Reformation Steps

My projects for Reformation which I request the Shia Imamiyyah to participate in are condensed in the following points:

Selecting a group of men of knowledge and virtue to take up the task of sifting through books on [Shia] narrations and hadith; [revealing] those narrations that are falsely and incorrectly attributed to our Imams who are guides and rightly guided.

These are the narrations upon which the Guardian Jurists and Mujtahids take support to incorporate innovations, hollowness, and crookedness in our pure, pristine, illuminating religion. Indeed, these narrations played a destructive role in creating dissension and putting the Shia against the Ahlus Sunnah and vice versa. In these narrations, many aspects are found, all of which work in the favour of the Jurists and confirm their power over us. Likewise, I refer to those narrations that deal with Taqiyyah, Mut’ah, other concocted matters attributed to the Imams, and what appears in the book al Shia wa al Tashih ^[1]; this serious, mammoth project demands wealth and effort.

Sifting through the books alone will not mean anything except when the books are printed, after thorough revision and rectification, then distributed, so that the popular saying aptly applies: Quality currency removes bad currency from the market. These books exceed well beyond hundreds of large volumes. Without strong financial backing, nothing will be realised.

We composed the book: Fiqh al Sadiq to be a source for the Shia in fiqhi issues they are in need of. This book must be translated into Persian, Urdu, Hindi, Turkish, and English i.e., the languages spoken by the Shia in the world. Then, these translations must be published.

This is one of the most significant steps to free the Shia from servitude and ideological autocracy represented in their absolute following of the Ayatollahs, Hujaj al Islam (authorities on Islam), and Thiqat al Islam (reliable in Islam) according to the labels and titles these ayatollahs and authorities named themselves, and in which the Shia have no option.

Here I wish to elucidate on a grave matter. These titles were not common in the era of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, the pious predecessors, and the first Islamic generations. The title ayatollah is corrupted from a Magian title which the soothsayers would give to the kings of Persia, i.e., Zill Allah (lit. Shade of Allah). It was corrupted to ayatollah to become the title of the Guardian Jurists.

The Shia’s emulation and blind following of Imam al Sadiq ‘alayh al Salam precisely, without detours and evasions, is sounder for them and offering better guarantee for their world and Afterlife. Through this, we save the free Shia Imamiyyah from the ideological prison stretching for twelve centuries. The Guardian Jurists have hitherto enslaved the Shia on the sole basis of them being the transmitters of the Fiqh of Imam al Sadiq ‘alayh al Salam. Undoubtedly, it would be preferable and superior for the Shia to return directly to the original source without having to cough up the great oppressive tax the Guardians imposed upon them.

It is imperative to secure a permanent base to prepare promoters of the Reformation who would spread the concept. Musa al Musawi will die; however, the concept must remain alive without dying so that it bears fruit every year. This base ought to embrace between its walls a clergy and educated Shia who believe in the concept of reformation and constantly operate it following the steps I just indicated to as well as the upcoming steps. The concept of reformation must definitely not depend on one or two individuals. It is a message with grand burdens. It is necessary for it to be managed by a sincere group, generation after generation. This base could be situated in America, it could be situated in Canada, and it could be situated in Switzerland.

A questioner asks me, “Why should it not be in one of the Islamic countries because the call is to return to the era of Prophethood, what the pious predecessors were upon, and the Fiqh of the Ahlul Bayt?”

It is necessary to answer this question with one sentence. If I am able to obtain one hand span of earth in the spacious and extensive Islamic lands—which extend from the mountain pass of Jabal Tariq to the ocean of China—where I am able to articulate my message with freedom without police visiting me at the end of the night, or print a single booklet on reformation without an inspector passing by me, I would have chosen that space of earth. However, there is no power nor strength except with Allah.

It indents the soul of every believer in the message of reformation to see an imposing structure built with millions of dollars of Shia wealth in the heart of New York. It is a station to spread disunity and ethnicity firstly among the Shia, then between the Shia and other Islamic sects. In this manner, Shia wealth is spent improperly and incorrectly to demolish Islamic unity and disfigure the image of the Shia rather than spending it on Islamic unity, the benefit of the Muslims, and the projects of reformation.

I used to believe, and I remain firm on my belief, that when the affairs of the Shia of Iran are remedied, the affairs of the Shia in other parts of the world will be remedied. I would believe that when the Reformation takes its place in the hearts of the Shia of Iran, the Shia of others parts of the world will also take effect by the Reformation. Therefore, my concern and efforts are directed at extricating the Shia of Iran from the suffering they imposed and inflicted upon themselves. And since the atmospheres are closed tightly upon every concept that threatens the interests of the Religious Authority, the Reformation is unable to enter Iran except through the medium of the Shia living outside Iran who have connection with those inside through family, relatives, or business or the Shia who depart from Iran to meet their like and return to it.

The reformation needs a periodical in the languages spoken by the Shia: Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Hindi, and English. Publishing the periodical at the desired level requires a proper financial budget and this step is valuable. It needs the pens of distinguished reformers of the Shia and non-Shia as well. This project is one of the projects which advances the Reformation Movement and ought to be the starting point.

The committee of the Reformation Movement which comprises of distinguished individuals of the Shia who believe in the reformation would demand the setting up of an international conference, assembling the Shia clergy who associate with the concept of Reformation. We do not intend by clergy in our context just a religious man, a Jurist, or those who wear religious attire. Rather, every Shia scholar, in whichever field, and every Shia educated man, no matter what his specialisation and attire, who is aware of the sufferings afflicting the Shia over the passage of history due to the adulteration perpetrated by religious men in the pure, pristine, manifest belief system. Fixing a yearly conference of these distinguished Shia is a necessary affair to discuss the necessary steps to take for the Reformation. No doubt, every distinguished Shia who will attend this conference and return to his residence will be an ambassador for the Reformation Movement. Setting up this conference demands a huge budget which the sons and affluent Shia Jafariyyah must handle, seeing to all its requirements.

The affluent and rich Shia as well as active men who believe in the Reformation Movement are summoned to participate in the steps we wish to carry out, each in his capacity and according to his situation. Whoever Allah blesses to join in this project ought to thank and praise Allah for this. It contains goodness for the Shia, as a portion of the Islamic Ummah, and goodness for Islam in its general form. He ought to know that he is participating in helping the Ummah and freeing it ideologically, physically, and materialistically; not only for the generation he is a contemporary of, but for upcoming generations until the appearance of the Hour.

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[1] An English translation of this book can be downloaded from https://archive.org/details/shiahacriticalrevision/mode/2up

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