This e mail was sent to me by my good friend Jalal Kazim Of China..
The picture I shot in Lucknow a few years back
Bismillah Hirahmaniraheem
>
> > Grand Ayatollah Al Shaheed Al Sayyed Mohammed Baqir al Sadr was one of the
> > greatest Ulema [scholars] in the past century. Abil Qasim al Khoei, who
> > was the leader of the entire Shi’a Ummah until his death in 1992, is
> > quoted to have said:
> > “my greatest achievement was that Mohammed Baqir al Sadr was my student.”
> >
> > Sayyed Mohammed Baqir al Sadr was a direct decendant of the Holy Prophet
> > Mohammed (s.a.w.), and was the first to introduce politics into the Hawza,
> > which had not taught politics in its 1,000 year history. The Sayyed used
> > to often give lectures against Saddam Hussain, and he was captured and
> > tortured for that. In 1980, Saddam’s Ba’ath Regime captured the Sayyed and
> > his sister, Bint al Huda. His sister’s breasts where cut and she was
> > killed, the Sayyed was drilled in his head and set alight and died a
> > martyr, meeting his Lord. He is known by millions of Iraqi Shi’a, and is
> > continuously mentioned in conferences and lectures worldwide to be the
> > foundation of the “New Iraq”. His continuous mention in conferences and
> > lectures worldwide, despite his death being over 20 years ago, is a
> > tribute to his vast knowledge and good manners, which he was well known
> > and praised for.
> >
> > These are direct answers from Sayyed Mohammed Baqir al Sadr (r.a.),
> > regarding Sunni/Shi’a issues.
> >
> > Shaheed Mohammed Baqir al Sadr here answers questions on Athaan, Jazaa,
> > Sufiism and more.
> >
> > Insha’Allah I hope you will find these answers beneficial and use them in
> > your debates.
> >
> > Please forward to as many people as you can, Mejooreen (you will be
> > rewarded) inshaAllah.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Why do Shias say \”Aliun Wali Allah\” in Athaan?
> >
> > Ameer Al Momineen Ali (a.s.) was one of those servants of Allah whom He
> > chose and honoured by giving him the responsibilities of the Message after
> > His Prophet. These servants are the trustees of the Prophet (s.a.w.),
> > since each prophet has a trustee, and Ali ibn Abi Talib is the trustee of
> > Mohammed (s.a.w.)
> >
> > We favour him above all the Companions of the Prophet (s.a.w.), because
> > Allah and the Prophet favoured him, and we have many proofs of that, some
> > of them are deduced through logical reasoning, others are found in the
> > Qu\’ran and the Sunnah [the Tradition of the Prophet Mohammed (s.a.w.)],
> > and these proofs cannot be suspect, because they have been scrutinized,
> > and proven right, by our own learned people (who wrote many books about
> > the subject) and those of the Sunni Madhahibs.
> >
> > The Ummayad regime worked very hard to cover this truth and fought Imam
> > Ali and his sons, whom they killed. They even ordered people, sometimes by
> > force, to curse him, so his followers – may Allah bless them all – started
> > to testify for him as being the friend of Allah [Wali Allah] in defiance
> > of the oppressive authorities, so that the glory was to Allah, and to His
> > Messenger and to all the believers. It also became an historical land-mark
> > across generations so that they know the just cause of Ali and the wrong
> > doing of his enemies.
> >
> > Thus, our learned people continued to testify that Ali is the friend of
> > Allah in their calls to prayer, as something which is commendable. There
> > are many commendable things in the religious rites as well as in ordinary
> > mundane dealings, and the Muslim will be rewarded for doing them, but not
> > punished for leaving them aside.
> >
> > For example, it is commendable for the Muslim to say after the Shahada
> > [ie. To testify that there is no God but Allah, and that Mohammed (s.a.w.)
> > is His Messenger]: And I will testify that Heaven is true and Hell is
> > true, and that Allah will resurrect people from their graves.
> >
> > Regarding Sufiism
> >
> > There are positive and negative aspects to them. The positive aspects
> > include self-discipline, austere living, renunciation of worldly pleasures
> > and elevating one\’s self to the spiritual world. The negative aspects
> > include isolation, escapism and restricting the mention of Allah by verbal
> > numbers and various other practices. Islam, as it is known accepts the
> > positive aspects but rejects the negative ones, and we may say that all
> > the principles and teachings of Islam are positive.
> >
> > Sunni learned scholars taught the priority of succession was Abi Bakr,
> > Omar al Khattab, Uthman, than Ali
> >
> > [After remaining silent for a short while, the Shaheed answered: ] Let
> > them say what they want, but it would be impossible for them to prove it
> > on legal grounds, besides, what they say contradicts their books which
> > state: The best of the people is Abu Bakr then Uthman, and there is no
> > mention of Ali because they made him just an ordinary person, however, the
> > later historians started to mention him for the sake of mentioning the
> > Rightly Guided Caliphs.
> >
> > Regarding what Shi’as prostrate on: “Turba al Hussainiyya”
> >
> > We all prostrate on the dust, but not for the dust, as some people claim
> > that the Shia do, for the prostration is only for Allah, praise be to Him
> > the Highest. It is well established among our people, as well as among the
> > Sunnis, that the most favourable prostration is on earth or on the
> > non-edible produce of the earth, and it is incorrect to prostrate on
> > anything else. The Messenger of Allah (saw) used to sit on the dust, and
> > he had a piece of clay mixed with straw, on which he used to prostrate. He
> > also taught his Companions, may Allah bless them all, to prostrate on the
> > earth or on stones, and forbade them from prostrating on the edges of
> > their shirts. We consider these acts to be necessary and important.
> >
> > Imam Zainal Abideen Ali ibn Hussain [may Allah bless them both] took a
> > Turbah [a piece of clay] from near the grave of his father Abu Abdullah
> > [Imam Hussain], because the dust there is blessed and pure, for the blood
> > of the chief martyr was spilt on it. Thus, his followers continue with
> > that practice up to the present day.
> >
> > We do not say that prostration is not allowed but on Turbah, rather, we
> > say that prostration is correct if it is done on any blessed Turbah or
> > stone, also it is correct if it is done on a mat which is made of palm
> > leaves or similar material.
> >
> > Why do Shi’a hit themselves for Imam Hussain? This is forbidden in Islam
> > in accordance with the Sunni Hadith: “He who beats the cheeks, tears the
> > pockets and follows the call of al-Jahiliyyah is not one of us”
> >
> > The saying is correct and there is no doubt about it, but it does not
> > apply to the obsequies of Abu Abdullah [Imam Hussain], for he who calls
> > for the avenging of al-Husayn and follows his path, his call is not of the
> > Jahiliyyah. Besides, the Shias are only human beings, among them you find
> > the learned and not so learned, and they have feelings and emotions. If
> > they are overcome by their emotions during the anniversary of the
> > martyrdom of Abu Abdullah, and remember what happened to him, his family
> > and his companions from degradation to captivity and then finally murder,
> > then they will be rewarded for their good intentions, because all these
> > intentions are for the sake of Allah. Allah – praise be to Him, the
> > Highest – who rewards people according to their intentions.
> >
> > Last week I read the official reports from the Egyptian government about
> > the suicide incidents that followed the death of Jamal Abdul Nasser. There
> > were eight such incidents in which people took their lives by jumping from
> > buildings or throwing themselves under trains, besides them there were
> > many injured people. These are but some examples in which emotions have
> > overcome the most rational of people, who happen to be Muslims and who
> > killed themselves because of the death of Jamal Abdul Nasser, who died of
> > natural causes, therefore, it is not right for us to condemn the Sunnis
> > and judge them to be wrong.
> >
> > On the other hand, it is not right for the Sunnis to accuse their brothers
> > the Shia of being wrong because they cry for the chief martyr. These
> > people have lived and are still living to this present day the tragedy of
> > al-Husayn. Even the Messenger of Allah (saw) cried after the death of his
> > son al- Husayn, and Gabriel cried also.
> >
> > Why do Shi’a decorate their Mosques with Gold and Silver?
> >
> > This is not done just by the Shia, and it is not prohibited. Look at the
> > mosques of our brothers the Sunnis in Iraq or Egypt or Turkey or anywhere
> > else in the Islamic world, they are all decorated with gold and silver.
> > Furthermore, the mosque of the Messenger of Allah (saw) in al-Madinah
> > al-Munawarah and the Kaba, the House of Allah, in the blessed Mecca is
> > covered every year by a cloth decorated by gold which costs millions. So
> > such a thing is not exclusive to the Shia.
> >
> > Saudi Ulema [scholars] touching the graves and calling the saints for
> > blessings polytheism, what is your opinion?
> >
> > If touching the graves and calling the dead is with the understanding that
> > they could cause harm or render a benefit, then that is polytheism, no
> > doubt about it, the Muslims are monotheists and they know that Allah alone
> > could cause harm or render a benefit, but calling the saints and Imams
> > [may Allah bless them all] with the understanding that they could be an
> > intermediary to Allah, that is not polytheism. All Muslims, Sunnis and
> > Shias, agreed on this point from the time of the Messenger up to the
> > present day, except the Wahabiyyah, the Saudi Ulama who contradict all
> > Muslims with their new creed. They caused considerable disturbances among
> > the Muslims, they accused them of blasphemy, they spilt their blood and
> > even beat old pilgrims on their way to the House of Allah in Mecca just
> > because they say \”O Messenger of Allah, may peace be upon you\”, and they
> > will never let anybody touch his blessed grave. They had so many debates
> > with our learned people, but they persisted in their stubbornness and
> > their arrogance.
> >
> > Al-Sayyid Sharaf al-Din, a famous Shi\’i learned man, went on pilgrimage
> > to the House of Allah during the time of Abdul Aziz ibn Saud, and he was
> > one of those Ulama who were invited to the King\’s palace to celebrate
> > with the King \’Id al-Adhha, in accordance with the customs there. When
> > his turn came to shake the King\’shand, Sayyid Sharaf al-Din presented him
> > with a leather bound Qur\’an. The King took the Qur\’an and placed it on
> > his forehead then kissed it. Al Sayyid Sharaf al-Din said, \”O King, why
> > do you kiss and glorify the cover which is only made out of goat\’s
> > skin?\” The King answered, \”I meant to glorify the Holy Qur\’an, not the
> > goat\’s skin.\” Al-Sayyid Sharaf al-Din then said, \”Well said, O King. We
> > do the same when we kiss the window or the door of the Prophet\’s (saw)
> > chamber, we know it is made of iron and could not harm or render a
> > benefit, but we mean what is behind the iron and wood, we mean to glorify
> > the Messenger of Allah (saw) in the same way as you meant with the Qur\’an
> > when you kissed its goat\’s skin cover.
> >
> > The audience was impressed by al-Sayyid and said, \”You are right.\” The
> > King was forced to allow the pilgrims to ask for blessings from the
> > Prophet\’s relics, until the order was reversed by the successor of that
> > king. The issue is not that they are afraid of people associating others
> > with Allah, rather, it is a political issue based on antagonizing and
> > killing the Muslims in order to consolidate their power and authority over
> > the Muslims, and history is the witness to what they have done with the
> > Muslim nation.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > \”Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al Sadr is my guide when distinguishing between
> > the Haq and the Baatil, the right and the wrong\” – a young boy
> >
> > Collected, edited and articles written by Nouri Sardar
> > ————————————————-
