23 replies to this topic

[Inquisitor]

I am currently based in a desert and I'm the only Shia here as far as I know. There's a distant relative of mine who stays next to our company's accomodation. He keeps insisting that I come over for salah in the masjid and I keep avoiding him because he is unaware of the fact that I've given up on this madhhab called Sunnism.

There are also a lot of Pakistanis in my firm, mostly the labour category and their supervisor. This bunch of people know my relative very well and I haven't mentioned of my tashayyu to anyone just yet (you know how extremely crazy and violent these Sunni Pakistanis can get when they 'bump' into a Shia ). What do you guys suggest...should I just remain in taqiyyah or should I just declare? I'm actually leaning towards the latter, but it may not turn out to be very wise. Allahu Alam.

[mohammad_mahdi]

Inquisitor, on 03 August 2012 - 05:43 AM, said:

I am currently based in a desert and I'm the only Shia here as far as I know. There's a distant relative of mine who stays next to our company's accomodation. He keeps insisting that I come over for salah in the masjid and I keep avoiding him because he is unaware of the fact that I've given up on this madhhab called Sunnism.

There are also a lot of Pakistanis in my firm, mostly the labour category and their supervisor. This bunch of people know my relative very well and I haven't mentioned of my tashayyu to anyone just yet (you know how extremely crazy and violent these Sunni Pakistanis can get when they 'bump' into a Shia ). What do you guys suggest...should I just remain in taqiyyah or should I just declare? I'm actually leaning towards the latter, but it may not turn out to be very wise. Allahu Alam.

Dude... you're in the middle of the desert, surrounded by people you don't know. if you tell them you're shia:

Best case scenario: they all come out and say they are shia as well but were practicing taqiyya, thus you all say a loud Salawat and make waffles to celebrate

Worst case scenario: they have links to al qaida, and use you for target practice for their latest RPG's


Chances are either scenario is unlikely, but to be on the safe side i would really suggest to keep it to yourself at least up to the point you know what their reaction might be (you can open the topic in conversation, for example tell them you have a shia friend in pakistan, and see what their reaction is...)

[Abu 3antar]

I've been in a somewhat familiar situation. I'd say laying low and not engaging in religious debates would be the best. Even if they do say that they don't care, they might not see you as one of their own.

One of the most awkward moments in my life was when I was at my Sunni friend's house, a pretty hardcore Sunni, and his dad asked me to lead the prayer. I had to whisper the Shia exclusive parts.

[Quranist]

keep mum and just keep ur imaan in ur heart.

[Kamranistan]

yamolaAlimadad, on 03 August 2012 - 08:33 AM, said:

keep mum and just keep ur imaan in ur heart.

Why you bringing his mum into this?

[struggling_On]

Kamran-Syed, on 03 August 2012 - 08:42 AM, said:

Why you bringing his mum into this?

he meant silence, i think

[Kamranistan]

struggling_On, on 03 August 2012 - 09:01 AM, said:

he meant silence, i think

I was joking (I don't know what it means..) lol

[Ali Musaaa :)]

yamolaAlimadad, on 03 August 2012 - 08:33 AM, said:

keep mum and just keep ur imaan in ur heart.

Brother what is the Ayat in your signature?

[Ali Musaaa :)]

Dhulfiqar313, on 03 August 2012 - 09:41 PM, said:

It is 3:160 (Surat 'Ali `Imran ayat 160).  

إن ينصركم الله فلا غالب لكم وإن يخذلكم فمن ذا الذي ينصركم من بعده وعلى الله فليتوكل المؤمنون

Thanks Bro

[Gypsy]

Of course you should remain in Taqiyya. Why open yourself to further hostility and violent from the people of the misguided sect?

[Inquisitor]

Yeah, I guess I should practice taqiyyah at least for some time. The only concern I have is this relative of mine. I don't know how I should keep him off my back because I really don't want to go to a Sunni masjid and pray like they do, when I've got a room of my own and pray all my salah in there?

[Gypsy]

If you are forced to pray with them, then pretend that you are like them. Don't ever reveal your faith to the ignorant or to the non-Shia. Trust me, nothing good has ever come out of this.

I spent most of my adult life under taqiyya in a country that is very hostile towards the Shia.

[Ali Musaaa :)]

I seriously fail to see the problem of Praying with Sunni's. You don't have to pray like they do. You pray with them according to your School's Fiqh. Brother you havnt even gone to the Masjid so for all you know they don't have any issues with the Shia. Me, my friend from School and another revert are the only reverts in the whole Masjid and we are now all Shia. One Brother converted to Shia Islam either this week or last. So all reverts are Shia and we are the only Shia in our Mosque and Infact not one of us has met another Shia in person.

Bro, they will be fine, they are Muslims. If they don't like Shias then that's their problem that they will have to deal with. Have you ever thought that perhaps if you never told them you are Shia they may never learn about our School?

You could change one brother, you never know. I know this from personal experience. When I told one Brother, we were driving and he stalled the car in horror and shock to hear I was a Shia lol. Now he himself is a follower of the AhlulBayt Alhamdulillah.

[Murtada]

Ali Musaaa , on 04 August 2012 - 12:17 AM, said:

I seriously fail to see the problem of Praying with Sunni's. You don't have to pray like they do. You pray with them according to your School's Fiqh. Brother you havnt even gone to the Masjid so for all you know they don't have any issues with the Shia. Me, my friend from School and another revert are the only reverts in the whole Masjid and we are now all Shia. One Brother converted to Shia Islam either this week or last. So all reverts are Shia and we are the only Shia in our Mosque and Infact not one of us has met another Shia in person.

Bro, they will be fine, they are Muslims. If they don't like Shias then that's their problem that they will have to deal with. Have you ever thought that perhaps if you never told them you are Shia they may never learn about our School?

You could change one brother, you never know. I know this from personal experience. When I told one Brother, we were driving and he stalled the car in horror and shock to hear I was a Shia lol. Now he himself is a follower of the AhlulBayt Alhamdulillah.

As ideal as this may sound, it is against our religion.
Even if he hasn't gone to their masjid, why should he take the risk of praying correctly in front of people who believe otherwise? Especially in the time we are living in now, it is not easy to be a Shi'a. I would highly recommend the brother in question practices taqiyya to avoid being identified as a Shi'a. This will potentially save his life and Allaah (swt) will reward him for this.

Him being Shi'a won't only be a problem others will have to deal with; if the others believe all Shi'a must be killed. This is a mentality that is out there, believe it or not. Though I don't see how hard this would be to believe considering the events in Iraq and Pakistan.

As for changing another individual's beliefs, then rest assured if Allaah (swt) wants to guide someone, no one will be able to stop that individual from finding belief and if Allaah (swt) does not want to guide someone, no one in the world will be able to bring that individual to belief.

Fee amaanillaah and may Allaah (swt) protect us all.

[Ali Musaaa :)]

Murtada, on 04 August 2012 - 12:24 AM, said:

As ideal as this may sound, it is against our religion.
Even if he hasn't gone to their masjid, why should he take the risk of praying correctly in front of people who believe otherwise? Especially in the time we are living in now, it is not easy to be a Shi'a. I would highly recommend the brother in question practices taqiyya to avoid being identified as a Shi'a. This will potentially save his life and Allaah (swt) will reward him for this.

Him being Shi'a won't only be a problem others will have to deal with; if the others believe all Shi'a must be killed. This is a mentality that is out there, believe it or not. Though I don't see how hard this would be to believe considering the events in Iraq and Pakistan.

As for changing another individual's beliefs, then rest assured if Allaah (swt) wants to guide someone, no one will be able to stop that individual from finding belief and if Allaah (swt) does not want to guide someone, no one in the world will be able to bring that individual to belief.

Fee amaanillaah and may Allaah (swt) protect us all.

First of all the Brother hasn't stated where he is living, all I have gathered so far is some place in the desert. You can only use Taqiyah if you life is in danger, am I correct? So tell me his life is in danger if he has never even gone to the Masjid in the first place. To some degree, you are right and I agree one must take into account where he is living. However, he doesn't know the people and they are(it is highly probable) genuinely good people. You do know the Maliki School prays with their hands down don't you? So if he prays with his hands down, unless they ask, they could assume he is a Maliki. They are Sunni and pray similar to us.

Once again, the brother hasn't stated where he is located, if he is located in an area who are considered hostile to the Shia then perhaps Taqiyah would be a good idea.

[Inquisitor]

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If you are forced to pray with them, then pretend that you are like them. Don't ever reveal your faith to the ignorant or to the non-Shia. Trust me, nothing good has ever come out of this.

[/font]

[font="""]True Sis, trust me I've got some experience dealing this with my hard headed parents. Not an iota of good came out of my discussion. Nil. Nada.[/font]

[font="""]

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I seriously fail to see the problem of Praying with Sunni's. You don't have to pray like they do. You pray with them according to your School's Fiqh. Brother you havnt even gone to the Masjid so for all you know they don't have any issues with the Shia. Me, my friend from School and another revert are the only reverts in the whole Masjid and we are now all Shia. One Brother converted to Shia Islam either this week or last. So all reverts are Shia and we are the only Shia in our Mosque and Infact not one of us has met another Shia in person.

[/font]

[font="""]Bro Ali, you're living amongst the midst of literate people in Aussie land. Now, do you really compare them with Sunnis, that too from a land called Pakistan? I'm in Oman where honestly practicing Shiism isn't a problem, the Omanis are generally cool with Shias and I've hardly seen them objecting to anything, heck, not even if you put the turbah and pray. They are alright with it. The place where I'm staying is a company's accommodation and there's a small masjid behind it (it is probably as small as two mid sized room attached and converted in a place to pray). My firm has a lot of Pakistanis and Indians...AND they aren't literate, they're mostly the labour slogging-away-in-the-workshop category. I'm only concerned about these guys, not Omanis. If I go to this masjid and pray like a Shia, I'll definitely be standing out in the meagre crowd this masjid gathers. And I've no idea how people will react if they find out about my tashayyu. And I don't want my relative (who comes to this masjid) chasing me with questions because him being a big fan of Zakir Naik, will defintely be a waste of my time explaining things which I'm sure he personally will not want to understand.[/font]

[Ali Musaaa :)]

Inquisitor, on 04 August 2012 - 02:34 AM, said:

[font="""]Bro Ali, you're living amongst the midst of literate people in Aussie land. Now, do you really compare them with Sunnis, that too from a land called Pakistan? I'm in Oman where honestly practicing Shiism isn't a problem, the Omanis are generally cool with Shias and I've hardly seen them objecting to anything, heck, not even if you put the turbah and pray. They are alright with it. The place where I'm staying is a company's accommodation and there's a small masjid behind it (it is probably as small as two mid sized room attached and converted in a place to pray). My firm has a lot of Pakistanis and Indians...AND they aren't literate, they're mostly the labour slogging-away-in-the-workshop category. I'm only concerned about these guys, not Omanis. If I go to this masjid and pray like a Shia, I'll definitely be standing out in the meagre crowd this masjid gathers. And I've no idea how people will react if they find out about my tashayyu. And I don't want my relative (who comes to this masjid) chasing me with questions because him being a big fan of Zakir Naik, will defintely be a waste of my time explaining things which I'm sure he personally will not want to understand.[/font]

Thanks for explaining your situation Bro. I completely understand. I was just making a general point, perhaps it wasn't necessary as I have no idea what it is like being a Shia in a place like that. To be honest when I first became a Muslim, for a long time I would pray like a Sunni because I was scared to make self stand out to everyone. Being a new Muslim, I just wanted to fit in and if they knew I was a Shia it would make things a lot harder for me... But that was ages ago and I didnt know if they had issues with Shia Muslims but i aksed my Imam and he said it is permissable to be a Shia, so when he said that, i felt a lot more comfortable and shortly after i started praying according to our School. But eventually I got over it and now I pray with my hands down and because I told others two other Brothers are Shia. All 3 reverts at our Mosque are, Alhamdulillah.

Edited by Ali Musaaa :), 04 August 2012 - 06:13 AM.

[siraatoaliyinhaqqun]

Why don't u go to a shia masjid in Sydney? Are u too far away

[coldcow]

Inquisitor, on 04 August 2012 - 12:02 AM, said:

Yeah, I guess I should practice taqiyyah at least for some time. The only concern I have is this relative of mine. I don't know how I should keep him off my back because I really don't want to go to a Sunni masjid and pray like they do, when I've got a room of my own and pray all my salah in there?

What's wrong with praying with your Muslim brothers?  If you truly feel that the prayers are wrong, then come home and redo them.  I pray Jummah at Sunni masjids all the time with my hands down, not crossed, and I'm often the only one.  If you're too scared to put your hands down, then just keep them low.  Praying in congregation has more reward than praying alone.

[Inquisitor]

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Thanks for explaining your situation Bro. I completely understand. I was just making a general point, perhaps it wasn't necessary as I have no idea what it is like being a Shia in a place like that

No issues brother. I knew you were simply making a point.

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To be honest when I first became a Muslim, for a long time I would pray like a Sunni because I was scared to make self stand out to everyone. Being a new Muslim, I just wanted to fit in and if they knew I was a Shia it would make things a lot harder for me... But that was ages ago and I didnt know if they had issues with Shia Muslims but i aksed my Imam and he said it is permissable to be a Shia, so when he said that, i felt a lot more comfortable and shortly after i started praying according to our School. But eventually I got over it and now I pray with my hands down and because I told others two other Brothers are Shia. All 3 reverts at our Mosque are, Alhamdulillah.

If your local Imam said it is permissible to be a Shia, trust me, you and your friends are in a far better situation than most of the Shias around. A Sunni imam allowing someone to follow the Jafari fiqh is to me, unheard of. Lucky you.

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I pray Jummah at Sunni masjids all the time with my hands down, not crossed, and I'm often the only one.

I did this yesterday, my relative told this guy working in my office to make sure I go to the masjid. I didn't have the option to say 'no' (that'll cause another set of questions in the way). So we went to this other masjid and thankfully there were hundreds of guys in there. I made sure to get 'lost in the crowd' so that nobody from my company sees me praying. I of course prayed like a Shia..next to an Omani and like I said earlier, Omanis don't have an issue with the Shias.

[msabiri]

I thought taqiyya was only permissible to save your life

[coldcow]

msabiri, on 08 August 2012 - 07:51 PM, said:

I thought taqiyya was only permissible to save your life

I don't know where he lives, but there aren't too many western countries in the desert.  So I think he's afraid for potential harm if he reveals he's Shia.

Sadly, in some cases, a Shia living in a Muslim country is more dangerous than living in a non-Muslim country.

[Gypsy]

msabiri, on 08 August 2012 - 07:51 PM, said:

I thought taqiyya was only permissible to save your life

He's saving his life and protecting his faith.

That's what taqiyya is for.

If he was living among the Shias, he wouldn't have to hide his belief.

Edited by Gypsy, 10 August 2012 - 05:39 AM.

[Ali Musaaa :)]

siraatoaliyinhaqqun, on 04 August 2012 - 06:36 AM, said:

Why don't u go to a shia masjid in Sydney? Are u too far away

Sorry Bro, we're you referring to me?

Inquisitor, on 04 August 2012 - 01:41 PM, said:

If your local Imam said it is permissible to be a Shia, trust me, you and your friends are in a far better situation than most of the Shias around. A Sunni imam allowing someone to follow the Jafari fiqh is to me, unheard of. Lucky you.

Yeh but as I mentioned, he is a Scholar so he is quite knowledgeable. He isn't some Wahhabi living under a rock calling Shia Kaffir for the sake of it.

His son is a Hafiz and his teacher is a Shia. If he thought there was something wrong with Shi'as he wouldn't let his son study under a Shia.