EXPLICIT GUIDANCE

      A question most often asked by the Shiah Muslims when they discover that my wife and I are no more the followers of Karim Aga Khan, is:

Why did we, who were Shiah Muslims by birth, joined the Sect of Sunni Muslims upon leaving the enigmatic Sect of the Agakhani Ismailis and not that of the Twelvers Shiah? 

     Here is that explicit Hidayah from Surah Al-Ahzab:

       "Ye have indeed in the Apostle of Allah 
                a beautiful pattern of (conduct) for anyone 
                whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day and 
                who engages much in the praise of Allah."  Verse 21.

       The Arabic word sunna (singular sunnah) literally means; 
"custom" or "usage". Following the Sunna of the Prophet (s.a.s.) is an explicit Divine Hidayah from Allah (s.w.t.). Following the Prophetic Sunna is regarded as a compliment or commendation to the Holy Qur'an. How one interprets and answers; What is included within the realm of the Prophet's Sunnah and what is not? Is a personal matter. 

     I have not found any explicit verse within the Glorious Qur'an that Commands us to follow the Sunna of anyone besides the Prophet (s.a.)  

      The history records that the adherence and compliance to this explicit Command of Allah (s.w.t.) was never ever questioned by the Prophet's companions, his own family members including Hadhrat Ali (r.a.) and the rest of the Believers (the Ummah), who lived with the Prophet (s.a.s.). In other words, it would be correct to say that Sunnism (following the Sunnah of the Prophet) was the original path or the main stream of the Deen of Allah, followed by the Muslims of that period.

    The history also records that the roots of "shi'at ul 'Ali" (lit. the party of Ali) were planted, a long time after the passing away of the beloved Prophet. In other words there was only ONE UNIT (or the main stream), before and the division happened much later. Allah (SWT), knows the future and He also warns us of the pitfalls. Please read the following Revealed Command keeping in mind which was the One Unit or the Mainstream of Islam, when this particular Verse was Revealed.: 

As for those who divide their religion and break up into sects thou hast no part in them in the least: their affair is with Allah: He will in the end tell them the truth of all that they did.        Surah An-An'am (6),  verse 159 

     When I was a Shiah Ismaili, we were taught to recite in our daily Du'a, the fragmented portion of verse 59 of Surah Nissa, which read:

"Yaa ayyuhal lazina aamanua ati'ullaaha wa ati'ur rasuula   wa ulil amri minkum,"   meaning; 
"O ye who believe! obey Allah and obey the Apostle and those charged with authority among you."
(Note the phrase ulil amri minkum is not singular but plural)

"fa in tanaaza'tum fi syai'in fa rudduuhu ilallaahi war rasuuli in kuntum tu'minuuna billaahi wal yaumil aakhir(i), zaalika khairuw wa ahsanu ta'wilaa(n)."     meaning; 

"If ye differ in anything among yourselves refer it to Allah and His Apostle if ye do believe in Allah and the Last Day: that is best and most suitable for final determination. 

   Finally, if the rest of the world (non Muslims), were to join Islam in the end time, and, the Islamic Ummah was to be united as a single community then the most likely candidate for that would be as the present trend of the new converts indicate; the Mainstream of Islam -
the Sunni Tariqah of Islam, which has over 90% of the followings.

   Above is my personal opinion and I am open for the dialogue IF someone has the verses from the QUR'AN to change my judgement.

Maa Salaam,
Brother Akbar

THE REBUTTAL FROM A SHI'A 
ITHNA-ASHARI  SCHOLAR.....

     In response to my above statement which reads; "Since that time I decided that the best and the most suitable thing was to place my complete confidence in the verses of the Holy Qur'an and not in an 
Ulil amri minkum who is either not physically alive to ANSWER and resolve the controversial issues or is physically alive but is UNAPPROACHABLE. I have not come across any verse in the Holy Qur'an, as clear as the quoted verse from Surah Al-Ahzab, that would induce me and my wife to join any party (sect) lead by any Ulil amri minkum or any Imam. I have been bombarded with hundreds of re-narrated oral reports and riwayats but not a Single Verse from the Holy Qur'an that would compel me to set aside the above quoted verse."; a Shi'a scholar - who claims that the Agha Khanis are not Shi'a and Ithna Asharis are Shi'a, has sent the following message by e-mail: 

It is good that you have put your faith in the holy Qur’an. It also implies that you did not have your faith in the holy Qur’an before that. Well, that was wrong. Every Muslim must have firm faith in every word of the holy Qur’an.

With that note, let me ask you this: Have you recited the following verse of the Qur’an? Please do explain to your readership what you understand from this:

Yauma nad’u kulla unasin bi imami-him… (and the day when We will call every people with their respective Imam….) Q.17:71

   You would notice that the Shiah scholar has quoted a *fragmented portion* of verse 17:71 from the Qur'an. The reason for fragmentation is obvious if you were to read the *entire verse* that is quoted below:

Translation by M. M. Pickthall of verse 17:71:
On the day when We shall summon all men 
with their record, whoso is given his book in 
his right hand -- such will read their book and 
they will not be wronged a shred. 

Translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali of verse 17:71:
One day We shall call together all human 
beings with their (respective) Imams: those 
who are given their record in their right hand 
will read it (with pleasure) and they will not 
be dealt with unjustly in the least.

Transliteration of verse 17:71:
Yawma nad'uu kulla 'unaasim bi- 'Imaam -him fa- 
man 'uutiya kitaaba -hu bi- yamiini -hi fa- 
'ulaa'ika yaqra'uuna kitaaba -hum wa-
yuz-lamuuna fatiil(an)

     One would notice that Pickthall has translated the word "Imaam" as "record" (of deeds), whereas Yusuf Ali has left this word non-translated and given his comments. However, upon reading the ENTIRE VERSE, the true meaning of this word "Imaam" as the "record of deeds" is very clear and needs no further comments. Secondly, there are many human beings upon this earth (e.g. Atheists), who have no "Leaders", whereas the verse specifically relates to **all human beings**. However, the deeds of all human beings are recorded as mentioned in verse 36:12 of the Holy Qur'an, quoted below. One may also notice that Yusuf Ali has translated below the same word "Imaam" as the "Book of (recorded) evidence". This verse 36:12 compliments verse 17:71.
I hope that answers the Rebuttal of the Shi'a scholar.

Translation by Yusuf Ali of verse 36:12:
Verily We shall give life to the dead and We 
record that which they sent before and that 
which they leave behind and of all things have 
We taken account in a clear Book (of evidence)

Transliteration of verse 36:12:
'In(na) -naa Nah.nu nuh.yil- mawtaa wa- 
naktubu maa qaddamuu wa- 'aathaar -hum 
wa- kulla shay'in ah-saynaa -hu fii 'Imaamim mubiin. 

Note: In verse 46:12 the "Book of Moses" is also called ""Imaam".

BTW, the followers of Karim Aga Khan who call themselves; The Shiah IMAMI Ismailis also recite the fragmented last line of the above verse 36:12 in their daily Du'a (prayers) and the enigmatic translation reads: 
"And We have vested (the knowledge and authority of) 
  everything in the manifest Imam."

ADDITIONAL TEXT ADDED ON APRIL 13, 2007

The Shiah scholar wrote:

Now consider this hadeeth report recorded by Mulla Ali Qari in his Sharh-i-fiqh-i-Akbar  (Mulla Ali Qari is a Sunni Alim and this book is a commentary on Imam Abu Hanifa’s book of Islamic laws FIQH AKBAR), “man mata wa lam y’arif Imam-i-zamanihi, faqad mata meetat-al-Jahiliyya.” (one who dies without knowing the Imam of his time, dies the death of Jahiliyya).

MY RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE:

How could the Prophet (peace be upon him), have spoken the above text of the Hadeeth, recorded by Mulla Ali Qari or by anyone for that matter, when the actual "Concept of The Imamah" and/or the very perception of "The Imam of his time" was not even  known by the Ummah, that lived during the life of the Prophet? The Concepts of the Khilaphat and the Imamat were developed *after* the passing away of the Prophet. Even at the Gadir-e-Khoom, in accordance with the Shiah Traditions and Riwayats, the Prophet did not declare Hadhrat Ali as the "Imaam" of the Ummah. I suggest the Shiah scholar to read my article  HADEETH
 

ADDITIONAL TEXT ADDED ON APRIL 14

The Shiah scholar wrote:

The hadeeth report from the Prophet about the Muslims having twelve Imams is so strongly vouched by Isnaad that it is really impossible to deny it. 
Consequently, Mulsims had to invent at least twelve names to fit that 
hadeeth. However, in every century and every generation the list of the names has been changing, depending upon who was running the  govrnment. It is only the Shi'a Ithna Ashari who have maintained the list of the twelve Imams from day one and it has not changed.

MY RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE:

There is a serious problem of reconciliation within these two Ahadith.
In the earlier Hadith, recorded by Mulla Ali Qari, the Prophet is supposed to have said (one who dies without knowing the **Imam of his time**, dies the death of Jahiliyya). In the later, so called as the strongly vouched Hadith, the Prophet is supposed to have said
(the Muslims having **twelve Imams**).

These two statements contradict each other. IF the Prophet knew the future and he also knew it for sure that there were not going to be any more Imams (Leaders) after the twelfth Imam, he could not have made the earlier statement asking the Muslim Ummah that it was imperative to know the Leaders (Imams) of "their own times". How could those that were to be born after the twelfth Imam, know the "Imams of their own times" when there were going to be none, during their life time? The earlier statement in effect acknowledges the perpetually of the Leadership (Imams), which the later statement NEGATES. Here is one more reason why each and every narration that is in circulation could not be recognized as the authentic narration. Some are, others are not. 

To read more on verse 36:12 and the Ismaili beliefs click  Verse 36:12

To read the Biodata of the author, please click: BIODATA

To read the other articles by the author, please click: INDEX

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Akbarally Meherally at webmaster9@mostmerciful.com