Taqiyyah

Fear for one’s life or one’s health is not a prerequisite for the permissibility of Taqiyyah (dissimulation) but according to what has been reported from Imam al Baqir rahimahu Llah, it may be practised for whatever need one has. Each person is well acquainted with what he requires, so the right to perform Taqiyyah will be based upon his discretion.

In essence, there is complete freedom to practice Taqiyyah with no restrictions or conditions. Overtime Taqiyyah has become part of one’s daily routine and conversations with those one knows and with others. It has become so embedded that one resorts to Taqiyyah without a second thought. When a person does not understand an act to be a vice but rather a virtue and noble act, then what is there to prevent him from perpetrating it without restraint. In reality, Taqiyyah is the root of all evil.

Shia regard all these vices to be noble acts such that speaking the truth and sincerity in deed are non-existent. However, when it is such an issue that cannot be resolved without speaking the truth, then matters become complicated and they take oaths upon oaths to justify themselves. When they need to emphasise their point they blatantly say: “I take an oath by Allah, I say this without Taqiyyah.”

Even they do not trust themselves. If only they would understand that saying you are not making Taqiyyah does not provide confidence in the least.

Another name for Taqiyyah is lying and dishonesty. One of the greatest proofs that the Shia present repeatedly for the permissibility of this dishonesty is that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam spoke lies, the Imams spoke lies and this too in such a condition where there was no fear for their lives or security. These allegations are utterly baseless. Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu and the other Imams did not propagate Shia beliefs in secret and outwardly pose as Sunnis because they feared for their lives. They claim that Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, under the pretext of Taqiyyah, continued to perform the five salah behind Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu, Sayyidina ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu and Sayyidina ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu for many years, despite knowing that they were all kafir, murtad and munafiq. Allah forbid! Under the pretext of Taqiyyah he gave them good council during their caliphate and continued to praise them throughout his life, even during his caliphate, when he had no fear for his life. They state that Zayn al ‘Abidin rahimahu Llah, Imam al Baqir rahimahu Llah as well as Imam Jafar al Sadiq rahimahu Llah continued to praise the first three khulafa, under the pretext of Taqiyyah. One angle of Taqiyyah is what the Shia have presented it to be and the other angle is what the rest of the world terms as the major sin of deceit. It is seen as an appalling character flaw. A liar has no standing in the eyes of society. Their testimony is not accepted and Allah curses such people. Is it possible to believe that Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam instructed the people to adopt Taqiyyah or in other words to be deceitful?

Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was most truthful and earned the titles of Al Amin (the trustworthy) and Al Sadiq (the truthful). Even before nubuwwah, Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was addressed by these titles. Al Sadiq refers to that person who is honest in his speech, actions, mind-set and intention. Both the disbelievers and the enemies of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam acknowledge his honesty and is a substantial proof for the nubuwwah of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in the sense that a person who never spoke a lie in his life will never speak a lie against Allah Ta’ala by falsely claiming to have been sent as a rasul by Allah.

قُلْ لَّوْ شَآءَ اللهُ مَا تَلَوْتُہٗ عَلَیْكُمْ وَلَاۤ اَدْرٰىكُمْ بِہٖ ۫ۖ فَقَدْ لَبِثْتُ فِیْكُمْ عُمُرًا مِّنْ قَبْلِہٖ ؕ اَفَلَا تَعْقِلُوْنَ

Say (to the kuffar, O Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam): “If Allah willed, I would not have recited it (the Qu’ran) to you, nor would He have informed you about it. I have already lived a great portion of my life among you (during which time I have not been able to tell you anything similar to the Qu’ran. It is therefore clear that the Qu’ran is not my speech, but the revealed word of Allah) Do you understand?”[1]

So will you now say that this is the teaching of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu? Allah forbid! Why do you slander him? Fear Allah! One day we are all going to leave this world and stand before Allah and Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu will also be present. Will you say that this is the teachings of the Imams, who were true gems of honesty and whom you claim to be sinless but on the other hand you say that they not only encouraged others to deceive but deceived others themselves and preached that which was contrary to their real beliefs?

Allah Ta’ala says to the believers:

یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللهَ وَكُوْنُوْا مَعَ الصّٰدِقِیْنَ

O you who have iman! Fear (the punishment of) Allah (by doing good and abstaining from sin) and stay (associate) with the truthful.[2]

The belief of the Shia is in total contradiction of this verse. They do not fear Allah in the least and become amongst those who deceive and lie. Lying is such a terrible flaw in a person that if anyone were to call you a liar, your face would become red with rage. However, the belief of the Shia is that whoever does not perform Taqiyyah (in other words lie and deceive) is void of iman and out of the fold of Islam. Just look at the deception of the Shia religion, how it has transformed hundreds of faults and sins into virtue and righteousness and how they encourage this through various manners.

The reformation of the entire world is possible but the reformation of the followers of this religion, who regard their faults and bad character as praiseworthy, can never be reformed. Some people are such that if they discover the straight path then they will never traverse it but if they come across the path of deviation then they adopt that path immediately. Let me relate to you a story with a deep moral lesson.

In southern India, the Hindus would present their young daughters, in the thousands, in the service of the temple. This evil custom continued for many years. These poor girls would then become the property of the worshippers and parishioners. The council tried very hard to rectify this but many educated and learned Hindus objected to this reformation as it was seen as against the teachings of their religion. This evil and wicked custom was adorned with the reverence of worship and maintained. How sad indeed is the condition of man.

The Shia do not only consider outright deception as virtuous but regard it as a vital act of worship. The character and religious ideals of the Shia are entirely different from the entire world. That which is seen as a fault is regarded as a meritorious act of worship according to the Shia.

They have resort to a cheap trick whereby they present the fabricated narrations ascribed to Imam Jafar al Sadiq and Imam al Baqir, which they had no knowledge of whatsoever, as proof for every evil custom they wish to condone. They say that din consists of ten parts and nine parts comprise of Taqiyyah. Whoever does not practice Taqiyyah is void of iman. Imam al Baqir has been reported to have said by the Shia: “Taqiyyah is my din and the din of my father and grandfather. Whoever does not perform Taqiyyah has no iman.” Imam Jafar has been reported to have said by the Shia: “If I were to say that the person who abandons Taqiyyah is like the person who abandons salah then I would be speaking the truth.”

This means that Taqiyyah is fard in the same manner that salah is compulsory. The only difference being that the one who does not practice Taqiyyah is void of iman. The meaning of these narrations would be that it is compulsory to speak lies and a major sin to speak the truth. What excellent teachings these are! Sin has become meritorious and virtue has become a sin. Hundreds of narrations have been fabricated in the names of these two Imams, whereas they are not responsible for a single one of them. What love is displayed for these Imams and see the manner in which they are revered. Thus, whenever any Shia presents a narration of these two Imams to justify any of his deviant beliefs then you must know immediately that it is a fabrication and not the words of any of these Imams.

If Taqiyyah was the din of Imam al Baqir, his father and his grandfather, and it is fard in the same manner that salah is fard, with the exception that the one who abandons Taqiyyah has no iman then I wish to know why Sayyidina Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu did not practice Taqiyyah at Karbala and just pledge his allegiance to Yazid. There was a definite need to do so at that time. His life and wealth was at stake, with an entire army thirsty for his blood and no aid or ally was coming to his aid. All the Shia from Kufah had turned against him and Imam Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu was witnessing treachery with his very own eyes. He addressed them saying: “Did you not hear Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saying that my brother and I are the leaders of the youth in Jannat. If what I say is true, and it is definitely true because from the day I was born to this very day I have never spoken a lie, then are you justified in lifting your naked swords towards me. Did you not write to me saying that the fruit has ripened, the land become fertile, and that the rivers were overflowing their banks, and that I should come quickly?” They replied that they never wrote any letters. Sayyidina Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu replied: “Subhan Allah! What deception! I take an oath by Allah, you did write to me. O people! Since you do not desire me then it is better that you leave me. I will return to where I came.” As he said this the enemy advanced upon him. He, along with his young children and wives had to face a difficult trial but even in this difficult time, neither he nor any of his companions thought of practicing Taqiyyah. He sacrificed his life for the truth and was ready to sacrifice the lives of many others with him. According to the belief of the Shia this would mean that he abandoned a fard by not adopting Taqiyyah and as a result, Allah forbid, was cast out of Islam and void of iman. Did the grandson of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, who sacrificed his life and the lives of his companions for the truth, not know of the importance of Taqiyyah? The truth is that these esteemed personalities would rather face death then resort to Taqiyyah.

In essence, the practice of Taqiyyah did not exist during the lifetime of Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu or during the time of Sayyidina Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu nor any of the Imams after them. These along with the many other sinful and shameless practices were invented by Ibn Saba’ and his agents to justify the performance of sin and to provide answers to the various intricate questions they were faced with. Whenever they were unable to substantiate any of their claims, Taqiyyah became their answer.

There are many objections to the Shia religion but Taqiyyah always come to the rescue. A few simple objections to the Shia religion are as follows:

1) If all three of the previous khulafa were kafir, murtad and munafiq, then why did Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu pledge his allegiance to them despite him being a true believer, pious and brave?

The answer: – Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu was practicing Taqiyyah.

2) If Sayyidina ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu wrongfully declared Mut’ah, which is a meritorious act of worship, as haram during his caliphate then why did Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu not declare it to be halal during his caliphate?

The answer: – Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu was practicing Taqiyyah.

3) If the Sahabah altered the actual Qu’ran but Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu concealed the actual Qu’ran with him then why did he not refute the alterations of the Sahabah and present the actual Qu’ran to the people? Which has resulted in the actual Qu’ran being lost to all to this day and the altered Qu’ran being present in every home.

The answer: – Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu was practicing Taqiyyah.

4) If Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu deprived Sayyidah Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha of the garden in Fadak and it was not given to her or any of her inheritors by any of the previous three khulafa, then why did Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu not give it to her inheritors when he became khalifah and instead abided by the decision of the previous three khulafa?

The answer: – Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu was practicing Taqiyyah.

5) It is reported in Nahj al Balaghah that Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu wrote to Sayyidina Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu and stated: “The previous three khulafa were the most beloved and were appointed by the Muhajirin and Ansar. The road that the Muhajirin and Ansar are upon is the road of the believers and it is compulsory to kill the one who strays from this path. I too was chosen by the Muhajirin and Ansar.” Why did he did not say that my caliphate is proven from the Qu’ran?

The answer: – Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu was practicing Taqiyyah.

If Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu and the other Imams practised Taqiyyah such that they called themselves “Sunni” and even carried out the same acts as the Ahlus Sunnah, but their beliefs and teachings were actually contrary to this and they only acted like this when before the Ahlus Sunnah and were Shia only before other Shia, then how do we know what was there true belief? It can then be said that they were still on the religion of their forefathers and were merely portraying to be Muslim. In this case there salah, fasting and hajj would have no weight because they could have been doing all of this out of Taqiyyah. Please answer this, O Shia, if you are able to do so.

In reality, there is no reply for these objections and we are therefore forced to conclude that the claim that Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu and the Imams practised Taqiyyah is a false allegation against these pure personalities.

The cousin of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam– Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, the husband of the queen of Jannat, the father of Sayyidina Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu, one who remained in the blessed company of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, an accepted servant of Allah, courageous, pious, Allah Fearing, the one whom Allah Ta’ala has given glad tidings of Jannat, whom Allah was pleased with and who was pleased with Allah, whose noble character was not only an example for Muslims but for the entire world has been portrayed to be such a demeaning person. He is accused of practicing Taqiyyah, of being a coward and deceptive. They say he did one thing and concealed something else in his heart. Outwardly he portrayed himself in one manner and concealed his true beliefs on the inside. He praised the three previous khulafa for thirty years despite knowing that they were kafir. He practised on the present Qur’an and adhered strictly to it whereas he did not have iman on it. It seems that they accuse him of being a hypocrite. Allah forbid! What love is this? Are you truly the friends of the Imams? You are most certainly the friends of Ibn Saba’ and his agents. You dishonour such esteemed personalities and yet remained pleased with yourselves. You do not even deserve to be called their foolish friends.

Taqiyyah has stained your hearts. Deception and dishonesty are extremely disgusting traits but to the Shia deception and dishonesty is meritorious. All people have respect for the deceased but the Shia still continue to besmear them.

They report from Imam Jafar al Sadiq rahimahu Llah that a munafiq passed away and Imam Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu joined his Janazah. On route he met a slave and enquired from him as to where he was headed. The slave replied that he was fleeing from the Janazah of this munafiq as he did not wish to participate in it. Sayyidina Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu replied to him: “Stand on my right and repeat after me.” When the first takbir was called out to begin the Janazah, Sayyidina Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu said the takbir and then made this du’a: “O Allah! Let your curse descend upon this person. A thousand curses all at once. O Allah! Disgrace this person amongst your other servants and in other cities. Throw him into the blazing fire and punish him most severely because he bore enmity to your friends and harboured malice for the family of your Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.”

What an excellent impression the Shia have created of Sayyidina Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu– their sinless Imam. He himself is deceiving the people and even teaching others to deceive. The poor slave was leaving but he forced him to remain behind and taught him the art of deception. If it was impermissible to perform the salah upon a munafiq then he should not have performed it. Instead he participated and silently invoked Allah’s curse upon the deceased. This is undoubtedly a loathsome act. The friends and relatives of the deceased were under the impression that the beloved Imam was supplicating on behalf of the deceased, whereas in reality he is invoking the curse of Allah on him. Indeed Taqiyyah is a despicable practice. How can one follow such a religion wherein its leaders are reported to behave in such a dreadful manner.

Are you ready to accept for even a moment that a noble, pious and devout personality such as Sayyidina Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu would act in such a terrible manner. Allah forbid! But the behaviour of the Shia is so corrupt that they are unable to differentiate between good and bad. In trying to justify the practice of Taqiyyah they never stopped to see the manner in which they have degraded the Imams. It is uncertain with what face they will present themselves before Allah Ta’ala, Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and Imam Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Deceiving and conspiring is not the manner of the lowest ranking Muslim then how can it be that of these esteemed personalities? The character of the Shia religion leads one to committing major sins. Such a religion should remain in the darkness so that it will forever remain hidden. This is probably the reason why the founders of this religion stressed on keeping it a secret.

Until now we mentioned the vilification of Sayyidina Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu now we will mention the slander they have fabricated against his beloved mother- Sayyidah Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha and his father- Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, under the pretext of sympathising with them. The incident is reported to have occurred when Sayyidah Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha returned home distraught and heartbroken, after hearing the decision of Sayyidina Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu regarding the garden in Fadak. It should be noted that the entire incident regarding the garden of Fadak is a fairy-tale. Its entire basis is one fabricated narration. The Shia have fabricated many ahadith ascribed to Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in this regard as well. The gist of this narration, wherein Sayyidah Fatimah vents her anger upon Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu is as follows:

Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha returned home and ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu was awaiting her return. When she sat she addressed ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu angrily saying: “You are sitting here in silence like a child in the womb of its mother. You hide in this house like one who has stolen and now hidden himself. Everyone’s eyes are shut. No one wishes to assist me and I have no helper. I left here angry and have returned heartbroken. You have disgraced yourself ever since you relinquished your right. The wolves are ripping me apart and carrying me of yet you do not move from your place. How I wish that I had died before this disgrace and humiliation.”[3]

Even the disbelievers who have studied the lives of Sayyidah Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha and Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu will never believe that these offensive words could have ever been said by Sayyidah Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha, let alone to Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. For such words to emanate from that noble woman who was raised in the home of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, who was nursed by the pure Umm al Mu’minin Sayyidah Khadijah radiya Llahu ‘anha, who was cultured in the era when the people had the best of characters, whose personality was an example for the entire world, the very same woman who was called the queen of Jannat, the same beloved daughter of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam for whom he would stand when she arrived to visit him, the ultimate example for all Muslim women on how they should treat their husbands, and then be directed to one as pious and honoured as the companion of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam– Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu– her beloved husband, is not only illogical but absolutely impossible.

A woman from a common household will not even dare to speak to her husband in this manner and even a man considered lowly in society will not tolerate his wife speaking to him in this manner. It becomes known that the home in which this imaginary conversation occurred was a thousand miles away from Madinah and the noble traits of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had not yet reached its household.

The students of Ibn Saba’ even surpassed their mentor, who left no stone unturned for the success of his plan. In trying to destroy the foundations of Islam they painted a terrible picture indeed of the most noble personalities of Islam. How blind can the Shia be, that they never express their disgust at such narrations. Do they truly believe that Ibn Saba’ and his agents had noble intentions? If they do then they are undoubtedly caught in a web of deception.

You have read a brief history regarding Ibn Saba’. He was a Jew, a kafir, an enemy of Allah and His Rasul salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and an enemy of Islam. He spent a great deal of his life working towards the destruction of Islam. Gauge for yourself, whether the beliefs he or his students propagated are in accordance with the teachings of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam or not. The most annoying aspect of this is that these enemies of Islam have disgraced and tarnished the names of the Imams and other esteemed personalities in achieving their objective. They have portrayed them as the worst examples of humanity. Many of the Shia do not understand this deception and speak ill of their pious predecessors, whereas in reality it is such obvious deception. They just do not understand it and if you say they are foolish, they become angry.

Ibn Saba’ and his agents have robbed these people of their iman in such a manner that it seems as if they never possessed any.

As soon as one enters the Shia religion, his mind-set is changed. Taqiyyah and Mut’ah become the means of earning reward and ascending the stages of the akhirah.

Deception is the mother of all evils. It is not astonishing in the least that the character of a liar is such that he is attracted towards deceitful schemes and ruses, the manner of his daily conversation is different, because of honesty leaving him, straightforwardness is replaced with intricacy and artificiality, the simplest matters will require a lengthy introduction. He will say one thing and do another. His outer actions do not reflect what he believes in his heart. Inevitably he will become a coward and one who goes back on his word. These are all the effects of Taqiyyah. It is possible that there may be exceptions to the rule as is the case with everything. I invite all the perpetrators of Taqiyyah to ponder for a moment and be honest to yourselves, (how long will you continue to deny everything), which of these faults have you found to be in yourself?

Now you have learnt about the principles of the Shia religion but what is the core of this religion?

I will draw a diagram of it for you. If their entire religion comprised of ten parts then nine parts would consist of Taqiyyah and another name for Taqiyyah is deceit, which includes plotting, scheming, treachery, breach of trust, etc. The remaining part would comprise of Tabarra (absolving oneself from the Sahabah), Mut’ah, salah, fasting, and other aspects of din; with Mut’ah and Tabarra having the most virtue.

Mut’ah, Tabarrā

ṣalāh, fasting

other aspects of dīn

Taqiyyah which equals deceit

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NEXT⇒ The Qu’ran and its alteration

[1] Surah Yunus:16

[2] Surah al Taubah: 119

[3] Haqq al Yaqin

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