Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Subject: Guidance or Misguidance

Dear Brother Burhan,

Assalam Alaikum

I understand your effort to show people what Islam is. But in your effort to guide people you are in fact misguiding them. I can challengingly say that you have not studied or made a sincere attempt to understand Islam from the Shia point of view.You are quoting the verses of the Quran without any context. And that's not the right thing to do. If i have the time, some time i will answer all your mails. But since you seem to have a lot of time, make a earnest effort in understanding Islam from the Shia point of view also, and then decide.

Best Regards,

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Answer:

Islam /shia views

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Brother, just to allay your doubts, allow me to let you know that I have studied and lived half my life as a Shia, simply because I was born and brought up in a strict Shia family.   There were many unanswered questions like why do we invoke men and graves, which are themselves created by the same Creator who created everything?  Why do we bow down in sajdah to men and graves, when they are not our creators, or sustainers, or providers?  Why do we need to invoke human beings and graves to get our prayers answered by Allah Subhanah?  Why are we never taught to use the Quran as our base of our beliefs?  Why are we not allowed to understand the Quran?  Why do we have to depend on these holy men to take us to Paradise, when Allah says that it is only our deeds that can help us?   Etc.

I realized that Shia-ism was basically following the History of Muslims, rather than the guidance of the Quran and Sunnah of the Messenger (saws).   That is when I started searching for the Truth, and Allah blessed me to read the Holy Quran with understanding.  And all my questions were answered in detail by this Glorious Book of Allah.  That is when I decided to leave following any sect, be it Shia, or Sunni or Dawoodi Bohra, and chose to be recognized and honored as a ‘muslim’.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 22 Surah Hajj verse 77-78:O you who have believed, do ‘rukooh’ (bow down) and do ‘sajdah’ (prostration), and worship your Lord Allah Alone, and do righteous deeds: it may be that you attain true success!  Exert your utmost for the cause of Allah, as one should.   He has chosen you for His service, and has not laid on you any hardship in your religion.  Therefore, be steadfast in the religion of your father Abraham.  Allah had named you ‘muslims’ before this, and has named you (muslims) in this Quran also, so that the Messenger may be a witness in regard to you, and you may be witnesses in regard to the rest of mankind.

The Quran was not revealed for the Shias, and nor was it revealed for the Sunnis!   It was revealed as a Book of Guidance for all mankind. During the time of the Messenger of Allah (saws), there was no such thing as a Shia or a Sunni… everyone who believed was a ‘muslim’, and that is what we intend to be.

If one insists on being a Sunni or a Shia, and then searches the Quran for aayahs that will authenticate his beliefs, he is actually making the Quran follow him, rather than following the clear guidance and commandments of this Glorious Quran himself!   The Quran is the very words of our Lord and Creator, and each one of its commandments must be held supreme in every aspect of our lives.   

Whenever we realize that our acts and beliefs are against the commandments of the Holy Quran, it would be guidance to change our beliefs and acts and bring them in accordance with the Quran.   It would be nothing but absolute mis-guidance to change, or twist the words and meanings of the clear aayahs,  to suit our existing beliefs and actions!

We neither propagate Shia-ism, Sunni-ism, or any other ‘ism’!   We invite our brethren to read and understand the Quran and become ‘muslim’ as commanded by Allah Subhanah in the Glorious Quran.

Your Comment:  If i have the time, some time i will answer all your mails. But since you seem to have a lot of time, make a earnest effort in understanding Islam from the Shia point of view also, and then decide.

We have believed in Allah, His Messengers, His Books, His Angels, The Hereafter, and His Divine ‘Qadr’ as commanded by Allah, and bear witness that we are ‘muslims’;  unless of course,  somebody wants to convince us otherwise,  giving clear evidence from the Glorious Quran.

Brother, Allah has given us the period of this life as a test, to see who amongst us believes and submits his will to the Will of Allah.    If one finds the time in this life to understand and realize the Truth, and does righteous good deeds according to the commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws), he passes this test.   And if one does not find the time to seek and follow the Truth, but rather spends his time in collecting the passing and transient glory and wealth of this world,   fails this test.   For these deniers of the Truth, rest assured, that there will be enough time in the graves and the Hereafter… but that will be a time for regrets.

Allah says in the Holy Quran in Chapter 67 Surah Al Mulk verse 2:He (Allah) created death and life that He may test you, to see which of you is the best in deeds.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verses 25-27:There are some among them, who (pretend to) listen to what you say, but they do not understand it, as We have cast veils over their hearts!   We have made them hard of hearing!   Even if they see any Sign, they will not believe in it; so much so that when they come and contend with you, those, who have already made up their minds not to believe, say: “This is nothing but the same old story”.   They forbid other people to believe in this Truth, and themselves turn away from it.   They are preparing their own perdition, though they do not perceive it.   Would that you could see their condition at the time when they will be made to stand before Hell.   They will say, “Would that we could somehow return to the earthly life again; then we would not deny the Signs of our Lord, and would join the believers”.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anam verse 70:And leave alone those who have taken their ‘deen’ as a sport and past time, and have been deluded by the life of this world.  Nevertheless, you go on admonishing them by reciting the Quran to them, lest any person should be seized because of his own deeds;  and that too, at a time, when there would be no protector,  no helper and no intercessor to rescue him from Allah;  when no conceivable amount of ransom would be accepted from him.   This is because such people shall be seized, in consequence of what they themselves had earned.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 41 Surah Ha Meem As Sajdah verses 4-5:Yet most of these people have turned away from it (The Quran), and they pay no heed.  They say, “Our hearts are covered with veils from that to which you are calling us; our ears have become deaf; and between us and you there is a curtain, so do as you please, and we shall do as we will!”

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verse 82:But if they turn away, your only responsibility is to convey the plain Message of Truth!  They recognize the blessing of Allah, yet they deny it, for the majority of them are not inclined to accept the Truth!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verses 103-106:Tell them (O Mohamed), “Should We tell you who are the most unsuccessful people and miserable failures in regard to their deeds?   They are those, all whose endeavors in the worldly life, had gone astray from the Right Way, but all along they were under the delusion that everything they were doing,  was rightly directed!   Those are the people who rejected the Revelations of their Lord and did not believe that they would ever go before Him.  Therefore all their deeds were lost, for We shall assign no weight to them on the Day of Resurrection.  Their recompense is Hell for the disbelief they showed, and for the mockery they adopted in regard to My Aayahs and My Messengers!”

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan