul but ‘sufi’ sahib and many people like him are not ready to accept the word of Allah nor of His Rasul salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. They cannot find peace unless they believe that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is Allah and propagate this belief.

The Hindus believe that ‘God’ can take human form and the Muslims with Hindu tendencies believe the same. One does feel sorry for the common people, whose ignorance and weakness of faith allows them to fall into the traps of such sufis and scholars.

One of our senior scholars performed hajj in 1928. Among his experiences during hajj is an interesting story of the beliefs of a certain ‘alim from Khanpur. This ‘alim had a huge following in the Haram and would instruct them in various religious matters. One day he said: “It is a miracle of the Haram that it never gets filled regardless of the number of people that come to perform hajj and another miracle is that the Bedouins fetch stones from the mountains and through the power of Allah, it turns into watermelons.” Hearing this, his followers became ecstatic. Later, under the rule of Ibn Sa‘ud, the number of hujjaj increased tremendously, and on the first day, for the maghrib salah, Molana saw hundreds, in fact thousands, forming the rows outside the Haram while following the salah. Molana narrates that when he saw this, he thought of the ‘alim from Khanpur. One should not be astounded by the beliefs and mind-set of this ‘alim from Khanpur, there are many like him where I come from.

One scholar believed that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam possessed the knowledge of the unseen and there are many individuals who hold this belief. We have heard that this belief originated from the Buddhists. This scholar has adopted a new practice for a few years now, where he stands and recites Durud and then bowing down, he presents three greetings before commencing with the Moulud. The Shia when addressing their ‘absent imam’ and send salutations upon him also recite it in a specific manner. The deviant beliefs or opinions of an individual is not worthy of in-depth argument but what is detrimental is the repercussions of these scholar’s personal beliefs, that it affects those who follow him. Weakness of faith and apprehension is a dreadful thing, not only for the ignorant but many obtuse ‘ulama as well are guilty of this. What is the common factor between these two groups? Both are either completely unaware or possess very little knowledge about the reality of matters. Card tricks and the illusions of magicians dumbfound them and lead them to regard it as a miracle, as their level of understanding is weak. Their belief in tauhid is feeble and as a result, the desire to worship other deities besides Allah pulsates within their hearts. Just as atheism and disbelief sits firmly in the hearts of some and is extremely difficult to remove, worship of creation has settled firmly in the hearts of others and it is extremely difficult to remove as well. It is when this quality has settled in one’s heart that one is prompted to believe that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam has knowledge of the unseen. It is this quality that prompts one into believing that Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu is the Mushkil-Kusha (remover of difficulties) or that the friends of Allah are capable of fulfilling one’s needs. It is not even necessary that they worship a particular person or creation; they worship their own inventions, ideas and concepts. They worship it with utter devotion and enthusiasm as well, although they do not perceive it, whereas this worship is far more destructive then even idol worship.

One will immediately accept that Adhar prostrated before those very idols that he had made himself but how does one deny that the harms of one worshipping his own desires is no less than the worship of Adhar. The only difference is that Adhar is called an idol worshipper and you have called your innovations “‘ibadah”.

The purpose of a Rasul is to guide creation to the worship of Allah. The Rasul is the means of attaining this objective and not the actual objective, but sadly today people have made the Rasul the ultimate objective. In order to elevate and exalt the teachings of a particular individual, generally the status of that individual is also elevated and exalted, but the limits are often transgressed when doing so and as a result some begin to regard the guide as Allah, others as the son of Allah and if they do not go to this extent then they begin to revere and venerate him, until he is equated with the attributes of the Almighty.

 

The people of Zat

The seventy members of the people of Zat were the disciples of ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’. Details on ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ will follow shortly. In accordance with the teachings of ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’, this group regarded Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu as Allah Ta‘ala and proclaimed this publicly. When Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu learnt of their beliefs, he gave them a stern warning: “I am not Allah. I am the servant of Allah. Abandon this deviant belief and repent for your sin.” When they refused to abandon this deviant belief, Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu ordered them all to be burnt alive. However, they still did not abandon this deviant belief and when they were about to be thrown into the fire said:

لا يعذب بالنار الا رب النار

None punishes with the fire but Allah.

They shouted and roared as they believed to have attained a weighty proof that Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu is indeed Allah. Allah forbid!

 

The people of Nusayr

Among the sects of ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ are the Nusayri, who also believed Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu to be Allah. Khuwajah Haydar ‘Ali Atish Lucknowi, who even though regarded as true in the aspects of iman, said in a frenzy:

The dead heart now belongs to the Rabb of Nusayri

In reality this is the mind-set of every follower of ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’.

Many days have not passed since a group, who claimed to be Muslims, adopted the belief of incarnation and regarded their religious leader as Allah. Their religious leader even addressed his followers one day: “My friends! I am not Allah.” But one of his followers responded with utmost humility and respect: “O our Rabb! You wish to test us? Do not take such a severe test from us. You are indeed our Rabb!”

One person expressed his belief in Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu in the following manner:

A son was born in the home of Allah,

and he was married to the daughter of the Rasul

A heart overwhelmed with idol worship will always desire that Allah take human form and if this does not happen then at least ‘His son’ should be sent. Due to the shirk overwhelming his heart, he is prevented from being a Muslim. Is this a new doctrine? No! This belief was prevalent amongst the previous nations as well. The Hindus are known to have the belief of incarnation. Their ‘God’ came in the form of a fish, then a turtle, then a pig, then a lion, then in the form of a human child, then as half-human-half-animal and then in the form of Mahatma but always remained in some form of creation.

A group amongst the Christians regard Nabi ‘Isa ‘alayh al Salam as Allah and another group believes Nabi ‘Isa ‘alayh al Salam to be Allah in the most strangest manner. They say that Allah, ‘Isa ‘alayh al Salam and the ‘Holy Spirit’ are all individual Gods and together they are one God, and that Sayyidah Maryam radiya Llahu ‘anha is the wife of Allah. Allah forbid!

The Jews did not want to be left out and proclaimed Nabi ‘Uzayr ‘alayh al Salam to be the son of Allah.

In the belief of incarnation, one stage is that of tajsim, even though it is a weak notion. The majesty and grandeur with which one perceives and regards Allah Ta‘ala is based upon the mental capacity of each nation. The perception of Allah in each nation is an indication of the mental aptitude of that nation. At times this mental capacity develops in stages over many centuries. Intricate understanding, especially regarding the attributes of Allah Ta‘ala, is obtained slowly over a number of years. The Prophets guided their nations in this regard but their guidance, in accordance with Allah’s decree, was restricted to the mental capacity of the people of that time. Nabi ‘Isa ‘alayh al Salam when giving the glad tidings of the nubuwwah of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

I say the truth! It is excellent for you that I leave because if I do not go then the Peroclitus (Ahmed) will not come to you. There is much I wish to inform you of but you are unable to bear it at this moment. When he comes, he will guide you. (Gospel of Mathew)

“You are unable to bear it at this moment” means that you do not have the mental capacity to understand it at this moment. When Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam arrived he taught even more intricate realities of tauhid, which cannot be found in any other din but Islam. The stages of exceptionality continued through the centuries until the era of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam arrived and according to the supreme and infinite knowledge of Allah Ta‘ala, he completed the teachings of din according to the mental capacity of the people and the time was deemed right for the chain of risalat to be concluded. In order for the stages of exceptionality to attain perfection the verse was revealed:

لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ

Nothing resembles Him.

Now it is forbidden to compare Allah Ta‘ala to any creation.

This teaching of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam entirely contradicts the belief of Allah Ta‘ala having the form of any of His creation (tajsim). This teaching informs us that any so called deity having physical form can never be the true Allah. An artist’s impression or painting of Allah will be taken to be the creation of his own mind. Allah Ta‘ala is beyond the comprehension of man. Whatever impression comes to one’s mind from his understanding of Allah is not the true image of Allah and what one suspects to be Allah is most certainly not Allah.

However, a large number of Muslims are still not satisfied with this teaching as it does not correspond with their whims and fancies. They desire that Allah should be as they want him to be.

O son of Adam! What has happened to you that you have abandoned Allah Ta‘ala and wish to adopt another as your Rabb? This is not your natural inclination but your heart still desires it. Know full-well that you have fallen at the feet of Shaitan, who is your open enemy.

 

The Jews and the calf

Nabi Musa ‘alayh al Salam was called away by Allah Ta‘ala for a few days, during which he left his brother- Nabi Harun ‘alayh al Salam in charge of the affairs of his people. During this short period of time, the Bani Isra’il abandoned the path of truth and began worshipping the golden calf, which they believed with firm conviction to be their Rabb and the Rabb of Nabi Musa ‘alayh al Salam, who freed them from slavery. Nabi Harun ‘alayh al Salam admonished them, warned them and tried to make them understand but not one of them was ready to accept the truth. In reply they said that they will continue to worship this calf until Nabi Musa ‘alayh al Salam returns to them. The commands of Allah are being broken yet they deny breaking it. Slavery is indeed the worst hardship to endure, which snatches away one’s self-respect and instils cowardice in a man but idol worship is the worst and most disgraceful form of slavery. The object which one so faithfully worships cannot benefit anyone nor harm anything. It is incapable of hearing the prayers and supplications of its devotees, let alone answer them. However, Man- the best of creation- despite his intelligence and faculties of understanding, bows his head in sheer ignorance, believing that all his needs can be answered by this blind, deaf, dumb and motionless deity, even though it will not answer them till the end of time. Answering them is far-fetched, they are not even aware of the prayers of their devotees. Not only the ignorant are ensnared in this pointless worship, even the learned and educated are entrapped, with hypocrites and sincere among them as well. They place their idols before them and claim that it is only a means of obtaining concentration in one’s remembrance of the Almighty and without it they are unable to concentrate. However, they continue to ask for their needs from it and even prostrate before it. They regard it as a living creature, having divine powers and fully capable of sending the rain, curing the sick, granting children, giving benefit and harm. In essence, it has been regarded as a deity and this is termed idol worship.

Having the correct ‘aqidah is very important, yet man is ready to believe the most absurd and ridiculous things. They even present proof for their beliefs, which is weaker than even a spiders web. Shaitan is a wise and ingenious schemer, who distorts the appearance of things in such a manner that falsehood begins to appear as the truth, making it seem appealing. Allah Ta‘ala save us all! People even go to the extent of drinking the urine of bulls and cows saying that it is pure and even declare what is impure to be pure. This is a practice of the Hindus and Persians as well. For many centuries, there has been an ascetic sect from among the Hindus who remain completely naked and they are regarded in high esteem by the other Hindu denominations. Whatever they might believe, but such a religion is most certainly not a din revealed by Allah.

Affiliation hypnotizes its adherents and they fulfil whatever it asks from them. There are numerous religious scholars, academics, professors, college graduates, advocates and philosophers, etc; who believe with complete conviction that Allah or his ‘son’ came into this world in human form. They believe their idols to be the fulfillers of their needs and hearer of their grievances. They pray to men, spread shrouds upon their graves and believe that they will be intermediaries for them in the akhirah. They present offerings for them and take vows by their names. A few ‘Sunni’ Muslims prostrate before their graves and if anyone objects to this then in one breath they label such people as “Wahabi”, “Atheist”, “Khariji”, “Cursed” and a “Kafir”, whereas they is no person more astray than them, who calls to another besides Allah or have places of worship besides the house of Allah, and instead make the tombs of saints and Imambaras their masajid. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and Hindus did not have places of worship for the Almighty, only temples for their idols. It was the Muslims who had places of worship for Allah and not temples, but they too have turned them into temples in the end.

Mu‘jizah (miracles of the Prophets) has ended with the conclusion of the chain of nubuwwah. Now no new nabi will come nor will any form of mu‘jizah be made apparent. However, there will continue to be auliya (saints) of Allah and at times Allah Ta‘ala will cause karamat (acts contrary to the order of nature) to become apparent at their hands. The true friends of Allah conceal the occurrence of such feats, whereas those who masquerade as the friends of Allah will always publicise their fictitious miracles. Karamat usually mesmerises the masses, such that even a fictitious act will captivate the minds of those whose iman is weak. Those academics who openly deny the existence of Allah Ta‘ala and the chain of risalat, will bow their heads before such fictitious karamat, regardless of how false it may be. Whether the one who performs these karamat is alive or dead, they believe whole-heartedly that he is capable of granting them employment, raising their status, increasing their wealth, granting offspring unexpectedly, saving one from incarceration and curing the sick, etc. People flock in the thousands to the various tombs to ask for their needs. One scholar has said something very true- if you promise a hundred people that they will have male children then it will come true for at least twenty of them. The natural order of Allah will always come to pass but in the process you will attain the credit of having performed a miracle. Tell me! If this belief of yours regarding saints and their tombs is correct and permissible then why is the beliefs of the Hindus at their temples with their idols incorrect? If the prayers which you ask from your saints are fulfilled then why should we not believe that their prayers from their idols are also accepted?

It is imperative to clarify my standpoint at this juncture, my denunciation is not directed towards those true friends of Allah and senior scholars, who practised and advised others to adhere to the path of truth whether they be Naqshbandi, Chishti, Saharwardi or Qadri. I fully support all those who instruct others to abide by the Shari‘ah of Allah. May Allah increase the number of such individuals.

 

An incident of one Shah Sahib

A few years ago a certain Shah Sahib arrived in Raibarelli and settled close by. You might have heard of the name Lo’i Kehni, who claimed that by bathing and steaming in a certain way one can be cured of all diseases. This Shah Sahib announced that if one bathes himself in the same water that he has placed his finger in, then one will be cured of all diseases, regardless of what it might be. It is uncertain whether Shah Sahib was the student of Lo’i Kehni or if Lo’i Kehni was the student of Shah Sahib. Nevertheless, Shah Sahib’s prescription continued to grow in popularity and people began flocking to him, without making any investigation into the matter. News began to spread across the village of various individuals who had been cured by Shah Sahib’s treatment and eventually a massive horde of people could be seen crowding around Shah Sahib. Busses and vehicles began to fill the street and daily the lane seemed to diminish with the increasing swarm of people. The demand for this water increased and slowly various restaurants and bistros began to pop up, making it seem as if there was a fair taking place. The effects of Shah Sahib’s spell spread quickly and only Allah Ta‘ala knows for how long it lasted. During this time, Shah Sahib became more sought after by the police than the sick, and Shah Sahib was forced to flee the village, never to return. Even after his departure many people still remained steadfast upon his teachings. It should be borne in mind that generally changing one’s beliefs is scorned at, and thereafter one has to still endure the embarrassment of being tagged as one having weakness in faith. This is why sometimes people intentionally adhere to a belief despite knowing that it is false, to safe themselves from such embarrassment and ridicule. There were certain individuals who admitted their mistake but these were very few.

 

The tomb in Zaidpur

There is a village called Zaidpur in the district of Barrah Banki of the Uddah province where there is a tomb from which water has been dripping forth for fifteen hundred years. None have taken the time to ascertain from where the water is actually coming. Instead fanciful claims have been made that the tomb is weeping and devotees have flocked from afar to pray, take vows and offer sacrifices at this tomb. If one refuses to accept it as a place of sacrifice then he is labelled as an atheist and Khariji.

 

The banner of Fayzabad

It has been mentioned that around the same time in the city of Fayzabad an impression of an open hand turned red, which was given much publicity. The superstitious and the whimsical have always existed and will continue to remain. Hundreds of fairy tales regarding idols, Jinn and even martyrs have become famous and people have believed in them. The incident of the Shah Sahib is easily believed and investigating the incident is a fanciful notion.

In the previous generations, an oracle would be present in all the temples, when the idols would talk and answer the questions it was asked. It would even give many prophecies but each having many possible meanings. Who sat behind the curtain of the idol, I leave this to your understanding. Sa‘di has also narrated the tale of Soumanat in an amusing manner, highlighting the entire incident. It is carried today as well and will continue to be carried in the future. Various individuals offer different sacrifices to it. In today’s time, deception has also become an occupation. If you are misled by it then this is your own fault and a result of your lack of understanding. If you are superstitious or irrational then you only have yourself to blame for it. In winter, many groups from Punjab set out to earn their livelihood and traverse the length and breadth of India. A group of fortune-tellers also travel around at this time, who claim that they can read your future for a small price. The answers they give are also such, that they can be interpreted in various manners. Whether you believe it or not is up to you, his job is earning a living with these lies.

 

The disobedience of the Jews

Nabi Musa ‘alayh al Salam came with the Torah and after the Jews read it, they were stunned and said that they are incapable of acting upon it and it is impossible for them to fulfil so many orders.

Allah Ta‘ala had promised Nabi Ibrahim ‘alayh al Salam that He would give the land of Syria to his children. Syria is a combination of a few regions, which are all blessed. When Nabi Musa ‘alayh al Salam drew near to this land along with the Bani Isra’il, he said to them: “O my people! Enter this blessed land, which your Rabb has promised to you and do not flee from the enemy as you will then be defeated.” The Bani Isra’il came to know that the nation with whom they were about to fight were huge in build and even though the Bani Isra’il were many, they refused to fight against such a formidable foe. They did not believe in the promise of Allah Ta‘ala nor did they have faith in His aid. Look at the extent of their disobedience! They said: “O Musa ‘alayh al Salam! We will never enter this lane as long as these people whom we have to fight resides therein. You go with your Rabb and you two fight, we will be sitting here.” Subhan Allah! They will just sit back as spectators.

On one hand, Allah Ta‘ala is showering them with His favours, Nabi Musa ‘alayh al Salam supports and cares for his nation so deeply, but on the other hand the nation behaves in an ungrateful and disobedient manner. As a result of their insolence, Allah Ta‘ala forbade them to enter this blessed land for forty years and punished them for their disobedience and arrogance by leaving them to wander aimlessly and hopelessly in the desert for forty years. The decree of Allah Ta‘ala is unavoidable and as a result, they remained in this dreadful condition for forty years, such that they could not even find a place to take rest during this entire period.

Nevertheless, Nabi Musa ‘alayh al Salam, who naturally took pity on his nation and was sent for their guidance, would ask Allah Ta‘ala time and again to forgive them and begged Allah to shower his mercy upon them. When they got no peace in their tents, they complained to Nabi Musa ‘alayh al Salam about the intense heat of the sun and Allah Ta‘ala raised a mountain above them to give them shade. When they complained of hunger, Allah Ta‘ala sent for them Mann and Salwa, which they consumed for years on end. It is mentioned that Mann is a form of wheat from which they would make bread and Salwa is a type of bird from which they were able to obtain meat. This special food was sent directly by Allah Ta‘ala but after a little while again they expressed their ingratitude and began asking for garlic, onions, etc, instead. Even today the Jews love its smell. Nabi Musa ‘alayh al Salam left this world and still the Bani Isra’il did not even gaze upon the land of Syria and remained wandering in the desert. One wisdom which comes to mind of them wandering in the desert for forty years is that an entire generation, who were overwhelmed by the ill-effects of slavery, will pass on and an entirely new generation, untouched by the ill-effects of slavery and brimming with bravery and courage, will be born.

 

The Jews mock the decree of Allah Ta‘ala

Allah Ta‘ala decreed that when they conquer the first city they should enter the city in prostration, seeking forgiveness; so as to display their gratitude and appreciation. However, instead of fulfilling the decree of Allah Ta‘ala, they displayed utter disrespect and insolence. Instead of prostrating, they crawled like children on their knees and when they were ordered to say “حِطَّةُ” which means remove our sins, mockingly and sarcastically they said “حِنْطَةُ” which means wheat. When one mocks and scoffs at the decrees of Allah then it is inevitable that Allah’s punishment will descend upon you, and it did. They were engulfed by a deadly plague and as a result they lost this newly conquered city.

If this was just one isolated incident then it could have been overlooked but this disobedient nation has a long history of rebelliousness and insubordination, such that they had become arrogant and condescending. Takabbur means that one disobeys the command of Allah and regards himself as superior to others. This is the same sin committed by Iblis. The Bani Isra’il would only comply with certain respected individuals of their tribe and would belittle all others. Amongst their most vile and detested sins is that they would murder the Prophets.

The punishments that descended upon them from time to time also forms a lengthy list, until finally Allah Ta‘ala declared them to be disgraced and that His wrath is upon them.

ضُرِبَتْ عَلَیْہِمُ الذِّلَّۃُ … وَبَآءُوْ بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ اللهِ وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَیْہِمُ الْمَسْکَنَۃُ

Disgrace has been struck on them (the Jews)… the wrath of Allah and homelessness has been struck on them.[2]

 

ذٰلِکَ بِاَنَّہُمْ کَانُوْا یَکْفُرُوْنَ بِاٰیٰتِ اللهِ وَیَقْتُلُوْنَ النَّبِیّٖنَ بِغَیْرِ الْحَقِّ ؕ ذٰلِکَ بِمَا عَصَوْا وَّکَانُوْا یَعْتَدُوْنَ

This was because they disbelieved in Allah’s ayat and used to kill the prophets unjustly. This was because of their disobedience and wrongdoing.[3]

 

The Jews incurred Allah’s wrath

May Allah Ta‘ala safeguard any nation from incurring His wrath and that disgrace be struck upon their foreheads. The level of their iman was such that they would turn away from Allah and rather prostrate before a calf, even though only a few days had passed since they had been rescued from the oppression and tyranny of Fir‘oun and his people. When they finally entered the land of Syria, through the grace of Allah, then too they began worshipping idols. They were already accustomed to worshipping men, so they did this as well by declaring Nabi ‘Uzayr ‘alayh al Salam to be the son of Allah. This was their gratitude for being saved from centuries of slavery.

 

The Jews were the enemies of Nabi ‘Isa ‘alayh al Salam

The last Nabi and Rasul to be sent from the Bani Isra’il was Nabi ‘Isa ‘alayh al Salam, who was sent to gather the scattered sheep of the Bani Isra’il. He was sent with the Injil and many miracles but the Jews were not a devout nation and were not ready to accept his nubuwwah. They had already murdered many Prophets in the past and were now planning to murder Nabi ‘Isa ‘alayh al Salam. At that time the Jews were living under Roman rule. The Jews went to the Roman generals and laid false allegations against Nabi ‘Isa ‘alayh al Salam, saying that Nabi ‘Isa ‘alayh al Salam was harming their religion, speaking ill of their predecessors and that he only wished to establish authority over them, and therefore he should be killed. Allah Ta‘ala inevitably saved his Rasul, but the gist of the story is that the Jews adopted all possible means to cause harm to the Rasul of Allah. Whatever Allah decrees will always come to pass and disgrace and the wrath of Allah was struck upon them. Through their own disgraceful actions, they lost their land and the possibility of them ever being able to rule. Even today, despite the vastness of the earth, the Jews have no absolute rule over any land even though they might have businesses and trade worth millions. The Christians always remained their enemies such that whenever they settled in any Christian land, they were ultimately forced to leave and if they did remain, then they did so in disgrace. Their women were accused of witchcraft and were burnt alive and their men murdered.

In business, they chose to adopt interest based transactions, when interest hardens the heart. Their hearts were already hard and now it has become like stone.

 

The Jews in Yathrib

You would most probably be aware that Nabi Sulaiman ‘alayh al Salam had built a house for the worship of Allah, which is known as Al Masjid Al Aqsa. Nebuchadnezzar, who was the ruler of Babel, laid siege to Jerusalem which lasted for three years. Eventually the Jews fled from Jerusalem and were pursued by the enemy forces, and captured. The Jewish leaders were captured, but a few of them managed to escape and settled in Arabia. A group of them settled in Yathrib (which later became known as Madinah), while the majority of them settled in Khaybar. They had read in the Torah that the final Rasul of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam would be born in the land of Hijaz, but were under the notion that he would be from the children of Nabi Ishaq ‘alayh al Salam. The Jews settled in whichever town bore resemblance to that which was mentioned in the Torah to be the land of the final Rasul. A group of the Jews who were from the progeny of Nabi Harun ‘alayh al Salam settled in Yathrib, as it contained more similarities than any other town. Whenever any of them would pass away then he would leave a bequest for his children, instructing them that if any of them lives to see the final Rasul of Allah, then they must obey him or else they will be disgraced in this world and akhirah.

 

The Jews treatment of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam

You have already read and are aware of how the Jews reacted to the decrees of Allah, the orders of Nabi Musa ‘alayh al Salam as well as other Prophets of Allah Ta‘ala. Now have a look at their treatment towards Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, for whom they had been waiting for centuries. Knowledge was common amongst the Jews, with many amongst them being scholars of din. The signs mentioned in the Torah, which would begin to radiate from the hills of Makkah was common knowledge amongst them. Here is such an example after which there remains no doubt with regards to their knowledge of the coming of the Rasul of Allah:

اَلَّذِیْنَ اٰتَیْنٰہُمُ الْکِتٰبَ یَعْرِفُوْنَہٗ کَمَا یَعْرِفُوْنَ اَبْنَآءَهُمْ ؕ وَ اِنَّ فَرِیْقًا مِّنْہُمْ لَیَكْتُمُوْنَ الْحَقَّ وَهُمْ یَعْلَمُوْنَ

Those who have been given the Book recognise him (Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam together with his lineage, tribe, place of birth, place of residence, appearance, qualities and attributes) just as they recognise their very own sons. Without doubt there exists among them a group who knowingly hide the truth.[4]

You might be asking the question that after the Jews recognised Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam to be the very Rasul of Allah who was clearly described to them in the Torah; why did they intentionally deny and rebel against him? There are many reasons for their denial and there is definitely no shortage in these reasons amongst which is stubbornness, arrogance, racism, prejudice, personal pride, hatred, jealousy, tribal devotion, as well as many others. As you continue you will find many other reasons for their stubbornness unfolding. Let us take one simple example, you are debating a certain topic with a friend and his standpoint is correct as opposed to yours. In sheer stubbornness or fearing the shame of defeat you deliberately refuse to accept the truth.

Musaylamah al Kadhab claimed to be a nabi in the last days of Rasulullah’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam life on this earth and during the Caliphate of Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu this fitnah grew. There were many people who knew very well that the claim of Musaylamah al Kadhab was false, but in opposition to the Muslims and out of tribal loyalty, they supported him and prayed for his success. They would openly say, without any shame, that Musaylamah is a liar and Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is the true Rasul but our false nabi is more beloved to us then the true nabi of another tribe. This is how people become inclined towards falsehood, without any fear of Allah or shame from people.

Abu Jahal was not a fool. He would openly say and also believed that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was the Rasul of Allah but his personal pride prevented him from entering into the true success of Islam.

Pride and conceit is such a sickness of the heart, which if not cured quickly continues to grow until it becomes incurable and reaches the state of:

خَتَمَ اللهُ عَلٰی قُلُوْبِہِمْ

Allah has placed a seal upon their hearts.[5]

 

The enmity of the Jews for Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam

Umm al Mu’minin Sayyidah Safiyyah bint Huyay radiya Llahu ‘anha was the daughter of a Jewish tribal chief, from the progeny of Nabi Harun ‘alayh al Salam. After Khaybar was conquered, she became a prisoner of war and subsequently embraced Islam, was set free and Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam married her. The following incident transpired many years before this, when Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had just entered Madinah. The Ansar of Madinah were overjoyed on the arrival of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and it was as if it was the day of ‘Id, with people flocking in large droves to meet Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

Umm al Mu’minin Sayyidah Safiyyah radiya Llahu ‘anha narrates: “My father and uncle were very knowledgeable and renowned scholars of the Torah. They too went to observe the enthusiasm of Islam and happiness of the people and thereby gage the firmness of iman in the people. They returned exhausted that night and when I went to enquire about what they had seen, they ignored me, despite the immense love they had for me. Just then my uncle asked my father: “Is Muhammad the same Rasul who has been described in the Torah?”, to which my father replied after taking an oath, that he is the exact same Nabi. My uncle enquired as to whether they should embrace him or oppose him and my father replied: “I take an oath! We will oppose him and as long as I remain alive, I will continue to oppose him.” Thereafter both of them continued to create trouble and sow discord, and because they were both knowledgeable and respected individuals of their tribe, thousands of Jews followed them in opposing and bearing enmity to Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

The Jews had full conviction in the risalat of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, as clear signs of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had been mentioned in the Torah, which they testified to, but they did not merely deny Rasulullah’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam risalat but spread anarchy and mayhem. Ponder for a moment, what was the reason for all of this? It is obvious that this was no act of piety but they had hoped that the final Rasul would be from the Bani Isra’il and when this did not transpire, it was sufficient reason for them to oppose Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

Sayyidina ‘Abdullah ibn Salam radiya Llahu ‘anhu was among the scholars of the Jews. When Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam first entered Madinah and stayed at the home of Sayyidina Abu Ayub al Ansari radiya Llahu ‘anhu, he came and embraced Islam. He said that before he proclaims his Islam openly, Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam should enquire about him from the Jews. The Jews are experts at inventing lies. Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam then called a few of the Jews and said to them: “O Jews! You have a Divine Book in which it is clearly mentioned that I am the Rasul of Allah. You know this full well and you recognise who I am but it is disappointing that your intellect has been obscured and that hatred and jealousy has made you blind.” The Jews replied that there is no mention of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in the Torah. Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam then enquired about Sayyidina ‘Abdullah ibn Salam radiya Llahu ‘anhu and they replied: “He is our leader and the son of one of our leaders. He is a noted scholar and the son of a noted scholar.” Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam asked them: “If he brings iman in me then will you be convinced?” They retorted: “May Allah Ta‘ala safeguard him from Islam.” Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam repeated this three times and then asked Sayyidina ‘Abdullah ibn Salam radiya Llahu ‘anhu to come forward, who had concealed himself behind Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and was able to hear all that was said. As he stepped forward, he recited the kalimah (testimony of faith) and addressed the Jews: “You know full well that he is the promised Rasul and that he is truthful, as has been described in the Torah. Why then do you deny him?” The Jews in a fit of rage stormed out saying: “‘Abdullah is a wicked person and the son of a wicked man. Ignorant and the son of an ignorant man.” The enemies of righteousness! The wicked Jews! How quickly do they change their statements. What has made you so blind? What has snatched away your intellect? They intentionally turn away from the truth and abhor it.

Three strong tribes of the Jews resided in the suburbs of Madinah- Banu Qaynuqah, Banu Nadhir and the Banu Qurayzah, who were protected within their huge forts. When Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam entered Madinah, he signed a treaty with the Jews and mushrikin of Madinah that they will aid each other. One of the highlighted points of this treaty was that if at any time Madinah is attacked by an outside enemy then all the inhabitants of Madinah, Jews and mushrikin, will aid each other in defending it.

However, after Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam settled in Madinah, the Jews never aided Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in any matter. They harboured deep malice for the Muslims and were enraged by the daily success of Islam. The Muslims gained a decisive and crucial victory against the mushrikin in the Battle of Badr, where seventy of the high ranking mushrikin were killed, who had left no stone unturned in persecuting the Muslims. In addition, many were taken prisoner. The sounds of weeping could be heard from the homes in Makkah for a very long time. This only increased the enmity that the Jews bore for the Muslims and even though they always secretly supported the people of Makkah in their plans against the Muslims, after the Battle of Badr they openly joined the Quraysh in their fight against the Muslims.

A person by the name of ‘Abdullah ibn Ubay, who was experienced, intelligent, knowledgeable, perceptive and held in high esteem, lived in Madinah and was about to be crowned the king of Madinah before the arrival of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. A crown had also been made for him but after the arrival of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam all this changed. Any possibility of him becoming a leader or king had been washed away. Only he will know the malice that must have lurked in his heart thereafter. He became an arch enemy of Islam but would still socialize with the Muslims. He had outwardly embraced Islam but always remained a hypocrite, plotting and planning for the destruction of Islam. After the Battle of Badr, he befriended the Jews and became an ally to the Quraysh of Makkah.

One day, Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was advising the Jews to refrain from opposing Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and the Muslims but a Jew arrogantly retorted: “What do the Quraysh know about warfare, when you will fight against us then you will know what battle is truly like.”

A few days later the misfortune of the Jews began when a Jew from the Banu Qaynuqah attacked a woman from the Ansar, who was on her way to the marketplace to sell milk. An Ansari was martyred in this skirmish and one Jew was killed. When Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was informed of what had transpired he immediately set out with the Sahabah to resolve this matter but on arrival he found that the Jews had already prepared for battle and had taken refuge in their forts. These were all Jews from the Banu Qaynuqah. In retaliation, the Muslims surrounded their forts and ultimately captured them. It was only because of the intercession of ‘Abdullah ibn Ubay that their lives were spared. However, they were exiled from Madinah and subsequently settled in Khaybar.

If it had been that there was only one incident of the Jews creating trouble then maybe in could have been overlooked. They spoke ill of the Muslims, would mock the verses of the Qur’an, and whenever they came before Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam then instead of saying “Al Salam ‘alaykum” (Peace be upon you) they would say “Al Sam ‘alaykum”, which means “Death be upon you”. Their poets would incite the enemies of the Muslims against them. The defeat that the Quraysh had suffered in Badr was felt equally by the Jews. Ka‘b ibn Ashraf was so enraged that he could no longer tolerate staying in Madinah and travelled to Makkah, where he had poetic renditions, lamenting over those who had been killed in Badr and leaving no stone unturned in igniting the flames of battle. He would slander the Muslim women and even went to the extent of planning to assassinate Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. His mischief increased continually until finally Sayyidina Muhammad ibn Maslamah al Ansari radiya Llahu ‘anhu killed this great enemy of Allah. (Abu Rafi‘ and Salam ibn Abi Daqiq- both Jews, were no less than Ka‘b ibn Ashraf in harming the Muslims and they too were killed like Ka‘b ibn Ashraf. When oppression exceeds all boundaries then this is the inevitable result.)

 

The Jews treatment of the Muslims

How is it possible that the Jews ever aided the Muslims? They always opposed and plotted against them. During the Battle of Uhud, the Jews remained in their forts, awaiting news of its outcome. Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam even though it improper to ask for their help. One Jew even accompanied the Muslims to the battlefield but as soon as the battle began, he martyred a few of the Muslims and fled to Makkah. One of the advantages that came from the Battle of Uhud was that now the Muslims were able discern a few of the munafiqin (hypocrites), a number of whom were Jews.

The Jews never refrained from their mischief and one day after the Battle of Uhud, Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in the company of Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu, Sayyidina ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu and Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu went to the Jews of Banu Nadhir to discuss an important matter. They seated Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and the Sahabah in the shade of a wall and under the pretext of gathering the people disappeared. They seated Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in such a place where a huge boulder had been suspended directly above Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. The Jews decided that one of them will climb the wall and push the boulder on to Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and his companions. One of the Jews began climbing the wall to accomplish this but Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was informed through wahi (revelation) of their plans to assassinate him. Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and the Sahabah immediately left and returned to Madinah. The Jews called Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam back but Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam replied that he is aware of their attempt to kill him and now they cannot be trusted. The Jews were unable to deny this and took refuge in their forts. Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam surrounded them, laid siege to their forts and in the end they were also exiled from Madinah.

After a few years, the Jews of Khaybar prepared for battle. They had huge forts of which they were extremely proud. The Muslims conquered these very forts one after the other and the Jews were defeated.

A dreadful incident occurred after Khaybar was conquered. The Muslims remained in Khaybar for a few days after it was conquered, to make arrangements for administration. A Jewess by the name of Zainab, sent some meat for Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, which had been soaked in poison. Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam accepted this gift and as soon as Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam put the first morsel in his mouth he became aware of the poison therein. Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam immediately spat it out but a Sahabi who had joined Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam for this meal had already swallowed the morsel and passed away as a result of it. This was the level of their hatred towards Islam. Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, the mercy to the worlds, did not retaliate against them for this display of animosity and freed the woman. Look at the contrast between the treatment of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and that of the Jews.

A few of the Jews from the Banu Nadhir, who had fled from Madinah and settled close to Khaybar, went to Makkah and incited the Quraysh against the Muslims, promising to aid them. They inflamed the Bedouins and villagers with the thirst for battle and when Abu Sufyan arrived in Madinah for the Battle of Khandaq, with an army of four thousand from Makkah, he was joined by six thousand of the Bedouins and villagers who resided close to Makkah. This was all a result of the efforts of the Jews. Only the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayzah now remained in Madinah, who had also taken a pledge to defend Madinah from outside attack. When Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam sent an emissary to them calling them to defend Madinah, they replied: “We do not know who is Muhammad and who is the Rasul of Allah? We are not slaves of anybody that we are compelled to come to their aid and we have not taken any pledge to do so either. Go and fight on your own.” This was the reply of those very individuals who had themselves signed the treaty to defend Madinah. During the thick of the battle they aligned themselves with the mushrikin and because of them residing in Madinah were aware of the houses in which the Muslim women were taking refuge and set out with the intention to attack the women folk in these houses. How terrifying conditions must have been for the Muslims at that time. Enmity for the Muslims replaced their hearts in being their life source and the destruction of Islam became their life’s purpose, without which they could not live.

لَتَجِدَنَّ اَشَدَّ النَّاسِ عَدَاوَۃً لِّلَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوا الْیَہُوْدَ وَالَّذِیْنَ اَشْرَكُوْا

You will definitely discover that the Jews and the mushrikin are the staunchest (most bitter) enemies of the mu’minin.[6]

Scheming and conspiring is a terrible thing and the practice of the munafiqin (hypocrites), not the way of the mu’min. The din of Islam (and the din of Nabi Musa ‘alayh al Salam) does not permit such conspiring. This can never be the manner of a true believer.

 

Ibn Saba’

As soon as Makkah was conquered, the people of Makkah embraced Islam and since all the other tribes followed the practices of the Quraysh, because of them being the caretakers of the Ka‘bah and due to which they held them in high esteem, they too embraced Islam. The Quraysh in their opposition to Islam sacrificed their lives and wealth and now when this arch enemy embraced Islam, there remained no doubt as to the truth of Islam. Neighbouring tribes and clans came in large numbers, one after the other, to join the din of Islam.

The Jews, who were also arch enemies of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and Islam, had already been rooted out to a great extent in Arabia. Many troublesome and obstinate tribes had already been exiled, three of their devious and menacing chiefs had been killed, their old and fortified castles in Khaybar had been conquered from which they were then exiled as well. It was only because of their sad pleas that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam allowed them to remain in Khaybar, in order to till and farm the conquered lands. However, after a few years, Sayyidina ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu saw the need to exile them from Khaybar as well, because of their endless plots and conspiracies against the Muslims. In order to end the problem once and for all, he exiled them from Khaybar. Even if all of the above were to be ignored, still enmity for the Muslims would continue to rage in their hearts and their plots against the Muslims would never come to an end. They were exiled, disgraced and defeated but the fire of hatred continue to blaze within their hearts.

Makkah was conquered in 8 A.H. and in 9 A.H. Heraclius- emperor of Rome, sent an army of forty thousand to attack the Muslims, under the leadership of the governor of Ghassan. Abu ‘Amir al Rahib, who left Madinah for Makkah on the arrival of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, went to the emperor of Rome and urged him to attack Madinah. The munafiqin (hypocrites) also secretly prepared for this, meeting daily at the home of one of the Jews, named Suwaylim. The Jews never backed down from any opportunity to stir trouble.

There were many groups among them. Some had sincerely accepted Islam, while some had outwardly embraced Islam concealing their hypocrisy in their hearts. It was this group that caused the most damage and trouble, as they would inflict harm upon the Muslims while pretending to be their friends. They continually planned and worked towards the destruction of Islam from within the ranks of the Muslims. However, they were unable to execute their plans during the Caliphate of Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu and Sayyidina ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu, as the atmosphere was not suitable for their schemes.

However, in the second half of the Caliphate of Sayyidina ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu, after the Muslims had returned victorious from battle and were enjoying the blessings they had gained from their expeditions, the Jews put their plans into action. Taking advantage of the gentle personality of Sayyidina ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu, the Jews began their propaganda to create division amongst the Muslims. It is extremely distressing that we are forced to admit that they were successful in their efforts of sowing discord amongst the Muslims, the effects of which remain to this day in the form of the various sects in India and other countries as well.

The easiest way of weakening anything is to separate its particles and in order to defeat the Muslims the same method was adopted. In order to destroy the spiritual and political strength of the Muslims they had to create differences amongst them, in ‘aqidah (beliefs) and split them into various sects. Allah Ta‘ala has said that one should hold steadfast to the rope of Allah’s din and do not separate from each other. However, they split into various factions and were ultimately weakened.

 

Ibn Saba’ was from San’a

Yemen, which is situated in southern Arabia, was rich in knowledge even before the nubuwwah of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, having excelled in various sciences and subjects. One town in Yemen was San’a, wherein there lived a very well respected Jewish tribe. Due to their religious knowledge, they were regarded as leaders and guides. ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ was from this very tribe. He was a scholar, well versed with both the Torah and Injil and fluent in the Arabic language as well. He was firm in his beliefs, very intelligent, and firm in his resolve. As a result of the rapid spread of Islam, the influence of the Jewish religion began to dwindle and they were no longer regarded as religious guides or even political leaders. They became non-entities in the very societies that they once had influence over. ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ was bursting with enthusiasm, having a mind filled with ideas and schemes that he had formulated by studying the psyche of men, he only awaited the perfect time to put his plans into action. He needed to gain the trust of the Muslims and portray himself as their well-wisher, so that he could sow the seeds of division and false beliefs, which would inevitably lead them astray. However, this could only be achieved in one way and that was by outwardly pretending to accept Islam and thereafter work from within towards its destruction. The Caliphate of Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu and Sayyidina ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu were not suitable for putting these plans into motion and therefore he remained distant, silent and dared not to enter Madinah. It was during the Caliphate of Sayyidina ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu that he saw the perfect opportunity to achieve his aims and found the perfect place to implant his ideas. He arrived in Madinah and embraced Islam at the hands of Sayyidina ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu. His purpose was to seek position and status, as it was necessary for the success of his scheme. However, Sayyidina ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu paid no attention to him, which upset him but did not weaken his resolve. As a matter of fact, this only strengthened his resolve and he began his propaganda apparently against the Caliphate but in reality against Islam. This will be explained in detail later.

One needs to ponder over the conditions of that time, which ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ found to be the perfect opportunity to begin his plans for the destruction of Islam.

 

The condition of Madinah at the time of Ibn Saba’

In the tribe of the Quraysh was ‘Abdul Manaf, who had three sons- Hashim, Muttalib and ‘Abdul Shams. Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was from the progeny of Hashim. ‘Abdul Shams had a son by the name of Umayyah. Sayyidina ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu and Sayyidina Mu‘awiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu were from the progeny of Umayyah. The responsibility of taking care of the Ka‘bah belonged to the Quraysh, which was a noble and esteemed position. There were two families in the tribe of Quraysh who were respected above all others, one was the Banu Hashim and the other Banu Umayyah. They continuously competed with each other and the other families of the Quraysh would incline to either of the two from time to time. Before the nubuwwah of Rasulullah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, the status of the Bani Umayyah had surpassed that of the Bani Hashim. In the Battles of Uhud and Khandaq, the leader of the Quraysh against the Muslims was Abu Sufyan, who was from the Banu Umayyah. However, he too was later favoured with the good fortune of embracing Islam. This was one of the great blessings of Islam that it removed all of the discrimination that was prevalent during the period of ignorance and in its place established the bonds of universal brotherhood. All Muslims regarded each other as brothers, all aspiring for the success of Islam and the worship of one Allah Ta‘ala, accepting the laws of Islam and acting upon them. The differences that previously existed between the Banu Hashim and Banu Umayyah were removed and they both stood alongside each other as brothers. They remained no regard for personal benefit, family or friends where the propagation of Islam was concerned. Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu did not appoint his son as his successor, even though he possessed the qualifications for such a position, but taking the advice of a few of the leading Sahabah appointed Sayyidina ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu as khalifah, who was most suitable for the post. Sayyidina ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu as well made a bequest, before passing away, that his son should not be appointed as the khalifah. There remained no infighting, civil war, corruption, tribal rivalry or jealousy. This was all the result of the blessed teachings of Islam and noble company of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Love for Allah and doing for his pleasure flowed through the veins of each of them. They were friends of Allah in the true sense of the word. All their actions and intentions were solely for the pleasure of Allah with no personal benefit involved at all. Their understanding was broadened and their character elevated.

Sayyidina ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu demoted Sayyidina Khalid ibn Walid radiya Llahu ‘anhu— who was awarded the title of Saifullah (the sword of Allah) by Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam because of his bravery and courage— from commander of the Muslim army to the rank of a common soldier. Had this been any other person then in his anger, he would have became the enemy of Sayyidina ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu and refrained from participating altogether. However, Sayyidina Khalid ibn Walid radiya Llahu ‘anhu had been blessed with the noble company of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, he was amongst the friends of Allah, and he continued to fight for Islam under the new commander with the same fervour that he used to fight, alongside the other soldiers of the Muslim army. Personal pride had no effect in their actions or decisions.

Today the western countries use the obedience and discipline of Sayyidina Khalid ibn Walid radiya Llahu ‘anhu as an example when briefing their forces, encouraging them to do the same. They see this as an excellent example of one’s obedience to his superior officer, whereas the Muslim viewpoint regarding this is entirely different… we see this as an excellent example of one’s complete obedience to Allah.

This spirit of sacrifice and sincerity dominated the Caliphate of Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu, Sayyidina ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu and the first half of the Caliphate of Sayyidina ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu. However, as the years progressed and we moved further away from the period of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, new conquests, increasing wealth, a new generation, new Muslims and new Arab tribes, who stayed far from Makkah and Madinah and who had played an active role in the conquests of Islam; changed the mind set of people. Those that came later did not see the sacrifices that the Muhajirin and Ansar had made in the earlier years of Islam, which laid the foundation for Islam in the years to come. The new generations were not fully acquainted with the teachings of the Qur’an and not sufficiently motivated by it. This is the reason why they did not see the Muhajirin and Ansar in the same respect with regards to matters of din and politics that those in the previous generation saw them. They regarded themselves as equals to the Muhajirin and Ansar, and as a matter of fact they even went further than this and questioned the sincerity and intentions of the Muhajirin and Ansar.

Sayyidina ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu had always showed special care towards his family and relatives and was himself extremely wealthy, thus able to see to their financial needs. In 27 A.H. Sayyidina ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu appointed Sayyidina Mu‘awiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu the governor over the entire Syria. No persons rights was usurped in this appointment nor can Sayyidina Mu‘awiyah’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu expertise be denied. Sayyidina ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu had appointed him the governor of Damascus and Urdun during his Caliphate and now Sayyidina ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu was merely adding to those areas already under his supervision. However, since this appointment was one of honour and it had been awarded to a member of the Banu Umayyah, it made some envious and others disapproving.

 

The propaganda of Ibn Saba’

The current climate presented ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ with the perfect opportunity to incite those tribes who had participated in the battles after the demise of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and regarded themselves equal to the Muhajirin and Ansar in having the right to rule. He misled those new Muslims- whose hearts were still plagued by the germs of old customs and beliefs, exerting himself in trying to revive the old tribal enmity that had once existed. He propagated at all times that the rights of the Banu Hashim surpass all others but the present Caliphate of Sayyidina ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu has not awarded them the same rights that he has awarded to the Banu Umayyah. The status of the Banu Umayyah continues to increase while that of the Banu Hashim continues to decrease. The Banu Umayyah increases in strength while the Bani Hashim continues to get weaker. All the Arab tribes sacrificed their lives and gained the victory for Islam but now only a few are reaping its benefit and the people responsible for this injustice are Marwan and the khalifah. However, since Marwan is his relative and appointed by him, it is impossible that he is acting of his own accord or that this injustice and prejudice is unknown to the khalifah.

This was the propaganda of Ibn Saba’, which slowly found a place in the hearts of people, especially in those people who were being encouraged to revolt.

Whenever any person assists you in any matter then you will naturally be disinclined to have any doubts regarding him and when the time arises you will support him, out of appreciation for what he has done for you.

‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ began to notice that his charms were having an effect and this made him even more daring, which resulted in him denouncing Sayyidina ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu and his Caliphate openly. There was a man in Basrah by the name of Hakim ibn Hablah who would rob people. He would accompany the Muslim Army and at the first opportunity would rob the Dhimmis (Non-Muslims residing in the Islamic state), The governor of Basrah, in accordance with the order of Sayyidina ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu, detained him in Basrah. ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ had already been expelled from Madinah and after arriving in Basrah, stayed in the home of Hakim ibn Hablah. He portrayed himself as a devout Muslim and established a friendly relationship with Hakim and his associates. He portrayed himself as a person having correct beliefs and a sincere supporter of the family of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

Religion has always played an integral part in the history of man. At times it has created peace and harmony and at others it has led to such severe bloodshed and oppression, which makes one’s very hair stand on end. Passion and fervour are the key factors which drive these endeavours in a manner that cannot be found in any other. This is why the shrewd and cunning, in order for the quick success of their propaganda, always add a little religious enthusiasm to their campaigns.

 

Ibn Saba’ presented a new set of beliefs

‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ would not have earned the title of being a shrewd, cunning and staunch Jew if he had not used religious enthusiasm to drive his propaganda forward. In order to execute a vital plan, a new set of beliefs are necessary, which will contain some new beliefs and acts that will be easier than that currently practiced and more satisfying for the base desires of man. This will attract people towards it and ultimately separate them from the mainstream. The first step was to test the capacity and tolerance of the people by presenting a new principle, which was that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam will once again return to this world. The Muslims already believed that Nabi ‘Isa ‘alayh al Salam would return and to substantiate his claim that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam will return, he recited the verse:

اِنَّ الَّذِیْ فَرَضَ عَلَیْکَ الْقُرْاٰنَ لَرَآدُّکَ اِلٰی مَعَادٍ

Verily, the One Who has made (practising and propagating) the Qur’an obligatory on you shall return you to your place of return (to Makkah and ultimately to Jannat).[7]

By misinterpreting this verse, ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ spread the belief that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam would again return to this world. It is senseless even asking about the mind-set of people. Even if a new belief or religion is put forward it is bound to attract a few and if it is arduously propagated then you will find that it has gathered a large following.

The saying is indeed true: “People are masters in establishing beliefs without proof.”

It is uncertain how many people have falsely claimed nubuwwah after Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and even how many have claimed to be Allah, but at the end none have ever complained that they have no followers.

 

The effects of propaganda

The entire India is called a land of philosophers, which contains six or seven schools of philosophy, with many branches of these across the land. Even today, in the province of Punjab they have a unique ability in forming new beliefs. It is difficult to even calculate the number of new beliefs that have originated from there.

One person has mentioned that they formulate all these schemes merely for money, whether they be politically or religiously motivated. They make fools of the people and in the process produce a large profit. But is it really their fault? The fault is of those foolish enough to fall for these schemes. An experienced salesman from Punjab dressed as a doctor was successful in selling a whole range of medications through advertising. He mentions regarding the success of his endeavour that the population of India exceeds a billion, is it not possible that a million of these are dim-witted and easily fooled. There must be even more than a million of such people. There is no need to be offended by this as they too represent a portion of the creation of Allah. If a hundred thousand of these foolish people purchase my medicine then my endeavour was a success. This has been the way of the world from ancient times that the strong always ponder over ways to subdue the weak, and have done so, and the intelligent have taken advantage of the condition of those who possess lesser intelligence. It is just a slight difference but both are the same in principal.

Advertising is the brother of propaganda but the elder brother and having a greater effect.

 

Ibn Saba’ is the originator of the belief of Imamah

The voice of Ibn Saba’ was one that was not quickly forgotten after hearing it and many simple people began to believe in his newly propagated beliefs. When he saw the fish were entering his net, he added another belief to his arguments and that was that Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu is the highest in rank after Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. He mentioned the virtues of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu reported in hadith and added many fabricated virtues of his own. After seeing that his students have become ardent supporters and devotees of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, he added yet more deviant beliefs. He said to them that every nabi and rasul had a deputy or advisor, who also carried the secrets of nubuwwah. Nabi Musa’s ‘alayh al Salam deputy was Yusha‘ ibn Nun ‘alayh al Salam and the deputy of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu and that it is fard (obligatory) to bring iman in the belief of Imamah just as it is fard to bring iman in the beliefs of Tauhid and Risalat. To a select few, he propagated that the miraculous actions (karamat) that had become apparent by the hands of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu are beyond the capabilities of any man and therefore Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu is the incarnation of Allah Ta‘ala in human form. He went on to add that he does not say this of his own accord but through divine inspiration.

A few of those people who were displeased and opposed to the Banu Umayyah and supportive towards the Banu Hashim, quickly accepted these beliefs. In addition, a large number of ignorant, as well as educated people became ensnared in this web. Ibn Saba’ and his agents propagated these beliefs through various methods and means.

Ibn Saba’ would first survey the land, before sowing the seeds for such beliefs. Whenever he found the land to be fertile and productive for his teachings and after the number of his disciples grew, he whispered to them that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had made a bequest that Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu is to be khalifah after him. Using the verse of wilayah:

اِنَّمَا وَلِیُّكُمُ اللهُ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ وَالَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوا الَّذِیْنَ یُقِیْمُوْنَ الصَّلٰوۃَ وَیُؤْتُوْنَ الزَّکٰوۃَ وَهُمْ رٰکِعُوْنَ

Your Protecting Friend is only Allah, His Rasul salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and the mu’minin who establish salah, pay zakat and bow in ruku‘.[8]

He deduced that Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu was supposed to be the first khalifah, whereas this verse has nothing to do with Caliphate whatsoever. He proclaimed that Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu should be the khalifah and that he is the first Imam, but the Sahabah abandoned the wasiyyah (bequest) of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and acted against the orders of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, usurping the rights of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. He went on to say that the Sahabah in their greed and desire for worldly possessions turned away from din and became murtad (renegade), and therefore the Muslims should absolve themselves from the Sahabah (known as Tabarra in the Shia creed). Ibn Saba’ is the originator of the belief of Tabarra as well. He said that it is not too late to save the situation and that the present khalifah (Sayyidina ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu) should be deposed and Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu be appointed khalifah in his place. All should aid in this effort as the present khalifah is incompetent and an oppressor, who has appointed Marwan the ruler over all. Wherever one turns one sees the Banu Umayyah seizing power and doing as they please. Ibn Saba’ instructed his disciples not to take his name and instead announce their disassociation from him. He said: “I have only spoken the truth with good intentions. I have no personal interest in this matter. Now go, as you know what you have to do.”

 

Ibn Saba’ in Basrah

After some time the governor of Basrah came to know of the mischief of Ibn Saba’ and summoned him, enquiring who he was, where he was from and what was his purpose in Basrah. ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ replied that he has become averse to Judaism and is attracted by Islam, and only wishes to remain as a student under him. The governor replied: “I have discovered that you intend to create anarchy and lead the Muslims astray. You remain a staunch Jew and only intend to create division amongst the Muslims.” The heat seemed to be rising for ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ in Basrah and he taught it unwise to remain there. He left instructions for his disciples and made his way towards Kufah, which coincidently already contained people opposed to Sayyidina ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu and his governors. Ibn Saba’ was overjoyed and ecstatic, as he had now found a readymade headquarters. From the very beginning, he portrayed himself as a devout and ascetic Muslim, and people began revering him and singing his praises.

Astonishing indeed is this chain of events, that this imposter, fraud and charlatan has left behind such a doctrine, that even today thousands adhere to it with full conviction.

Exactly the same as this was the British Prophet- Ghulam Ahmed Qadiyani of Punjab, who first began debating in the name of protecting Islam and as soon as he gained a little acceptance, he claimed to be a Mujtahid and announced that he will be publishing fifty volumes of Barahin Ahmediyyah. When money started rolling in and his disciples acknowledged him as a Mujtahid, he claimed to be Masih ‘Isa ‘alayh al Salam, then the Mahdi, a nabi, a rasul and finally even Allah. (Refer to Risalah Da’awi Mirza by Molana Muhammad Shafi rahimahu Llah) In essence, he made a huge profit and even today his son is enjoying this wealth, purchasing land worth millions of Rupees in Sindh and Punjab. They and all others like them are the students of Ibn Saba’.

 

Ibn Saba’ in Damascus

His radical and mutinous beliefs began to surface in Kufah and the governor came down harsh on Ibn Saba’. Those with intellect immediately doubted Ibn Saba’ and this forced him to flee Kufah for Damascus. However, just as he had left a small group of his sincere disciples in Basrah, he left an even larger and more troublesome group in Kufah. The chiefs of mischief and a few of the most depraved people of society professed their loyalty to Ibn Saba’.

The political climate in Damascus was inappropriate for Ibn Saba’s plans, with the governor there being very well-informed and strict at the same time. ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ went to the Sahabi Sayyidina Abu al Darda radiya Llahu ‘anhu and presented his beliefs with much caution and carefulness. However, Sayyidina Abu al Darda radiya Llahu ‘anhu turned away from him saying: “It seems that you are a Jew and you wish to mislead the Muslims under the guise of Islam.” He should of feared the deep insight of the companions of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam but still he went to Sayyidina ‘Ubadah ibn Samit radiya Llahu ‘anhu, who immediately dragged him before Sayyidina Mu‘awiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, when hearing his beliefs and said: “I believe this is the same person that attempted to mislead Abu Dhar radiya Llahu ‘anhu and created discontent between you.” Sayyidina Mu‘awiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu immediately expelled him from the city.

 

Ibn Saba’ in Egypt

After Damascus, he went to Egypt and his previous experience made him more cautious. The Egyptians were already displeased with their governor- ‘Abdullah ibn Sa‘d. He did not have sufficient experience with politics and was generally a self-dependent person. In addition, the constant need to defend the borders from Roman advances and the Islamic conquests into Africa had kept him so preoccupied that he could not devote sufficient time towards the internal politics arising at that time. Ibn Saba’ took advantage of the people’s displeasure with the governor and having no fear of reproach, found the perfect opportunity to put his plans into action. He made Egypt his base of operations and it was from here that he corresponded with his disciples in Kufah and Basrah.

He had compiled a complete doctrine for his secret society and had become its revered leader. However, every mission needs a driving force (a maxim to which they adhere) for its success and his mission also required this force. Ibn Saba’ used “Love for the Ahlul Bayt and support for Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu” as the catalyst to fuel the fire against the khalifah and the Banu Umayyah. He propagated this and spread it across the entire Islamic empire, which would ultimately cause the revolution he so desired. While sitting in Egypt, he used all means available for broadcasting this propaganda: “Imamah is Fard”, “Love for the Ahlul Bayt and supporting ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu is our duty”, “‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu is the deputy of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam”, “‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu is most deserving of the Caliphate”, “‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu has been oppressed”, “The first three khulafa have usurped his right and are murtad and kafir”. You will see later how he went on to become the leader of a huge group and founder of a new religion with this propaganda. Such a religion, where Imamah is amongst its fundamental beliefs, and whoever denies Imamah or does not absolve himself from the Sahabah is a kafir, where belief in Tabarra (absolving oneself from the Sahabah) is compulsory, where the entire religion comprises of deviant customs, where despicable acts are seen as noble character, where scheming is a daily activity, which will be the enemy of peace and stability, which will abandon the Qur’an and hadith and which will oppose the din of Allah.

 

What do the Shi‘ah ‘ulama say about Ibn Saba’

Let us see what the Shia ‘ulama have to say about Ibn Saba’. The book Rijal al Kashi is a reliable book concerning the condition of narrators, according to the Shia. In page 71 of this book, it is stated:

ذكر بعض اهل العلم ان عبد الله بن سبا كان يهوديا فاسلم و والى علي عليه السلام و كان يقول و هو على يهوديته فى يوشع بن نون وصى موسى بالغلو فقال فى اسلامه بعد وفات رسول الله عليه و اله فى علي عليه السلام مثل ذلك و كان اول من اشهر القول بفرض امامة علي و اظهر البراءة من اعدائه و كاشف مخالفيه و اكفر هم فمن ههنا قال من خالف الشيعة اصل التشيع ماخوذ من اليهودية

Ibn Saba’ was a Jew, who later embraced Islam and had great love for ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. During the period when he was a Jew, he was an extremist with regard to the deputy of Nabi Musa ‘alayh al Salam– Yusha‘ ibn Nun and later after accepting Islam he displayed the same extremism with regards to ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu after the demise of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Ibn Saba’ is the first person to openly proclaim that the belief in the Imamah of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu is compulsory and expressed tabarra (absolvement) from his enemies, openly proclaiming that they were kafir. It is for this reason that those who are opposed to the religion of the Shia say that the foundation of Shi‘asm was laid by Ibn Saba’.

“Proclaim openly” will only be considered correct when it is proven that it had existed before. Perhaps it could be proven to exist from the Qur’an, which is the basis for all ‘aqa’id, but unfortunately it is impossible to substantiate this belief from the Qur’an. Ibn Saba’ was not the first person to proclaim this belief openly but he was the very person who originated it.

 

It is mentioned in this very book that Imam Muhammad al Baqir rahimahu Llah has narrated that ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ used to proclaim that Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu was Allah and that he was himself a nabi. He narrates that seventy people of Zat came to Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, who in turn told them that he is the servant of Allah, the creation of Allah and ordered them to repent from the erroneous beliefs. When they refused to repent, Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu had them all burnt alive.

‘Ali Haydar is a Taba Taba‘i Shia. He has mentioned the statement of Imam Muhammad al Baqir rahimahu Llah with regards to ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’, when discussing the extremist Shia in Dakan Rio in 1908. He reports that Imam al Baqir rahimahu Llah said: “He used to call Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu Allah and himself claimed to be a nabi. This was his fabrication.” Imam Ja‘far al Sadiq rahimahu Llah has said: “May Allah Ta‘ala’s curse be upon him, he intentionally fabricated reports from ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu.”

Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu summoned him and questioned him regarding this. He admitted to this and said that he had received divine inspiration that Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu was Allah and that he was a nabi. Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu tried to make him understand and urged him to repent but he refused to, and Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu then ordered him to be burnt alive.

However, many people had already believed the message of ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ and were led astray.

After the Battle of Jamal, seventy people came to the door of the Masjid and began calling that Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu is Allah. Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu ordered them to fear Allah and refrain from saying such things.

Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu granted them three days to repent for their actions but they refused after which Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu had a trench dug close to the Masjid. A fire was lit in it and all of them were flung into the fire. Yet, there was no limit to their insolence and as they were about to be flung into the fire, they all began screaming loudly:

لا يعذب بالنار الا رب النار

None punishes with the fire except the Rabb of the fire.

(The intention of this statement was that since Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu had ordered them to be burnt, he is then most certainly Allah, Allah forbid!)

This was not something they had just learnt on their own but a well taught lesson of ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’. All of them were burnt and killed, but they never repented from their belief of kufr.

You must be greatly disgusted by their utter disbelief and deviance, but to some extent you might be impressed by their firmness of faith. In the earlier years of Islam, many people were very firm in their belief and were prepared to endure the most severest of torments, but would never turn away from Islam. In both groups (among Muslims and kuffar) the firmness of resolve was the same, the only difference was in their belief, where the beliefs of one group was false and that of the other was true.

In a similar manner as Ibn Saba’, another person also changed the pages of history many years later. His name was Hassan ibn Sabbah. He was regarded as a great leader of the Batiniyyah sect, which is an offshoot from mainstream Shi‘asm. His followers were also extremely firm in their deviant beliefs. He would take them on a tour of his man-made paradise, through which he would convert and convince them. His mentor- ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’, did not have the allure of a man-made paradise, and Allah alone knows what he used to whisper into the ears of his followers.

After Ibn Saba’, Mukhtar al Thaqafi also played a great role in spreading polytheistic beliefs and leading the Muslims astray. He claimed nubuwwah and then later claimed to be Allah. He resurrected the tribal rivalry of old and murdered thousands of Muslims. He used the incident of Karbala as the driving factor for his campaign.

More than thirteen hundred years have passed and still thousands of people follow the doctrine of Ibn Saba’. They hold beliefs contrary to the Qur’an and openly discard the instructions of Allah and His Rasul but have never forgotten the lessons of Ibn Saba’.

To mislead people for a short time with false beliefs is not difficult in the least but to keep them firm on it is not easy. ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ should be called one of a kind in this field. He gave his weak minded disciples such a strong dose of kufr and false beliefs that their religious intellect was destroyed forever. The spiritual effects of ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ remains to this day and various sects have remained steadfast on his system of beliefs. It is such a religion, which even a person who stands at a distance will be unable to endure the intensity of its flames, yet it is like a house of cards- which is likely to fall with a tip of just a finger.

 

Imamah

The belief of Imamah, as has been mentioned above, is the creation of ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’. The Shia have many sub-sects but all of them agree with the belief of Imamah. It is the foundation of the Shia faith, yet it cannot be substantiated from Qur’an or hadith, which is the basis of all belief to every Muslim. There is no need to substantiate any belief from any other means besides the Qur’an and hadith, and the fundamental beliefs of Islam are derived from the Qur’an. This is the reason why those who believe in Imamah have had a great difficulty in proving their belief.

The only way they could substantiate it is by fabricating narrations, which they did, but still they could not prove it with certainty. The more they tried to strengthen it, the more weaker the proofs got.

The Qur’an does not support the belief of Imamah in the least and in fact refutes it. Thus, with the belief of Shia sinking, they were left with one alternative and that was to shamelessly say that the Qur’an, which was the main obstacle in establishing their belief, has been altered. The accusation of alteration and distortion is utterly disrespectful and disgusting. The apparent benefit of this is only so that they may have a leg to stand on, but to say something of this calibre has a weighty price indeed. The Shia make a great noise about the alteration of the Qur’an, they say: “We have been oppressed, those verses which prove our belief have been removed or altered. The actual Qur’an contains seventy thousand verses and the present Qur’an only contains 6336 verses. More than half of the Qur’an has been removed. We know that no one will believe us now because we have no way to prove this and we know that it will be emphasised against us that the Qur’an has been preserved in the same manner that it was revealed to Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and that Allah Ta‘ala has Himself taken the responsibility of safeguarding it and that alteration is impossible, but when our Imam al Gha’ib (Absent Imam) will emerge from the cave- Surra man Ra’a, where he has been safely hiding from his enemies for the past twelve hundred years and he will be emerging anytime now, then we will prove every single one of our beliefs from the actual Qur’an. You might have also heard that our Imam al Gha’ib took the actual Qur’an with him to the cave, which is preserved in its true form. It is good that he took it with him otherwise the actual Qur’an would have been removed from this world. As far as the present Qur’an is concerned, we do not believe in it because it is the collection of our enemies.”

“It contained a clear verse regarding Imamah but they altered it as well. “Those in command” which is mentioned in the verse refers to the A’immah and this is why we say that our Imam al Gha’ib’ is the absolute leader. The verse in the present Qur’an is as follows:

یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْۤا اَطِیْعُوا اللهَ وَاَطِیْعُوا الرَّسُوْلَ وَ اُولِی الْاَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ ۚ فَاِنْ تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِیْ شَیْءٍ فَرُدُّوْہُ اِلَی اللهِ وَالرَّسُوْلِ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُؤْمِنُوْنَ بِاللهِ وَالْیَوْمِ الْاٰخِرِ ؕ ذٰلِکَ خَیْرٌ وَّ اَحْسَنُ تَاْوِیْلًا

O you who have iman! Obey Allah, obey the Rasul salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and those in command among you (your leaders and authorities in all fields). If you dispute regarding any matter, then refer it to Allah (find the solution in the Qur’an) and the Rasul salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam (or find the solution in the Sunnah), if you believe in Allah and the Last Day. This is best and gives the best result.[9]

However, in reality the verse was:

یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْۤا اَطِیْعُوا اللهَ وَاَطِیْعُوا الرَّسُوْلَ وَ اُولِی الْاَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ ۚ وَاِنْ خِفْتُمْ تَنَازُعًا فِیْ اَمْرٍ فَرُدُّوْہُ اِلَی اللهِ وَالرَّسُوْلِ وَ اُولِی الْاَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ

O you who have iman! Obey Allah, obey the Rasul salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and those in command among you. If you fear dispute regarding any matter, then refer it to Allah and the Rasul salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and those in command among you.

(They continue with their argument) However, no one is ready to listen to us, even if it is because of our incompetence or lack of articulation, this is only because we do not have a means of substantiating it at the moment. We are not stubborn, we are always ready to accept that which is logical. We also do not deny that the present verse in the Qur’an refutes our belief in Imamah and that our Imam Muhammad al Baqir accepted without any proof that this verse proves those in command to be ma’sum (infallible). We acknowledge that this proves the opposite as their decision is not binding in all circumstances and if they were ma‘sum then there decision would be binding. In addition, this verse does not even prove that it is compulsory to obey those who are in command over you, but you should bear in mind that this verse appears in the present Qur’an, which has been altered.”

Utter Nonsense! First they should bring the verse from the ‘actual Qur’an’ which they use as proof and present it.

They wish to fight with no sword in their hand

It should also be borne in mind that their first Imam- Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, had once delivered a sermon, which has been reported[10] by Ashtar al Nakha‘i, where he quoted this verse exactly as it appears in the present Qur’an. This makes it clear that this verse has actually been altered in the ‘absent Qur’an’.

They found no proof in the Qur’an so they resorted to fabricating ahadith, which allege that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam informed only Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu regarding the incumbency of Imamah and no one else, and that too was to be kept secret. They have mentioned the names of two great personalities to have corroborated their beliefs- namely Imam al Baqir rahimahu Llah and Imam Ja‘far al Sadiq rahimahu Llah. If these two illustrious personalities were to have known what has been ascribed to them, they would have turned red with rage. They present the following ‘narration’ of Imam al Baqir rahimahu Llah as proof for their beliefs:

 

Allah Ta‘ala confided in Jibra’il ‘alayh al Salam about the aspect of wilayah (succession), Jibra’il ‘alayh al Salam confided in Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam confided in ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu and ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu confided in whoever he wished. Now you Shia should inform all about it.

 

They have no weightier proof than this narration of Imam al Baqir rahimahu Llah, how we wish Imam al Baqir rahimahu Llah had knowledge of what was ascribed to him.

We learn from this that the aspect of Imamah is a hidden secret, such that none of the other angels besides Jibra’il ‘alayh al Salam had knowledge of it, none of the Prophets had knowledge of it except Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, none of the Sahabah had knowledge of it but Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu and it is not proven that Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu informed or taught this to anyone. Ponder for yourself! Is this a minor issue? If the iman of every single believer is dependent on bringing faith in it then what is the reason for keeping it a secret? The ‘aqidah revealed by Allah Ta‘ala is not specific for a particular individual but for every single human being. To keep it a secret would be completely immoral and incorrect. No sane person will be ready to believe this. To ascertain the reality of anything one has to delve into the Qur’an, if the Qur’an opposes it then one should never accept it. Adopting a particular mazhab (school) is based upon one’s intellect, if one does not use his intellect then how will one be able to distinguish between what is the truth and what is false.

According to the research of Allamah Gujarati- the author of Majma’ Bihar al Anwar; one hundred and twenty-four thousand Sahabah were present when Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam passed away, from which seventy-thousand have reported various ahadith, but not one of them have reported the vital belief of Imamah.

Another belief of the Imamiyyah sect is that Caliphate is the right of the imam, who is infallible, sinless and compulsory to obey, just as the Rasul salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. He is chosen by Allah to be the imam and only he can be the khalifah. However, the Sahabah pledged their allegiance to Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu and thereafter to Sayyidina ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu and Sayyidina ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu. It should be noted that on every occasion Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu also pledged his allegiance. Amongst the first three khulafa none of them were infallible or compulsory to obey, thus according to the ‘aqidah of the Imamiyyah, they were not entitled to Caliphate. If there was anyone amongst them who was entitled to Caliphate, according to the Shia, then it was Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu.

It is very astonishing indeed that no one mentioned this aspect nor did anyone hesitate or desist from taking the pledge of allegiance at the hands of these three khulafa as a result of it. According to Imam al Baqir rahimahu Llah, at the least Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu had knowledge of it, so he should of made the truth known. No one else refused or opposed them, so it proves that even in the beginning and till the end of the Caliphate of Sayyidina ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu, Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu informed no one nor taught anyone the belief of Imamah. Thus, we will have to conclude that no one had knowledge of this and the reason why they had no knowledge of it was that it did not exist. Later the need arose to fabricate such lies and it was fabricated.

Ibn Saba’ had a great mind for such devilish schemes. Later you will learn why he fabricated the belief of Imamah. His students and disciples fabricated various narrations in the names of the A’immah and some narrations were fabricated under the name of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam as well. These were combined with other narrations in such a manner that many followers of the Ahlus Sunnah have been misled by them and have accepted them as sahih (authentic).

During the Caliphate of Ma’mun al Rashid one person claimed to be a nabi and as a result the khalifah ordered him to be killed. As he was about to be killed he said: “You may kill me but the thousands of ahadith that I have fabricated will still remain.”

It is absolutely impossible that such an important aspect of din, which is compulsory to believe and upon which one’s iman is dependent, could not have been known by any one of the many Sahabah. In order to solve this problem, the advocates of Imamah have invented the tale of the hidden secret[11], and think that by terming it a hidden secret, all problems have been resolved. The problem continues to remain and instead it has escalated by adopting such an approach. Whoever studies religion in detail will never be convinced by such deception.

Another point worth pondering over is that whatever Allah Ta‘ala desires will always come to pass: “And Allah is capable of fulfilling what he desires”. If Allah Ta‘ala wanted to keep the issue of Imamah a secret, how did it come out into the open? How did something happen contrary to the desire of Allah? No true Muslim, who believes Allah Ta‘ala to be All Powerful, will ever be able to understand this. The truth of the matter is that no matter how true a lie might appear to be, eventually the truth will prevail. No matter how well the lies and deceit are hidden, a portion of it will always be visible. Even if nothing is visible, Allah’s system is such that over time it will be revealed, and the truth uncovered.

اِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ کَان زَهُوْقًا

Indeed falsehood was bound to disappear.[12]

This is the reason why the issue of Imamah cannot be found anywhere in the Qur’an or hadith of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. As far as the narrations of the A’immah are concerned, these are all fabrications of the deviant sects from Kufah and the creation of the imagination of ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’.

 

The character of Ibn Saba’

After one reads the narration of Imam Ja‘far al Sadiq rahimahu Llah there remains no doubt that Ibn Saba’ was not a Muslim but a kafir, since he regarded himself as a nabi and Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu as Allah. Whoever claims to be a nabi after Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam will be called a liar just as Musaylamah al Kadhab was called and labelled as such. Whoever claims that any person is Allah is also clearly a kafir. ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ knew full well that the beliefs he was propagating were lies and that neither was Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu Allah nor was he a nabi. His proclamation of having divine inspiration was also a lie. He spoke outright lies against Allah Ta‘ala. Who can be more astray and lost then him? He wished to lead Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu astray through his proclamations of divine inspiration. He could lead others astray but do you think that he could have led Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu astray? He could only fool those with weak iman and he did. How foolish can a person be? He is informing his Rabb that he has received divine inspiration. It is for this reason that Imam Ja‘far al Sadiq rahimahu Llah has said, not based upon his own personal opinion but based upon the evidence present, that he intentionally invented these tales regarding Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. This is why there is no doubt with regards to his deception. He was a liar and a con-artist. He spoke such fallacious lies before such a noble personality and persisted on it, utterly refusing to repent.

In reality, ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ had no love for the Ahlul Bayt nor for Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. To even use the word love with his name is a sin. If he possessed even an inkling of sincerity then Imam Ja‘far al Sadiq rahimahu Llah would never have invoked Allah’s curse upon him. Allah’s curse is reserved only for the liars and disbelievers. Did he truly believe Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu to be more pious, Allah fearing, sympathetic to the servants of Allah, intelligent and more knowledgeable with regards to Allah Ta‘ala than himself? If he did, then why did he disobey Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu? Did he have no faith in Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu and his decision making? If he did, then why did he not listen to him? There is a definite reason for his disobedience. He was most certainly not insane nor can it be said that his intense love and devotion to this ‘aqidah drove him to such blindness because when was it ever an ‘aqidah. If it had been an ‘aqidah then Imam Ja‘far rahimahu Llah would never have said that he intentionally invented these tales regarding Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Thus, we will have to believe that he possessed some ulterior motive for his actions, which he was willing to make great sacrifices for. He was willing to be called liar by the world, a mushrik (polytheist), kafir, to be rejected by Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu and cursed by Allah. It is apparent that his motives could not have been religious and could only have been materialistic and devilish in nature. His motive was the destruction and eradication of Islam, which he intended to achieve by creating disunity and sowing discord amongst the Muslims. He was a Jew, a munafiq, an enemy of Islam, an enemy of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu and an enemy of Allah. He cared for no one in trying to accomplish his objectives, not even Allah. Hatred has its limits also. The effects of ill-manners can be extreme. The hatred which the Shia bear in their hearts is a discussion on its own.

The purpose of his propaganda of love for the Ahlul Bayt and love for Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu was also for the same purpose, because in reality who did he truly love. The intention of any person is ascertained by his word and action. If he truly loved Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu then he should have repented a thousand times the minute Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu gestured him to. He would have felt ashamed of his actions and would have forever abstained from such behaviour. However, instead he refused to repent and remained adamant in his refusal. Does his refusal to repent mean that he was on the truth? Iblis also refused to prostrate before Nabi Adam ‘alayh al Salam and remained adamant that he would not repent. Will one now say that his refusal to repent means he was on the truth? The ultimate result of Iblis was that he was cursed and cast out of the mercy of Allah, and his mischief continues to this day. Ibn Saba’ also spread much mischief and misled many of the servants of Allah, the effects of which remain to this day.

It is uncertain whether Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu had ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ burnt alive or not. It is reported in some narrations that he escaped and lived for many years after this in Mada’in and Azerbaijan, where he continued to propagate his new religion and remain engaged in the destruction of Islam.

Only Allah Ta‘ala knows how many other people, besides those seventy people who were burnt alive, he had fooled and led to believe that Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu was Allah.

Those who professed this false belief openly were burnt alive but there were many who did not profess it openly out of fear for death. The propagation of this belief continued and was later passed down from generation to generation, and it is uncertain till when it will continue.

 

The actual purpose of Ibn Saba’

The actual purpose of Ibn Saba’ was only one, and that was the complete and utter destruction of Islam. To achieve this, he waited for the appropriate time and place, and adopted the necessary plans which his mind could come up with. In applying his plans, he made it impossible to distinguish between what policies were praiseworthy and which were not, as it was possible that he might tire at some time or the other, (and thus his legacy would continue). He slowly won over the hearts of the people and then filled it with deviant beliefs.

 

The malicious activities of Ibn Saba’

Assault on Tauhid

Tauhid is the essences of Islam and this was the first aspect which Ibn Saba’ attacked. In order to deviate people from this, he would have to make a great sacrifice. He first began praising Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu by enumerating those virtues which Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had mentioned regarding him, which no Muslim will deny, and then began adding his own fabricated narrations praising Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Later he began propagating that Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu is the highest ranking of all the Sahabah and slowly he managed to convince a few people that Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu is higher in rank than all the Prophets. However, this was not his ultimate objective. His ultimate objective was to lead Muslims away from the fundamental Islamic belief of Tauhid. In order to achieve this he would need to invent a great lie and Ibn Saba’ had no shortage of such lies in his bag of tricks. He began mentioning the extraordinary feats accomplished by Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Extraordinary feats (karamat) of this nature generally has a great influence over the hearts and minds of man. Man is quickly mesmerised by such strange incidents. Overtime, he managed to convince a group of people that these feats were beyond the capabilities of a normal human and once people had accepted this concept, the road was clear for him to make his next move. He confided in a few people that Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu is not a human but Allah Himself, and that he had been informed of this through divine inspiration. As a result of this a group of people accepted Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu as Allah. From this group were the people of Zat, who were burnt alive by the order of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. This ‘aqidah continued to spread and it is not surprising that thousands of people were misled by this belief of shirk. We have already read about the condition of people that regardless the belief, you will always find people ready to accept it. The Christians too were misled in this manner. Today as well, the followers of Ibn Saba’ continue to believe in the divinity of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, and have not wavered in their belief in the least. An educated Shia will call himself atheist but do not be misled by his statements, deep down he will always remain a Christian, whether you look further into his beliefs or even if an atheist were to, he will always remain a Christian because his education began as such.

If one has to enquire about the joy of Ibn Saba’ then he must of been ecstatic when he heard that seventy of his disciples had been burnt alive but they still remained steadfast on their false beliefs. Even though Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu had instructed them to be burnt, he must have been grieved that so soon after Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had left this world, people had resorted to shirk and were unwavering upon it. However, this very news which saddened Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu caused great joy to Ibn Saba’.

‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ is the first person to ascribed divinity to Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. He set the standard, and from time to time many knowledgeable scholars of repute have also called Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu Allah and educated people such. They were called extremists and this mischief spread to such an extent that besides Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, other A’immah as well were believed to be Allah. After believing that Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu was Allah, they drew their philosophical conclusions that just Allah is forever and eternal, so too is Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu eternal and still alive. According to one sect of the Shia, Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu was not buried but he ascended to the heavens and he will return in the last era, when he will wage war on his enemies. This same belief is held for the various A’immah, by those who believe them to be Allah.

 

Who is responsible for the belief in the divinity of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu

‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ alone is responsible for the belief in the divinity of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Is this not a false belief? Has it not misled thousands? Did his supporters and Jewish confidants not congratulate him on his success? Has Ibn Saba’ not pierced the very heart of tauhid, which was the pride of all Muslims? Ibn Saba’ was extremely successful in attaining his objective. His success is not to be taken lightly. He has turned hundreds of thousands of Muslims into the living dead by robbing them of their tauhid and replacing it with shirk, which is extremely difficult to remove from the heart once it has entered. This is the best weapon which Shaitan uses to lead people astray and after it is flung, he sits back with ease as he knows that Allah Ta‘ala will never forgive those who ascribe partners to Him.

 

The divinity of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu and the A’immah

The effects of the teaching of Ibn Saba’ continues to this very day and Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu and the various A’immah are still regarded as divine beings. The Shia undoubtedly believe this but many Sunnis believe this as well. This Shirk has entered their hearts just as the golden calf had entered into the hearts of the Jews. For the amusement of the foolish and superstitious, tales are invented; which people regard as the truth and make an integral part of their faith. For instance the fabricated tale that on the night of Mi‘raj, Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saw a lion sitting at one place and Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam placed his ring in its mouth. When Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam reached the Sidrah al Muntaha, he saw the same lion eating rice, with one hand in the hand of Allah and in the other hand was the very same ring which Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had placed in its mouth. After Mi‘raj, the following morning when Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam met Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, he saw that he was wearing the very same ring. This is the reality regarding their belief in Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. As a result of this story, Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu has been called the “Lion of Allah” and the “Hand of Allah”, and many of the educated Shia scholars believe this as well. One unique thing of the Shia religion is that they deem it a sin to use your intellect in such matters.

They do not only believe Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu to be the fulfiller of needs but also, Allah forbid, the Sovereign Protector and Omnipresent. Tales have been fabricated that even before he was born, Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu saved Nabi Nuh ‘alayh al Salam and other Prophets in their times of difficulty. May Allah Ta‘ala save us from such deviation! They have complete faith and conviction in these stories, even if it is in direct contradiction to the Noble Qur’an. As Allah Ta‘ala has said in the Noble Qur’an that Allah saved Nabi Nuh ‘alayh al Salam, Nabi Lut ‘alayh al Salam, Nabi Yunus ‘alayh al Salam, etc. (Surah al Prophets)

The help of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu is sought in various matters. If a child happens to fall then those present spontaneously say: “O Sayyidina ‘Ali!”; what is in the heart is spoken by the tongue. Allah is not remembered in such instances. When they enter into a fight they do so saying: “O Sayyidina ‘Ali!”, seeking aid from Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu and not from Allah Ta‘ala, whereas Allah Ta‘ala has said to the Muslims:

وَمَا لَكُمْ مِّنْ دُوْنِ اللهِ مِنْ وَّلِیٍّ وَّ لَا نَصِیْرٍ

You have no Protecting Friend, no any helper besides Allah.[13]

They have forgotten Allah Ta‘ala. Two Rabbs cannot reside in one heart. At times they even call out: “Ya ‘Ali Madad!” (O ‘Ali help!) instead of “Allah Akbar”. This is the actions and beliefs of those who prostrate before Allah five or six times a day daily saying: “You alone do we worship, and You alone do we ask for help.”

Their tongues continue to say: “You alone do we ask for help”

While their foreheads remain in prostration before their idols

Distressing indeed is their state of affairs! They do not practice upon what they say. This is the reality, which is impossible to deny. There is a poem, often recited by many Sunnis, but consists of the ‘aqidah of the Shia:

How comforting it is to know that ‘Ali is also one of the names of Allah.

He is the staff of the guide. The sword of the youth. The protector of children.

Has Allah Ta‘ala ever instructed one to call upon Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu in times of difficulty and hardship, in place of Himself? The Qur’an has explicitly stated in clear words:

وَلَا تَدْعُ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللهِ مَا لَا یَنْفَعُکَ وَلَا یَضُرُّکَ

Do not call upon any being who cannot benefit nor harm you.[14]

Did Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam ever order anyone to call on Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu instead of Allah? Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu himself instructed them not to call unto him but to call unto Allah? They have taken Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu to be Allah and if it had been him then they would have taken someone else.

The Shia believe that the light Nabi Musa ‘alayh al Salam saw on Mount Tur was the Nur (spiritual light) of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu and when Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam reached the ‘Arsh of Allah then Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu was the veil between Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and Allah. In essence, they believe that wherever the word Rabb appears in the Qur’an it refers to Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, yet they claim to be believers. One Shia boasted that his shirk in the wilayah of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu is equal to iman.

وَمَا یُؤْمِنُ اَكْثَرُهُمْ بِاللهِ اِلَّا وَهُمْ مُّشْرِكُوْنَ

Most of them believe in Allah in such a manner that they still ascribe partners to Him.[15]

When any person departs on a journey then his friends and relatives will carry an exquisite banner with the words: “Al Imam Damin”. A student of the Hanafi school of thought was going to England for higher education and his friends and relatives gathered at the station, carrying the banner: “Al Imam Damin”. Not long ago a highly respected educated Sunni was leaving for hajj and accompanying him was a large group of people, all carrying placards with the words: “Al Imam Damin”. These were his Sunni relatives and wives carrying the banners. In this regard many Sunni and Shia are similar in their beliefs. In their customs of engagements, etc, the banner “Al Imam Damin” is placed near the groom. Al Imam Damin means we hand you over to the Imam, who will protect you. It has no link to Allah Ta‘ala at all nor does He have any role to play in his protection, Allah Ta‘ala forbid. This Shirk is spreading and entering every home, becoming a part of one’s belief. People do not even perceive it to be wrong, thus making its removal even more difficult.

 

Propaganda

It seems that ‘Abdullah ibn Saba’ was the one who perfected propaganda. It has proven to be an extremely useful agent. The disciples of Ibn Saba’ also proved to be experts in using propaganda to their advantage. It has been used throughout the centuries by various of their leaders to overthrow governments. In calling upon the Tar-tars, thousands of Muslims were massacred, the blood of which flowed above the ankles in the streets of Baghdad.

Let us examine a simple example: Two beggars might have come and recited the poem “‘Aziz wa Haqq Ta‘ala Kibriya Hai” at your door. This is said to refer to a mu‘jizah (miracle) of the family of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. It describes the miracle of Imam Hassan radiya Llahu ‘anhu and Imam Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu. It is a baseless and fabricated tale but there probably is not a city or town where such false tales are not read. Mu‘jizat (miracles) only become apparent at the hands of the Prophets but the Shia believe that the A’immah possess all the miracles of the previous Prophets. Through their worldwide propaganda, their false beliefs are made known and the religion of the Shia is propagated.

Many Sunnis without realising, light fireworks in celebration on the night of Shab–e Bara’ah (15 Sha‘ban). This is an age-old custom of the Shia as they believe that this was the night that their Twelfth Imam was born.

The tenth of Muharram is another one of the great propagandas of the Shia. Mourning on this day has become a common practice. Every year some skirmish must ensue with the Hindus on this day. People are injured and some even killed but who? The Sunnis! The Shia religion is being propagated but the Sunnis are imprisoned. Still the enthusiasm of the mourners are not curbed. In fact, the Sunnis have begun mourning on this day more than the Shia. The majority of Sunni ‘ulama, except a few whom Allah has kept steadfast, speak very little about the bid‘ah (innovation) of mourning on this day, as they fear for their position and recognition in society, yet they still claim that Allah Ta‘ala has revealed with regards to them:

وَلْتَكُنْ مِّنْكُمْ اُمَّۃٌ یَّدْعُوْنَ اِلَی الْخَیْرِ وَیَاْمُرُوْنَ بِالْمَعْرُوْفِ

There should be a group from you (the ‘ulama and those adequately trained for this purpose) who invite towards good, command what is right…[16]

But after this more follows:

وَیَنْہَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْکَرِ ؕ وَاُولٰٓئِکَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُوْنَ

and forbid (others from) evil. These are indeed the successful ones.

Brothers! Along with inviting towards good, forbidding evil is also necessary. Yes, one must use wisdom and tact but remaining silent is incorrect.

May Allah Ta‘ala reward Molana Muhammad Ilyas rahimahu Llah abundantly, who turned the attention of the servants of Allah towards the compulsory responsibility of calling to good and forbidding evil in the correct manner.

Molana rahimahu Llah mentioned a unique form of forbidding evil; to place the masses in a correct environment for a short period of time. In this manner they will not have access to the causes of evil and as a result it will not arise.

Nevertheless, forbidding evil is compulsory in all instances.

In the din of Islam some things are root issues (primary) and others its branch (secondary issues). ‘Aqidah (beliefs) are the primary and a‘mal (acts of worship) are secondary. If the root is dead then the branches too will die and if the root is healthy then the entire plant will be healthy, if the branches were to die then it will not affect the root in any way. If the ‘aqidah is corrupt then regardless of how excellent the a‘mal may be, it is futile in the salvation of the soul and if the ‘aqidah is correct but the a‘mal wrong then one can still hope for salvation.

 

Ibn Saba’s second assault was on nubuwwah

Tauhid and nubuwwah are the fundamental aspects of Islam and this why Ibn Saba’ first attacked tauhid. His success in this avenue only encouraged him to advance his objectives. The courage of his agents also spurred him on further. He discovered that the minds of people were ready to accept such beliefs. When people were ready to accept that one of the helpless creation of Allah is Allah himself, then one could easily hope that they would believe anything. This is why he attacked the belief of nubuwwah next and strained himself in this regard. After much deliberation, he formulated the belief of Imamah to tear down the Muslim belief of nubuwwah. If one has to study the text of Rijal al Kashi, the reference of which has already passed, one will discover that Ibn Saba’ is the first person to claim that belief in the Imamah of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu is compulsory. When one searches for the origins of the belief of Imamah it stops at Ibn Saba’. There is no evidence that there was anyone else even born at that time who claimed that belief in Imamah was compulsory. After you examine the beliefs, actions and behaviour of his disciples then you will agree with me in saying that he was more successful in his second assault on nubuwwah than he was in the first. The Shia have a relationship with Rasulullah radiya Llahu ‘anhu similar to that of two people who meet after a very long time and think that they might have seen each other before. The reality is that there remained no necessity for them to maintain a link to Rasulullah radiya Llahu ‘anhu while they have the belief in their A’immah. The practical results of this has been that they have been greatly distanced from Rasulullah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, such that they rush to pay respect to the shrines in Karbala, Najaf and Mashad, etc, and even regard it as a replacement for hajj, but they show no regard for Madinah Munawwarah and Masjid al Nabawi. When there remains no link to the teachings and life of Rasulullah radiya Llahu ‘anhu then how can there be any love for him.

Ibn Saba’ was well acquainted with the mental aptitude of man. He knew the weaknesses of people and understood what would appeal to which person. He knew where to begin and with which group to start laying the seeds for his new belief, and like this he would traverse the various stages required to reach his ultimate objective.

People are not easily convinced to abandon their old beliefs and accept something new. If you want to take something away from someone then you have to give him something else in return, and at the same time convince him that what you are giving him is better then what he had. This why Ibn Saba’ had to employ a lot of tack and cunning in order to make people accept his new ‘aqidah.

Ibn Saba’ had gained much repute amongst the people, with some even praising his knowledge and piety. This is why it was easier for him than it would have been for any other stranger. Still fearing that he would fall while travelling this treacherous path, he continued to crawl and keep to the ground. He had to present the belief of Imamah in an entirely different manner. If he had to present the belief in its entirety all at once then it was highly possible that they would be outraged and would ponder before accepting it or even reject it outright, which would defeat his entire plan. This is why he first spread the belief that every nabi had an advisor, who shared in the secrets of nubuwwah. Nabi Musa’s ‘alayh al Salam advisor was Yusha‘ ibn Nun and in a similar manner the advisor of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Thereafter, he spread the belief that after the nabi there is a need for an imam, who will be the substitute of the nabi and after Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu is the Imam. After this belief caught on, he took it a step further and explained that the position of the advisor is the same as that of nabi, such that wahi (revelation) is sent to him and that he also possesses all the miracles of the previous Prophets. The Imam is ma‘sum (infallible), just as a nabi and it is compulsory on all Muslims to obey him. The Imam is a pillar of din and just as it is compulsory to bring iman in nubuwwah so too is it compulsory to bring iman in Imamah. Whoever does not believe in Imamah is not a Muslim. Sayyidina ‘Ali’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu status is the same as that of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Those who object to the decisions of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu are like those who object to the decisions of Allah and His Rasul. Allah Ta‘ala selects the Imam just as he selects the Prophets. He was still not satisfied with all of this so he added that it is incumbent upon Allah Ta‘ala that He not allow the world to remain without an Imam until Qiyamah. This later became the foundation for the belief that the twelfth Imam (or Imam al Gha’ib) was born and is taking refuge in a cave for the past thirteen hundred years. (Regardless how weak or baseless this belief might be it continues to remain the fundamental belief of this religion.) The number of A’immah cannot exceed twelve as Allah Ta‘ala has appropriated this number. However, the eleventh Imam- Hassan al ‘Askari rahimahu Llah, passed away issueless. Now what will you do? To solve this problem they claim that he was not issueless and that he had a son, who went missing. The story of his birth is also illogical just as the story of him going missing is. To them believing in his existence is necessary, whether he is able to guide anyone or not or even if his existence and non-existence is the same. The Imam just as a nabi is the most exalted from amongst his people. Until this point the aspect of Imamah was kept the same as that of nubuwwah. However, Ibn Saba’ was not satisfied with this only, as his objective was still incomplete. It should be borne in mind that Ibn Saba’ himself did not have iman in nubuwwah nor Imamah. You have already read that he intentionally invented the lie of receiving divine inspiration, claiming Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu was Allah and despite the finality of nubuwwah, falsely claimed to be nabi. He possessed no fear of Allah nor respect for Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Some people go insane and then claim to be a god or even a nabi but Ibn Saba’ was not insane. Whatever he did or said he did intentionally for a specific purpose. Islam had disgraced him and his people, which resulted in him becoming an enemy of Islam, who sought revenge against the din that had disgraced him. He intended to inflict severe damage against the din of Islam. In the end he was unable to harm Islam in the least but he did lead many people astray. According to him Allah, the Rasul and the Imam were all one. He used the issue of Imamah to lead people away from the straight path and to separate them from the main jama’ah (group) of the Muslims. In this manner they will be divided and weakened. Their pure code of beliefs will become polluted. This would be success to him and only this would console his heart.

He desired that the aspect of Imamah to become so elevated and important that the entire issue of nubuwwah will be eclipsed. People will begin to regard nubuwwah as trivial and useless, and thereafter have no regard for it. He taught his disciples that the Imam has the knowledge of the past, present and future. You know full well that even a nabi does not have knowledge of the past and future. Only Allah Ta‘ala is the knower of the unseen. The nabi is only aware of those events which Allah Ta‘ala informs him off.

He taught his disciples that amongst the authorities that the Imam possesses is that he is able to declare something that is haram as halal and vice versa. This is a very wide authority. It is the ‘aqidah of the Muslims that after the demise of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, no person has the authority to declare as halal that which Allah and His Rasul declared to be haram or to declare as haram that which Allah and His Rasul declared as halal. Whatever Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam has declared as halal or haram will always remain as such, in the same manner as that which Allah Ta‘ala has declared as halal or haram. However, no Imam has the right or authority to declare anything as halal or haram of his own accord.

If this was the case then there would remain no need for the Qur’an or Sunnah, and the blessed ahadith of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam would have no meaning.

اِتَّخَذُوْۤا اَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَہُمْ اَرْبَابًا مِّنْ دُوْنِ اللهِ وَالْمَسِیْحَ ابْنَ مَرْیَمَ ۚ وَ مَاۤ اُمِرُوْۤا اِلَّا لِیَعْبُدُوْۤا اِلٰـہًا وَّاحِدًا ۚ لَاۤ اِلٰہَ اِلَّا هُوَ ؕ سُبْحٰنَہٗ عَمَّا یُشْرِكُوْنَ

They take their Rabbis and their monks as gods besides Allah (by accepting what they declare as halal and haram), and Masih- the son of Maryam, as well. However, they were commanded to worship only Allah the one Ilah (Allah). There is no Ilah besides Him. He is Pure from all that they ascribe as partners to Him.[17]

Because this contradicts tauhid and closely resembles shirk, Allah Ta‘ala did not accept people revering their ‘ulama and masha’ikh (plural of sheikh) to such an extent that all their actions and sayings are equated to the decree of Allah. However, the Shia sect have abandoned Allah and preferred their A’immah in His place. Sayyidina ‘Adi ibn Hatim radiya Llahu ‘anhu when hearing this verse said to Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam that the Jews and Christians did not worship their Rabbis and Monks. Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam replied: “Yes they did not worship them but whatever their Rabbis declared as haram they readily accepted and whatever their Rabbis declared as halal they readily accepted, whereas no one has the authority to declare things as halal and haram except Allah.” A nabi will declare what is halal and haram according to the decree of Allah. He is infallible and besides the Prophets no other is infallible. The Jews and Christians declared their Rabbis to be infallible and thus made them their gods, abandoning Allah and his Rasul. They flung the decrees of Allah and His Rasul behind their backs and followed the sayings of their Rabbis and monks.

Ibn Saba’ was a Jew, his heart was also Jewish and his purpose the same; that is to set the Muslims on such a path wherein they will have no practical link with the Qur’an and hadith. If there is some link then it will merely be for names sake and will eventually bear no weight when pitted against the opinion of the imam. If one studies the conditions of the disciples of Ibn Saba’, he will discover that this is exactly what has transpired. If one ponders over the harms of granting everybody the authority to declare halal and haram then he will discover how far-reaching its harms actually are. Anybody will be able to create whatever law he desires, whenever he wishes. The beliefs of the Shia contradict the order of Allah and His Rasul, whereas any belief which Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam did not endorse is baseless and disregarded. No action which is contrary to the Sunnah of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam can be accepted. No person can gain the pleasure of Allah Ta‘ala until he outwardly and inwardly follows Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. However, the Shia have abandoned Allah Ta‘ala, Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, the Noble Qur’an and the ahadith of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and in its place they have accepted Ibn Saba’ as their true guide. They accepted his teachings and practiced upon it. They accepted the imam as infallible and without any verification, accepted everything that was ascribed to their A’immah, whereas it was never said by them in the first place.

Another belief of the Shia is that the imam has the ability to revive the dead. We would like to know what is the proof of this. It is not mentioned anywhere in the Qur’an and hadith; so where has this been derived from? My brothers! They have even snatched away the authority of Allah Ta‘ala. The list of authorities and qualities which they believe the imam to possess is lengthy indeed and unnecessary to mention. I will mention one more and thereafter conclude this discussion. They believe that the imam has the choice of his own life and death. Look at the level to which they have elevated their A’immah! Now you can decide for yourself if there remains any need for nubuwwah when one believes in Imamah.

Ibn Saba’ made two assaults and was successful in both. He completely removed the beliefs of tauhid and nubuwwah from the hearts of his disciples. His efforts continue to be successful to this very day. One should not forget that in trying to establish the belief of Imamah, such laws and narrations were fabricated and ascribed to the A’immah, which they never said nor ever had knowledge of.

Islam is the most level headed of all the world’s religions. The beliefs which Islam has regarding Allah, the Prophets and pious servants of Allah is most fair and level headed. Islam does not contain the extremism which the Christians have towards their Prophets and pious servants, whereby they have elevated them to the status of Allah, even though Allah ordered them to worship one Allah and that there is none worthy of worship besides him. Islam does not also contain the extremism of the Jews, who belittled and disrespected their Prophets. The Jews would falsely accuse the Prophets and those who encouraged them to do good of being liars and committing witchcraft; becoming their ardent enemies. If any nabi came to them with any law which they did not like or found to be difficult, they would reject him or even kill him.

Muslims bring iman in all of Allah Ta‘ala’s Prophets and praise them. They follow the Noble Qur’an and as a result they neither worship them nor take them as their Rabb.

The Shia have adopted the path of extremism and have elevated Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu and a few of their A’immah to such an extent that they regard them as equal to Allah. They call to them in their times of difficulty and need, and regard them as the fulfillers of their desires. They seek aid from them, they supplicate to them and as a result have abandoned Allah and taken their A’immah as objects of worship.

 

The advice of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu

My friends! If you truly love Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, then are you not aware that love without obedience is false. What is worse is that your ‘ulama have not related to you the important advices of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. It is confusing why they have not done so. The book Nahj al Balaghah is a distinguished and recognised book according to the Shia. It contains the sayings of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. I wish to relate to all Shia an important advice of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, which is reported in this book. The translation is as follows:

Very soon two groups will be destroyed because of their feelings towards me. One will be those whose intense love for me will lead them off the path of truth and the other will be those whose intense hatred towards me will lead them off the path of truth. The best opinion regarding me is the middle path. Therefore you should adhere to it and not separate yourselves from the main jama‘ah because whoever separates himself from people becomes prey for Shaitan, just as a sheep who strays from the flock becomes a meal for the wolf. Whoever invites you towards this (deviating from the main jama‘ah) you should kill him, even if it be myself.

With what potent words has Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu emphasised this important point. No ‘alim or mujtahid can deny the authenticity of this narration of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. You can research it for yourself and thereafter you should ponder over the reality of the Shia religion.

My brothers! If you truly and deeply love Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, then why do you not act in accordance with his advice? Why have you separated yourselves from the main jama‘ah of the Muslims? You are guilty of dividing the Muslims and in creating your own sect you have disobeyed the command of Allah Ta‘ala as well. In addition, Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu has ordered you to adopt the middle path, which is a fundamental principle of Islam, but you have chosen extremism and not only believe him to be the fulfiller of needs and great protector but have made him into a god as well. The result of your actions is that the prediction of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu has come to pass and you have become the first group which he has described. Ibn Saba’ attempted to lead you astray and you were. You obeyed him and became his disciples, instead of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. The crux of the entire problem is that people continue to follow the religion of their forefathers blindly and never ponder for themselves if it is the truth or not.

You can still ponder over the advice of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu and if your love for him is true then you can still repent and act in accordance with his advice. We will now return to the history once again.

 

NEXT⇒ The efforts of Ibn Saba’ against the Caliphate of Sayyidina ‘Uthman

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[1] At the time when this book was written, Pakistan had not yet come into being and India was under British rule.

[2] Surah Al ‘Imran: 112

[3] Surah al Baqarah: 61

[4] Surah al Baqarah: 146

[5] Surah al Baqarah: 7

[6] Surah al Ma’idah: 82

[7] Surah al Qasas: 85

[8] Surah al Ma’idah: 55

[9] Surah al Nisa: 59

[10] The actual text as it appears in Nahj al–Balaghah, vol. 2 pg. 97, and is as follows:

فقد قال الله تعالى لقوم احب ارشادهم يا ايها الذين امنوا اطيعوا الله و اطيعوا الرسول و اولى الامر منكم فان تنازعتم فى شيء فردوه الى الله و الرسول فالردالى الله الاخذ بمحكم كتاب و الرد الى الرسول الاخذ بسنة الجامعة غير المفرقة

Allah Ta‘ala has said to those people who He intended to be guided: “ O you who have iman! Obey Allah, obey the Rasul salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and those in command among you. If you dispute regarding any matter, then refer it to Allah and the Rasul salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.” “Refer to Allah” means to derive a solution from the Qur’an and “Refer to the Rasul” means to act upon the undisputed Sunnah of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and not the Sunnah which is disputed.

The meaning of the Sunnah which is disputed has been explained in the sub-notes of Nahj al Balaghah, to be that in which there is a difference of opinion regarding it being the Sunnah of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. The benefit of this saying of Sayyidina ‘Ali t is that it explains the meaning of Ahlus Sunnah wa l-Jama‘ah, that they are those people who adhere to the complete Sunnah of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

[11]The aspect of Imamah being a hidden secret has already been discussed in the narration of Imam al Baqir rahimahu Llah in the previous page. The actual words of that narration are as follows in Al–Kafi, page 487 (printed in Lakhnow):

قال ابو جعفر عليه السلام ولاية الله اسرها الى جبريل و اسرها جبريل الى محمد صلى الله عليه و سلم و اسرها محمد الى علي عليه السلام و اسرها علي الى من مثله و انتم تذيعون

[12] Surah Bani Isra’il: 81

[13] Surah al Shura: 31

[14] Surah Yunus: 106

[15] Surah Yusuf: 106

[16] Surah Al ‘Imran: 104

[17] Surah al Taubah: 31