Question

 Dear Brother in Islam...

 Salamunalaykum,

 Mashallah you have a wonderful website with alot of content.

A Question:::How do you justify your interpretation of an ayat or hadeeth? Have you learned the art of understanding and doing tafseer of Quran and ahadeeth?

 Truth Seeker

 Answer

 Dear brother

 Waallaikum Salam

 We have been asked by Masomeen a.s. to act on their traditions and only take the meanings of Quranic Aiat as per their (a.s.) interpretations. Then comes the question: How to verify the hadith if it is authentic or not? Again, as per ahadith from Rasool Allah saw as well as Masomeen a.s. , a hadith needs to be judged against the Quranic Aiat. This has been the work of our previous Shia ulema, i.e., Yaqub Kulani, Sheikh Suduq who have compiled ahadith and that's how we have our four basic books (AlKafi,

Manla-yazah-rul Faqqi...). Brother, these Shia ulema would only narrate hadith and would not use Qiass to issue fatawa-which is widely practised today. As we are all different in our physical and mental abilities so our understanding of the deen will be different and which will be reflected in our acts of worship and cannot be summarised in a single fatawa based on various possibilities-generally found in a Resala/Tousi.  We should try to understand Allah swt's 'deen' as explained to us by Masomeen a.s. and for that we surely need help but certainly not in the form of 'Touzi-ul-masail' which are often contracting and sometime make harram into halal. This is due to the fact that man-made principals are

used in the derivation of fatawa listed in them. I hope I have answered your question.

Wassalam

Admin

Hub-e-Ali(a.s.)

Question

Salamunalaykum Brother,

Now, understand what the above ahadith say, and clearly if we were to read it, it is very simple. Both I and you understand its basic meaning. But now, I am sure if we saw an ahadith which completely negates all the ahadith mentioned above, we would be moved by it. In our deen we will find many Ahadith which contradict or speak against alot of other ahadith. The basic meaning is very simple. But, naoozubillah, we cannot say that our

Imams were contradicting each other. The Meaning goes very deep. All narrators and scholars trace the entire history of the imams, their livelihood, their circumstance on saying the said hadith, and their TIMES. Then only, they will be able to make a MEANING out of it. In the times we live in, certain preacings and laws of Islam cannot be practiced due to the surroundings of Shaitan. So we have to turn to the narrators of ahadith, to see what we should do in such a case.

Fii Amanillah

Answer

Dear brother

AOA and Mola Ali a.s. madad

The hadith which you have quoted are just and we of course believe in these ahadith. Your conclusion at the end of your message is also correct: (So we have to turn to the narrators of ahadith, to see what we should do in such a case. ). So brother, that's what we are asking for from ulimah to narrate ahadith and stop issuing fatawa based on their Qiash. The Taqleed which is enforced by the 'maraja' and their supporters is unjust as they do not narrate ahadith from masomeen as. but use their interpretation of masomeen a.s.'s hadith which sometimes turn halal into

harram and vice versa. They are so many contradictions in their fatawa which show all of them or all of their fatawa cannot be according to the teachings of masomeen a.s.

Wassalam

Admin

Hub-e-Ali(a.s.)

Question

Walaikumsalam,

The following is not my work,, but it is a work which presents  solid facts and reasons... I am sure you will take the time to read it.

Fii amanillah, "Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave"

It is not always reasonable to follow others and to hold uncritical faith in their opinions. We can distinguish four possible forms that imitation could take:

 a) that of an ignorant person by an ignorant person,

b) that of a learned person by a more learned person,

c) that of an ignorant person by a learned person,

d) that of a learned person by a less learned person.

 It is quite clear that the first three forms of imitation are unreasonable and can serve no purpose. However, the fourth kind is obviously not only reasonable, but also necessary and a matter of common sense; in our everyday life we follow and imitate others in many things; we like to feel that we are taking the advice of experts in matters outside our own knowledge. Someone who wishes to build a house explains the basic idea of what he wants to his builder and then submits to his advice as to how he should go about the actual construction; the invalid follows the treatment

advised by his doctor; a litigant consults a lawyer when drawing up his case for presentation in court. The examples are abundant; in most cases the advice is taken voluntarily, but sometimes the citizen in a country may be required by law to seek expert advice and act upon it, before, for example, he is allowed to take some particularly dangerous drug. The clearest example is obviously in case of a legal dispute between two parties, where they are required to take their grievances before a judge and abide by his decision if they cannot settle their dispute amicably. The practice of taqleed is an example of the same kind: the person who is not an expert in jurisprudence is legally required to follow the instructions of the expert, i.e., the mujtahid. And in this case the requirement is an obligation which must be observed, for it is an essential part of the divine law. It should be observed that taqleed pertains only to the realm of the shari'ah; there can be no taqleed in the matters of belief (usulu 'd-din). A Muslim must hold his belief in the fundamentals of his religion after attaining conviction of their truth through examination and reflection. The Qur'an very clearly condemns those who follow others blindly in matters of belief:

 And when it is said to them, "Come now to what Allah has sent down, and the Messenger," they say, "Enough for us is what we found our fathers doing". What, even if their fathers had knowledge of naught and were not rightly-guided? (5:104)

 This strong condemnation of the idol-worshippers is repeated elsewhere: And when it is said to them, "Follow what Allah has sent down," they say, "No, but we will follow such things as we found our fathers doing." (2:170 and 31:20)

 This does not mean that one must necessarily hold belief contrary to those of one's forefathers; what the Qur'an is saying is that one should not follow them blindly, i.e., without considering the validity of one's reasons for holding them. The Islamic attitude towards fundamental belief is that one may consider the views and opinions of others, but that one should only accept that which is reasonable to believe: So give thou (O Muhammad!) good tidings to My servants who give ear to the word and follow the fairest of it. Those are they whom Allah has guided; those are men possessed of minds. (39:17)

 To summarize, it may be said that the only approach to Islam is by

accepting its tenets in such a way as one is entirely convinced of their validity, and this can only come about if one examines them carefully and conscientiously. Once one has come to accept these tenets it follows as a necessary consequence that one must adhere to the shari'ah, either by following a mujtahid in taqleed, or by undertaking the acquisition of learning and piety to such a degree that one becomes a mujtahid oneself. The Qur'an instructs Muslims to seek guidance from people of learning in matters about which they lack knowledge:

 "Question the people of remembrance if you do not know." (21:7)

 It is an obligation in Islamic law to study everything which is necessary for the spiritual and material development and well-being of an Islamic community, but it is an obligation which is known as wajib kifa'i.* In the present instance, for example, an Islamic society has need of experts in the medical sciences, in physics and chemistry, engineering, education, and so forth, and as long as there is a lack of knowledge in these areas it is an obligation on the community as a whole to acquire it, which means

that a group of Muslims should devote themselves to research so as to benefit the Islamic people as a whole. Similarly, an Islamic society without experts in the shari'ah cannot properly consider itself Islamic, so it is an obligation for a group of persons from this society to devote themselves to the study of the religious sciences, so as to provide divine guidance for all Muslims. This is the meaning contained in the verse of the Qur'an which states:

 "But why should not a party from every section of them (the believers) go forth to become learned in the religion, and to warn their people when they return to them, that they may beware?" (9:124)

 It is clear that the Imams used to be pleased if any of their companions taught religion or gave legal rulings (fatwa) to others. There are a number of documented cases of Shi'ahs who lived far from Medina asking the Imam of the time to appoint someone in their locality to adjudicate between them in religious problems. Zakariyyah ibn Adam al-Qummi and Yunus bin `Abdu? r-Rahman, for example, were named by Imam `Ali ar-Rida' to solve disputes in their own districts.2 In a famous hadith, `Umar ibn Hanzalah asked Imam Ja`far as-Sadiq, peace be upon him, about the legality

of two Shi'ahs seeking a verdict from an illegitimate ruler in a dispute over a debt or a legacy. The Imam's answer was that it was absolutely forbidden to do so. Then Ibn Hanzalah asked what the two should do, and the Imam replied: "They must seek out one of you who narrates our traditions, who is versed in what is permissible and what is forbidden, who is well-acquainted with our laws and ordinances, and accept him as  judge and arbiter, for I appoint him as judge over you. If the ruling which he based on our laws is rejected, this rejection will be tantamount to ignoring the order of Allah and rejecting us is the same as rejecting Allah, and this is the same as polytheism."3 In another tradition from Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq, this time narrated by Imam Hasan al-`Askari, peace be upon them, he says, "...but if there is anyone among the fuqaha' who is in control over his own self, protects his religion, suppresses his evil desires and is obedient to the commands of

his Master, then the people should follow him."4 A third hadith is from the Present Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, peace be upon

him, who said in a reply to Ishaq ibn Ya'qub: "As far as newly occurring circumstances are concerned, you should turn (for guidance) to the narrators of our ahadith, for they are my proof over you just as I am Allah's proof."5 We can understand two things from these verses of the Qur'an and the ahadith of the Imams: 1) there must always be a group of fuqaha' in every Muslim society; 2) those who are not qualified as fuqaha'

or mujtahids, must follow one, and that to go against his instruction in religious matters is tantamount to polytheism.

 It can easily be inferred from the second of the ahadith cited above that becoming an expert in fiqh and the other Islamic sciences is not in itself enough for qualification as a mujtahid whom everyone can follow. In addition to this, Islamic law lays down that a mujtahid should be a free man of legitimate birth who is past the age of puberty, sane, an Ithna-`ashari Shi'ah, and `adil, (which can be translated as 'just', but which includes other moral and legal qualities, such as piety and abstention from all that the shari`ah forbids and fulfillment of all its obligations).

 As to the question of how an ordinary believer should discover who is the mujtahid he must follow, there are three recognized ways: 1) by his own personal knowledge if he is himself a religious scholar; 2) by the testimony of two `adil, knowledgeable persons to someone's being a mujtahid; 3) by a degree of popularity which leaves no doubt as to a person's being a mujtahid.

 Most present day `ulama' maintain that it is most desirable to follow a mujtahid who is al-a`lam. In a general sense this means 'the most learned', but in this specific contexts it means the faqih who has the greatest expertise in deriving the rulings of the shari`ah from the sources. The a`lam may be recognized in any of the three ways a mujtahid can.6 However, it is sometimes difficult for the Shi'ah `ulama' to distinguish whom among all the fuqaha' is the most learned, and, as a result, more than one mujtahid may be followed in taqleed at one time (though not, of course, by the same person), as is the case at present, but any such multiplicity does not result in any practical disagreement on legal matters within the Shi'ah community.

 Many people wonder why it is that the mujtahids differ in their religious opinions, or fatwas, when the bases of their ijtihad are the same. Firstly, it should be said that any differences in the fatwas is hardly ever such as to be contradictory; it is almost impossible to find a case of one mujtahid saying some action is wajib and another saying it is haram.

 Take, for instance, the case of salatu 'l-jum`ah, the Friday prayer. All the Shi'ah `ulama' are of the opinion that in the time of the presence of the Imam this salat is obligatory on Fridays, because it is the Imam, or his representative, who has the right to call the people to Friday prayer; but they differ as to what is the correct course of action when the Imam is in Occultation. This difference of opinion does not, however, create any practical problem for the community. The late Ayatullah as-Sayyid Muhsin al-Hakim (d. 1970) was one of the opinion that salatu 'l-jum`ah is not obligatory during the Occultation of the Imam, but it does not matter if someone performs it supposing that it is expected (of him), provided that he also prays the noon prayer (salatu 'z-zuhr). Ayatullah as-Sayyid Abu 'l-Qasim al-Khu'i says that "one can choose between performing salatu 'z-zuhr or salatu 'l-jum`ah, but once the latter is established with all its conditions (fulfilled), it is

 precautionarily obligatory to participate in it." Ayatullah as-Sayyid Ruhullah al-Khumayni says that "one can choose between performing salatu 'z-zuhr or salatu 'l-jum`ah, but if one chooses the latter it is advisable (mustahab) to precautionarily perform salatu 'z-zuhr also."7 Although there are these differences in the opinions of these mujtahids, there is no clash that would, for example, prevent the follower (muqallid) of one of them participating in salatu 'l-jum`ah if it were established.

 Secondly, it should be observed that the existence of differences in

scientific opinions is not to be taken as a sign of a substantial defect in the quest for knowledge and a reason for abandoning it altogether; it is, rather, a sign that knowledge moves in progressive steps towards perfection. Differences of opinions are to be found in all sciences, not just in fiqh. There may, for example, be more than one opinion about the therapy for a particular patient's disease, and all of these opinions may be superseded later on by the development of new methods of dealing with that disease. Thus these observations can be seen to be relevant not only to differences between the opinions of contemporary scientists but also to historical differences, and all these differences should be regarded as signs of the dynamism within a science and stages to be passed in its route to perfection.

 It should be remembered that the mujtahid formulates his opinions after pushing his research and study as far as he can; that is all that is expected of him, for he is neither inerrant nor an `alim bi 'l-ghayb (knower of the unseen). The muqallid is enjoined to follow his opinions. So, even if the mujtahid's fatwa is not actually in agreement with Allah's real command, neither he will be punished on the Day of Judgement for having issued the fatwa, nor will his muqallid for having acted according to it, for both will have done what was commanded of them and what was humanly possible for them to do.

 Answer

Dear brother

AOA

I have glanced through the article which you have sent.  When you read it you find the following: {Many people wonder why it is that the mujtahids differ in their religious opinions, or fatwas, when the bases of their ijtihad are the same. Firstly, it should be said that any differences in the fatwas is hardly ever such as to be contradictory; it is almost impossible to find a case of one mujtahid saying some action is wajib and another saying it is haram.}

This statement is grossly incorrect as they have turned Halal into haram and vice versa, for examples pleased read Baqir Nisar Zaidi's book 'Kashaf-ul-Tazaad' at www.hubeali.com

Wassalam

Admin

Hub-e-Ali(a.s.)

Question

AOA ya Ali madad

I have read the article regarding recitation of 3rd shahadat in namaz on your website can you give me the reference of ayatulllah al khoiei 's book do you mean they were confident about the recitation? Do you mean to say that Ayatullah al-Uzma al-Khoei (A.R., may Allah elevate his station) made it wajib? If yes then you are highly mistaken, for he permitted the recitation of Ashhadu anna 'Aliyan wali Allah in Adhaan and Iqaamah, with the intention of gaining the qurbat of Allah (AWJ), and specified that it is not a part of either. Also in tashahhud, he has not mentioned anything regarding this. Please clarify.

W/Salaam

Answer

Dear brother

AOA and ya Ali a.s. madad

Thank you for reading the article and providing your feed back. Your comments are true and inline with our observations. As a result, we are considering to withdraw Agha Khoei as well as other maraja's fatawa as they are often contradicting and a reader does not get any useful information from these fatawa (since there is no discussion from Quran majeed and ahadith). In addition, there are so many individual who claim they have different fatawa from the same maraja and also some books in the market which quote pro- and against fatawa from the same maraja.  However, Ali-un-Waliullah is wajib, regardless of, if its in Kalima, Azan, Aqamah or Tashud,  and has the same status as: La-e-La-ha Il-lal-lah and

Mohemmmed-dur-Rasool-ul- Allah in Quran Majeed from the day when the verse of 'Al. Akmul....' was revealed at Ghadeer-e-Khum.

Wassaalam

Admin

Hub-e-Ali(a.s.)

Question

YA ALI MADAD,

I m need some books related with Ahlaibait(a.s).Im

living in Bahawal pur how i take these books and im want to some

information of Hazrat Imam Hussain(a.s)when He(a.s)fight against yazeed "lanat ho is par hazar bar",ho is the governar there.

 Answer

 Peer Mola Ali a.s. Madad

 Bhai there are many books in Urdu, you can find these from Lahore, Karachi

etc.

 1) Shahdat-e-Uzma by Syed Bu Ali shah Zaidi

2) Damatus Sabika

3) Bihar ul Anwaar

 I think it will help you alot. Allama Ghazanfar Abbas Tounsvi lives in you town, you may consult him.

 Admin

Hub-e-Ali(a.s.)

 Question

 AOA,

        i have a question in my mind, nobody can me satisfies about the question. But i hope you can reply me.

QUESTION

what is fiqha-jafria?

what is anjuman?

please reply me as soon as possible. I am waiting for that.

 Thanks

 ALLAH HAFIZ

 Answer

 AOA

 Fiqha-Jafria is referred to the principles of shia religion which were defined by Imam Jafar-e-Sadiq a.s. (which are the same as all our 11 other Imams), since Sunni have their four Imams, Abu Hanifa, Malaki, Sahfi, Hambali, which were during and after the time of Imam Jafar-e-Sadiq a.s.(some of them are students of Imam Jafar-e-Sadiq a.s.), therefore to distinguish between other Muslim sects and Shias a term was devised as shia practise Fiqha-Jafria.  Anjuman means a group of people, which is a Urdu word.

 Wassalam

 Admin

Hub-e-Ali(a.s.)

 Question

 Salam brothers

 I hope that by the blessings of AHLUL BAIT(a.s.) you are all fine.

 I visited your web site hubeali.com and read various articles. I must say that article regarding the marriage of a Syeda to non syed by Syed Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari is very informative and a cross point where we have to choose a road, one which is based on the sayings of Imams(a.s.) and the other on the todays Marjae Taqleed who have given the judgement against the sayings of Imams(a.s.).

 I can not understand that a person of such a high knowledge as Marjae Taqleed can go against the sayings of Imams(a.s.) and married his own Syeda daughter to a non syed. I have also seen fatwa of Ayatullah Khamenei of Iran in favour of marrying a syed lady to non syed. There are also fatwas from Ayatullah Sistani in which he is encouraging not to do Azadari with Zajeer Matam and other materials like swords.

All previous Marjae were very careful in issuing religious decrees. If they were asked any question about Zanjeer Zani or sword matam they said only one thing that 'WE FEAR THE  OTHER(a.s.) OF MAZLOOM E KARBALA(a.s.)'.

 I once again appreciate your efforts and pray to ALLAH to save the Deen-e-Mohammad(a.s.) from modern changes so that the blood of IMAM HUSSAIN(a.s.) does not go in vain and let it not face the fate of Jews or Christians who have lost their religions by doing modern changes by those who controlled religion in their times.

 Thank you and salam

 Answer

 Dear brother

 WaAllaikum salam and thank you for your encouragement and support, there are not many shias like yourself these days!  But quantity does not matter, as true lovers of Ahlul Bait a.s. have always been very few. For you last comments, I would like to write below, which you may already know, but its good to reiterate the attributes and sayings of masomeen a.s..  Someone narrated the following Ait in front of Imam Jafar-e-Sadiqa.s., ‘Tahazo …..’[1] meaning that Christians have deserted Allahswt. in the favour of their scholars and peers, and requested the meaning of this verse.  Imama.s. replied, Christians were not asked to worship their scholars and peers, if they were asked to do so by their priests then

Christians would have rejected them. Instead, their peers turned their Halal into Haram and converted their Haram into Halal.  They (Christians) followed their priests (did taqleed) and as a result had worshiped them unconsciously.

 Wasalam

 Admin

Hub-e-Ali(a.s.)

 [1] Asool-e-Kafi, Vol. 1, pp. 100 (Urdu).