A COMPARISON OF THE ORIGIN AND STRUCTURE OF ISLAM AND SHI’ISM
There is one easy way of determining the authenticity of any sect that claims to be Muslim, and this is by investigating their origin and the legal structure of their religion.
| Basis of Islam | Basis of Shi’ism |
| * Started with the advent of Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam in 570 AC.
* It caught on primarily amongst the Arabs who were tutored well by Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam, and who then took the flag of Islam to all corners of the world.
* The life and achievements of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam and the Sahabah are well-documented as far as the planting and spreading of Islam is concerned. |
* Started with the false accepting of Islam by Abdullah ibn Saba, an erudite Jewish scholar, sometime during the latter part of Sayyadina ‘Uthman Radiallahu Anhu’s Caliphate.
It was meant to weaken Islam from within as the Jews, up to that stage, had failed to defeat the Muslims militarily. * It caught on primarily amongst the new Persian and Egyptian converts who were not well-grounded in faith. They all contributed towards the anarchy in the Muslim world and imported all their foreign ideas into it. * The role of ibn Saba and his devoted band of instigators like Malik al-Ashtar is well documented as far as their role in creating political turmoil, disunity and religious discord in Islam, even by Shi’ah scholars themselves! |
| * The first primary source is the present complete Qur’an which we have before us. It will be safeguarded from distortion until the Last Day. * Muslims believe it to be a perfect source of guidance, whose authority can never be cancelled or overridden. |
* The first primary source is the Qur’an which is fabricated and incomplete.
* Besides the Qur’an, there are various other scriptures like the Mushaf-e-Fatimi and the white and red Jifr (leather containers) which are not in our midst, but with the fictitious “hidden” Imam in the cave. |
| * The understanding and interpretation of the Qur’an follows strict principles known as ‘Ulum al- Qur’an. Anyone can learn these principles and understand Allah’s Word. There is no clergy in Islam. | * The Qur’an has an “inner” dimension which only the Imams or their representatives know, or are in a position to interpret. There is a privileged clergy class to perform this function. |
| *The understanding and interpretation of the Qur’an follows strict principles known as ‘Ulum al- Qur’an. Anyone can learn these principles and understand Allah’s Word. There is no clergy in Islam. | * The Qur’an has an “inner” dimension which only the Imams or their representatives know, or are in a position to interpret. There is a privileged clergy class to perform this function. |
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* The second primary source is the Ahadith (Sayings of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam.
* These sayings are accepted on the authority of all 124 000 Companions, as Muslims believe “As-Sahabatu Kulluhum ‘Adul (All the Sahabah are Just)”.
* Eminent traditionists like Imam al- Bukhari and Muslim sifted through the entire corpus of hadith as well as those who narrated them, and presented many thousands of authentic ahadith which can be safely relied on till today. There was a dire need for this copious recording and sifting process because many ahadith were being fabricated. |
* The second primary source is the sayings of some of the Ahlul Bait only, or their narrations from Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam. * Shi’ahs reject all the Noble wives, all the daughters of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam besides Fatimah, and the Hassanid line of Sayyids. They favour the Huseinid line as he married Sherbano, the daughter of the last Persian Monarch, Yezdgird, and only the children from this lineage who have Persian blood qualify to be the Imam. It’s a doctrine of racial supremacy and pride alien to Islam. * Besides 3-4 Sahabah like Sayyadina Salman al-Farsi Radiallahu Anhu and Miqdad bin Aswad Radiallahu Anhu they regard all others as renegades and do not accept their narrations from Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam * The chief narrators of Shi’ah ahadith are all known as liars, devious and innovators. Even Shi’ite scholars regard them as unreliable. These include Zuraarah the Liar (upon which half of Shi’ah narrations depend), Abu Busair the Drunkard, Abu Mikhnaf and Abdullah ibn Abi Ya’fur of Kufah who falsely attributed many lies and shameless sayings to Imam Baqir, Imam Musa Kazim and Ja’far as-Sadiq. |
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* The third source of Islam is the Ijma (Consensus) of the Sahabah. |
* The third source is the sayings and directions of the 12 Infallible Imams, whose words are regarded as binding and divine. |
| * Muslims believe that the Sunnah of the Khulafa al-Rashidun and the Consensus of the Sahabah are binding on this ummat and constitute a source of law. | * The lives, actions, words of the Sahabah and the Khulafa al-Rashidun have no weight in this regard. *In the absence of the Imams, the Ayatollahs and Shi’ah Mullahs act as their “representative.” They have wide-ranging powers of legislation, based mostly on “inspiration,” which is nothing but devilish whispers. |
| * The fourth source is Qiyas (Systematic Analogical Deduction) in the absence of the above three sources.
* The Imams of the four recognized Mazahib used this principle based on a methodology gleaned from the Qur’an, Sunnah and the Sahabah. Imaam Abu Hanifa states: ‘I follow the book of Allah and if I find no solution there, I follow the Sunnah of Nabi Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam. If I find no solution in either the Qur’aan or the Sunnah, I follow whichever of the pronouncements of the Sahabah I prefer and leave whichever I wish. If there is a pronouncement on a particular matter by any of the Sahabah, I would not adopt any other opinion made by any other Scholar. But if I found a solution only in the opinions of Ibrahim, al Sha’bi, Ibn Sirin, Hasan al Basri, Ata or Sa’di ibn al Musayyab, I would make Ijtihad just as they did.” (Tarikh Baghdad Vol. 31, p 368)
* Included in this are various other fiqhi devices like Masalih al-Mursalah (expediency), urf (customary law) etc. |
* Shi’ahs do not accept this fourth category, as the word of the “Infallible” Imam is sufficient.
* There is no systematic methodology in Shi’ah fiqh, called Ja’fari Fiqh, and nor can it be called a Mazhab. * Shi’ahs believe that the Ja’fari Fiqh is not developed via Shar’i legal sources, but wholly attributed to an Imam who is equal to the Qur’an and can make Haraam-Halaal and Halaal-Haraam. They believe that this Imam is divinely appointed, nominated and does not need the Qur’an or the Sunnat, and is above the law. Ironically, this “Imam” as well as his teachings and correct Qur’an, are all missing, leaving a void for any Tom, Dick and Harry to opine in Islam according to their whim! * There is a vast difference between an Imam of Fiqh who is not ma’sum (innocent) and can make ijtihadi errors, to an Imam of the Ja’fari Fiqh who is ma’sum (innocent) and receives revelation. * Ja’fari fiqh is not an acceptable “fifth” Mazhab amongst Muslims as it’s not a fiqh at all! |
Shi’ahs account for approximately 15 percent of the total Muslim population. It has the greatest influence presently in Iran where nearly 90 percent of its people are disbelieving Shi’ites, but they are also the majority in Iraq, Bahrain, and Yemen.
However, they differ in the PRIMARY SOURCE OF LAW WITH MUSLIMS, SO YOU BE THE JUDGE, CAN THEY BE CALLED MUSLIMS?
