All Activity

I only have a few hairs on the cheek. Can I shave them? My profile pic is two months growth untouched. I want a longer version of the second photo.

Trump says many provocative things, but we must look at his actions. He is extremely pragmatic and not driven by ideology. He is a business man first, and politician second. He knows from a business perspective that war with Iran would mean: 1. Skyrocketing oil prices (the Strait of Hormuz would be closed) 2. Massive casualties: modern warfare is characterized by the inability of invading forces to hold land and positions for extended periods of time, as seen in Ukraine and Afghanistan 3. Huge protests in the US 4. Enormous monetary cost I just don't see it. I think he is placating Israel with this tough talk, and trying to get negotiations going with the Iranian government.

Well, firstly no usuli Shia believes that every hadith is authentic. Having said that there can be Ahadith which are either mentioned by a liar or lacking intermediate sources but are based on truth, knowledge and common sense. The first hadith which you mentioned might appear to you strange but may not be strange for a astrologer because it might refer to astrological sign of constellation as whale and not an actual whale by which imam meant orbit of constellation in which earth swim around sun. The second hadith, perhaps, tells astrological effects of Mars and Jupiter because the then people were aware about astrology and not space science, they were interested as to what effects they have upon human nature and in that reference knew stars. Albeit, one can research further to see the alignment of those planets in summer and winter which may further reveal credibility of this hadith. And, that is perhaps work of an astrologer and astronomer.

I bet there are narrations of both kind some of which say that imams can hear angels but not see it and other claiming that they can both see and hear them. Even so it is no that strange because there were people without being imam or Nabi to whom angels have met for example there is mention of angel giving good tidings to lady Maryam and mother of Prophet Musa (عليه السلام). Angels did not only communicated to only prophets.

It's possible that it's a borrowed concept or description from Greco-Roman paganism and as such has no basis in reality...but it's also possible that it's a true account...keep in mind that every nation has had a prophet sent to it...many pearls of truth become mixed in alongside the false and fanciful, legendary tales

From Ayatollah Wikipedia: "Jabulqa and Jabulsa (Arabic: جابلقا وجابلسا) or Jabalq and Jabars (Arabic: جابلق وجابرس), are two legendary cities mentioned in Islam. They are said to be made of green emerald and visited by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in his Night Journey. Alexander the Great with two harpies perched on pillars in Jābalasā. In a conversation between Muhammad and his cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cities are described as situated in darkness and contiguous to the primeval Mount Qaf. Jabulqa is located in the eastern-most corner of the world and Jabulsa on the western-most one. The figure Dhu al-Qarnayn, mentioned in the Quran, is said to have tried to visit the cities but gave up halfway. However, he was successful in seeing the places where the sun rises and sets. Each city is 12,000 parasangs (at least 36,000 miles) long and wide, with 12,000 gates, and each are guarded by 12,000 men until the Day of Resurrection, when the Qa'im will appear. In the early Basa'ir al-darajat, these cities were inhabited by archetypal male believers who are neither human, jinn nor angels (but whose service to God is similar to those of angels). They appear to be part tellurian and part angelic yet enjoy mystical communion with all the Imāms while awaiting the appearance of the Qa'im. The cities are guarded by 1,000 men each night for a year for each of the 12 fortresses due to enemies called Tharis and Taqil, who behave like Gog and Magog. Muhammad visited the cities in his Night Journey. In the Kitab al-Haft wa-l-azilla (8th–11th century CE), transmitted by Nasayri Shi'a, the sixth Imam al-Sadiq states that the Qa'im will live in these cities. Later Shi'i scholars, including Muhammad Taqi al-Majlisi (d. 1659) and Muhammad Baqir al-Bahai al-Hamadani (d. 1915), have used these two cities to support the story of the Green Island, the place where the last Imam is said to be hiding. The cities also appear in the works of Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi and Shaykh Ahmad. Bahá'u'lláh, founder of the Bahá'í Faith, in his Javáhiru’l-Asrár (Gems of Divine Mysteries) and other works, interprets Jabulqa and Jabulsa symbolically."

You are in China now bro? Is it safe as a Muslim?

Could you provide me resources and links to prophet Muhammad's life and biography . Could you also provide me resources links to Imam Ali's life and biography

Part three: Ibn Mahboub narrating from Muqaatil b Sulayman Credit to Nader Zavri: http://www.revivingalislam.com/2011/01/hadeeth-is-daeef-weak-names-of-prophets.html Ibn Mahboub allegedly narrates from Muqaatil b. Sulayman, who died in the year 150AH. Ibn Mahboub was born in the year 150AH. This adds to another narrator Ibn Mahboub could not have directly heard from him, yet does not disclose the intermediary between him and the narrator he is said to have heard from.

Part two: Ibn Mahboub narrating directly from Malik b Attiya Credit to brothers on this thread who did the research [ Brother Cake]: "From an isnad point of view, this hadith cannot be proven to be sahih as it cannot be proven that Ibn Mahbub received this hadith directly from Malik bin Atiyya. In support of this: Ibn Mahbub has narrated from Malik through his intermediary*, Ali bin Ri'ab. For example: Al-Kafi, volume 7, page 202: [1] عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنِ ابْنِ رِئَابٍ عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ عَطِيَّةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ بَيْنَا أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع فِي مَلَإٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ إِذْ أَتَاهُ رَجُلٌ فَقَال‏ Also, the only other trustworthy narrator who definitely heard from Malik, in the Four Books, is Ali bin al-Hakam (who seems to be Ibn Mahbub's senior). And, he is not listed by anyone as being a companion of the 7th Imam and he has no narrations from the 7th Imam (at least in the Four Books), so it cannot be proven that he reached Imam al-Kadhim's [a] Imamate. Tusi lists Malik as a companion of Imams 4, 5, 6 and and we know that it is reported that Ibn Mahbub was born in 149AH. Therefore, Malik may have been an older companion of Imam as-Sadiq [a], who did not reach the Imamate of al-Kadhim [a] and hence Ibn Mahbub was unable to hear from him. And even if he reached the Imamate of the 7th Imam, he only reached, say, the first couple of years, as Zurara did (approximately)"

Yangshuo, China Spent the afternoon cycling here and saw this scene off a bridge.

Part one: Ibn Mahbub narrating from Abu Hamzah at-Thumali: Ibn Mahbub died born 149AH, and died 224AH: Abu Hamzah at-Thumali on the other hand, who Ibn Mahbub narrates copiously from was born 82AH and died 150AH Therefore it should be patently clear that Ibn Mahbub could not have directly heard from or taken from Abu Hamzah at-Thumali, but rather, the books Ibn Mahbub took from that contained the Ahadith of Abu Hamzah at-Thumali must have been from an intermediary source. I need to again stress, Ibn Mahbub is a major Muhaddith, and his Ahadith span into the thousands. A hidden disconnection from him and those who he cites from but does not cite the hidden intermediaries brings about major concerns of who exactly these intermediaries were, and whether these middle-men obtained reliable copies, or if they themselves were not corrupted. Indeed, very early giants in Shia Ahadith, such as Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Isa initially refused to narrate anything from Ibn Mahbub, because of their concern he was directly narrating from Abu Hamzah at-Thumali: https://eshia.ir/feqh/archive/text/javaheri/feqh/37/380819/ (قال الكشي عن نصْر بن الصباح: ما كان احمد بن حمد بن عيسى يروي عن ابن محبوب من اجل ان اصحابنا يتّهمون ابن محبوب في روايته عن ابي حمزة الثمالي ثم تاب ورجع عن هذا القول[1] ) Al Kashi reports that Ahmad b. Muhammad B. Isa refused to narrate anything from Ibn Mahbub, because he would narrate from Abu Hamzah at-Thumali. However, he later retracted his view, and the article itself goes onto justifying how this is a permissible but frowned upon Tadlees. However, Sunnis themselves categorise those who performed Tadlees into those who did it frequently, and those who did it infrequently. In this case, if it can be proven Ibn Mahbub narrated copiously from narrators he did not meet or could have taken directly from, or if it was highly likely there was a middle person between him and the person he took from i.e. an intermediary who provided him the work of the late scholar or Muhaddith, this would introduce unknowns into a large percentage of such a narrators chain. I argue that Ibn Mahbub, if he was reliable in himself, was a frequent Mudallis. This is just one of those examples, and I want to cite many more.

Bismillah, Salam. One of the unique aspects of Shia compilation of Ahadith is that when you read a chain of narrators, often it is a narrator citing from the book of the person he is claiming to take from most of the time, who may have lent the book to him directly or he may have obtained this book through an intermediary source. For example, if Elon Musk narrates from Bill Gates, who Narrated from Steve Jobs who narrated from Winston Churchill, imagine if each individual lent the other their book of Ahadith which they copied from. However, at times, the life-times did not overlap, or at times, individuals were infants when the other had passed way For example, Steve Jobs own lifespan did not overlap with Winston Churchill. Sunnis use this as an attacking point for Shia efforts to preserve Hadith heritage from the Ahlulbayt, in that the books themselves could have been corrupted and infiltrated, and at times, individuals narrating from another individual could not possibly have met them, or were infants and could not have directly heard or taken from that book, and therefore there are intermediaries or unknown narrators in the chain who the individual did not cite. This hidden intermediary , and the practice of not naming the intermediary is known as Tadlees, and the person who performs Tadlees is regarded as a Muddlis. Sometimes, reliable and truthful narrators of Ahadith often engaged in Tadlees, and this is present even in Sunni works, where the Muddaliseen as categorised into how often they performed it. Those who were frequent in Tadlees would often not have their traditions accepted unless they directly stated they heard it from the person they are citing. In our own Shia works, there is one narrator who I have noticed has a number of Ahadith which are if I can respectfully phrase it, strange in content, which is not enough to discount them of course, but often he narrates from people he could not have met , or he was barely an infant during the time the life-times overlapped. ibn Mahbub is one such major Muhaddith, who had large works of Ahadith, but would often not name his intermediary source of the books of Hadith of earlier scholars or companions of the Imams. This introduces unknown individuals who had procured those books. We do not know who these unknown , unnamed, individuals are, and whether they obtained a legitimate and non-infiltrated copy of such a book I do not create this thread to cause doubt, but to do the opposite. Often Ahadith causes people to doubt, because it is graded authentic, whereas even major scholars of Hadith like Behboudi themselves do not agree with the gradings you find in Mirat al-Uqul. I swear by Allah, my only intention is to pursue truth, and to accurately and fairly present what I deem to be truth and to not distort Shia scholarship, but to only present this to be taken to legitimate scholars for further clarification. Anything good of what I do is from Allah, the Almighty. Any evil is from myself and from the accursed Shaytaan. What is the use of this? If an Individual was not careful in who he took from, a lot of khurafaat can creep into the books attributed to compiling sayings from the Prophet and and from the Ahlulbayt For example, here are some Ahadith from Ibn Mahbub: مُحَمَّدٌ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ جَمِيلِ بْنِ صَالِحٍ عَنْ أَبَانِ بْنِ تَغْلِبَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ (عليه السلام) قَالَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الْأَرْضِ عَلَى أَيِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ هِيَ قَالَ هِيَ عَلَى حُوتٍ قُلْتُ فَالْحُوتُ عَلَى أَيِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ هُوَ قَالَ عَلَى الْمَاءِ قُلْتُ فَالْمَاءُ عَلَى أَيِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ هُوَ قَالَ عَلَى صَخْرَةٍ قُلْتُ فَعَلَى أَيِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ الصَّخْرَةُ قَالَ عَلَى قَرْنِ ثَوْرٍ أَمْلَسَ قُلْتُ فَعَلَى أَيِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ الثَّوْرُ قَالَ عَلَى الثَّرَى قُلْتُ فَعَلَى أَيِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ الثَّرَى فَقَالَ هَيْهَاتَ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ ضَلَّ عِلْمُ الْعُلَمَاءِ . 55. Muhammad, from Ahmad, from Ibn Mahboub, from Jameel Bin Saleh, from Aban Bin Tabligh has narrated the following: Abu Abdullah (asws) said, ‘I asked him (asws) about the earth, which thing does it rest upon? He (asws) said: ‘It is upon the whale’. I said, ‘So the whale, which thing does it rest upon?’ He (asws) said: ‘Upon the water’. I said, ‘So the water, upon which thing does is rest upon?’ He (asws) said: ‘Upon a rock’. I said, ‘So upon which thing does the rock rest upon?’ He (asws) said: ‘Upon the horns of a bull’ I said, ‘So upon which thing does the bull rest upon?’ He (asws) said: ‘Upon the mist’. I said, ‘So upon which thing does the mist rest upon?’ He (asws) said: ‘This is how far knowledge of scholars is permitted (to reveal) and beyond this is straying’. Al-Kāfi - Volume 8, The hadith of ‘on what is the whale’, Hadith #1 https://thaqalayn.net/hadith/8/1/55/1 عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ عَطِيَّةَ عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ خَالِدٍ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ (عليه السلام) عَنِ الْحَرِّ وَ الْبَرْدِ مِمَّا يَكُونَانِ فَقَالَ لِي يَا أَبَا أَيُّوبَ إِنَّ الْمِرِّيخَ كَوْكَبٌ حَارٌّ وَ زُحَلَ كَوْكَبٌ بَارِدٌ فَإِذَا بَدَأَ الْمِرِّيخُ فِي الِارْتِفَاعِ انْحَطَّ زُحَلُ وَ ذَلِكَ فِي الرَّبِيعِ فَلَا يَزَالَانِ كَذَلِكَ كُلَّمَا ارْتَفَعَ الْمِرِّيخُ دَرَجَةً انْحَطَّ زُحَلُ دَرَجَةً ثَلَاثَةَ أَشْهُرٍ حَتَّى يَنْتَهِيَ الْمِرِّيخُ فِي الِارْتِفَاعِ وَ يَنْتَهِيَ زُحَلُ فِي الْهُبُوطِ فَيَجْلُوَ الْمِرِّيخُ فَلِذَلِكَ يَشْتَدُّ الْحَرُّ فَإِذَا كَانَ فِي آخِرِ الصَّيْفِ وَ أَوَّلِ الْخَرِيفِ بَدَأَ زُحَلُ فِي الِارْتِفَاعِ وَ بَدَأَ الْمِرِّيخُ فِي الْهُبُوطِ فَلَا يَزَالَانِ كَذَلِكَ كُلَّمَا ارْتَفَعَ زُحَلُ دَرَجَةً انْحَطَّ الْمِرِّيخُ دَرَجَةً حَتَّى يَنْتَهِيَ الْمِرِّيخُ فِي الْهُبُوطِ وَ يَنْتَهِيَ زُحَلُ فِي الِارْتِفَاعِ فَيَجْلُوَ زُحَلُ وَ ذَلِكَ فِي أَوَّلِ الشِّتَاءِ وَ آخِرِ الْخَرِيفِ فَلِذَلِكَ يَشْتَدُّ الْبَرْدُ وَ كُلَّمَا ارْتَفَعَ هَذَا هَبَطَ هَذَا وَ كُلَّمَا هَبَطَ هَذَا ارْتَفَعَ هَذَا فَإِذَا كَانَ فِي الصَّيْفِ يَوْمٌ بَارِدٌ فَالْفِعْلُ فِي ذَلِكَ لِلْقَمَرِ وَ إِذَا كَانَ فِي الشِّتَاءِ يَوْمٌ حَارٌّ فَالْفِعْلُ فِي ذَلِكَ لِلشَّمْسِ هَذَا تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ وَ أَنَا عَبْدُ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ. 474. Ali Bin Ibrahim, from his father, from Ibn Mahboub, from Malik Bin Atiyya, from Suleyman Bin Khalid who said: I asked Abu Abdullah (asws) about the heat and the cold, from what do they emanate?’ O Abu Ayyub! Mars is a hot planet and Saturn is a cold planet. So if Mars begins to rise, the Saturn goes lower, and that is in the spring. So they do not stop being like that. Every time Mars rises a level, Saturn falls for three months until the Mars ends up high and Saturn ends up in the decline. For the Mars that is its hottest time. So when it is at the end of the summer and the beginning of the autumn, Saturn begins to ascend and the Mars begins to descend. So these two do not stop being like that. Every time Saturn rises a level, Mars declines a level, and that is at the beginning of the winter and at the end of the summer. So that is its coldest time. Every time this one rises, this one comes down, and every time this one comes down, this one rises. So if there is a cold day in the summer, so that is the action of the Moon, and if there is a hot day in the winter, so that action is due to the Sun. “[36:38] that is the ordinance of the Mighty, the Knowing” and I (asws) am the servant of the Lord (azwj) of the Worlds’. Al-Kāfi - Volume 8, Saturn is a cold planet, Hadith #1 https://thaqalayn.net/hadith/8/1/474/1

If this is Muhammad ibn Khalid al-Barqi, despite him being a Thiqa narrator in himself as per many, there are major question marks of this individual. 17 - محمد بن خالد، البرقي بن عبد الرحمان بن محمد بن علي، أبو عبد الله، مولى جرير بن عبد الله. حديثه يعرف وينكر. يروي عن الضعفاء كثيرا ويعتمد المراسيل. Muḥammad b. Khālid al-Barqī b. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Muḥammad b. ʿAlī, Abū ʿAbdillāh, client of Jarīr b. ʿAbdullāh. His ḥadīth are recognized and denied. He narrates a lot from the weak (narrators) and relies on the mursal traditions. Kitāb al-Ḍuʿafāʾ, Muḥammad b. Khālid al-Barqī b. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Muḥammad b. ʿAlī, Abū ʿAbdillāh, Hadith #1 https://thaqalayn.net/hadith/17/20/17/1

Bismillah, Salam. In two authentic narrations in al-Kafi, the Imams are claimed to have said that angels descend on them, leave their fluff, and they use this fluff to amuse their children. However, any particles of angels is still part of the angel, and is it not the case that angels are of the un-seen realm, and not the physical realm we see here - and that even so, nobody but a Prophet of God can see an angel? If an angels wind, or part of the wing, or fluff from a wing is broken this is still part of the angel is it not? How can such a matter of the unseen be visualised, as surely no part of an angel can be seen? Is the difference between Imamah and Prophethood as per al-Kafi's and al-Kulayni's view not that Imams can hear and not see Prophets (as per his claim and compilation)? Any argument or claim I make, I will reference with the Arabic, the English, and a reliable direct source you can verify 2ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْقَاسِمِ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ أَبِي الْعَلاءِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ قَالَ يَا حُسَيْنُ وَضَرَبَ بِيَدِهِ إِلَى مَسَاوِرَ فِي الْبَيْتِ مَسَاوِرُ طَالَ مَا اتَّكَتْ عَلَيْهَا الْمَلائِكَةُ وَرُبَّمَا الْتَقَطْنَا مِنْ زَغَبِهَا. 2. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn Khalid from Muhammad ibn al-Qasim from al-Husayn ibn abu al-‘Ala’ who has said the following. “Once Abu ‘Abdallah ((عليه السلام).) said, ‘O Husayn, tapping his hand on a cushion in the house, saying, ‘Cushions on which for a long time angels have been leaning and perhaps we pick up some of their fluff around.” Al-Kāfi - Volume 1, The Angels come to the Houses of the Imams, Step on their Furnishings and Bring them News, Hadith #2 https://thaqalayn.net/hadith/1/4/97/2 3ـ مُحَمَّدٌ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مَالِكُ بْنُ عَطِيَّةَ الاحْمَسِيُّ عَنْ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ الثُّمَالِيِّ قَالَ دَخَلْتُ عَلَى عَلِيِّ بن الحسين (عَلَيْهما السَّلام) فَاحْتُبِسْتُ فِي الدَّارِ سَاعَةً ثُمَّ دَخَلْتُ الْبَيْتَ وَهُوَ يَلْتَقِطُ شَيْئاً وَأَدْخَلَ يَدَهُ مِنْ وَرَاءِ السِّتْرِ فَنَاوَلَهُ مَنْ كَانَ فِي الْبَيْتِ فَقُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ هَذَا الَّذِي أَرَاكَ تَلْتَقِطُهُ أَيُّ شَيْ‏ءٍ هُوَ فَقَالَ فَضْلَةٌ مِنْ زَغَبِ الْمَلائِكَةِ نَجْمَعُهُ إِذَا خَلَّوْنَا نَجْعَلُهُ سَيْحاً لاوْلادِنَا فَقُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَيَأْتُونَكُمْ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا حَمْزَةَ إِنَّهُمْ لَيُزَاحِمُونَّا عَلَى تُكَأَتِنَا. 3. Muhammad has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn al-Hakam who hassaaid that Malik ibn ‘Atiyya al-Ahmasi narrated to him from abu Hamza al-Thumali who has said the following. “Once I went to see Ali ibn al-Husayn ((عليه السلام).) and I became confounded in the room for an hour then I went inside the house while he was picking up things and would give to someone behind the curtain. I then said, may Allah take my soul in service for your cause, What was that thing that I saw you picking up?” The Imam ((عليه السلام).) said, “The fuzz from the angels when they come to meet us and we use it amuse our children.” I then said, may Allah take my soul in service for your cause, do they they come to you?” The Imam ((عليه السلام).) said, “O abu Hamza, they become crowded over our furnishings.” Al-Kāfi - Volume 1, The Angels come to the Houses of the Imams, Step on their Furnishings and Bring them News, Hadith #3 https://thaqalayn.net/hadith/1/4/97/3

I did a basic search of whether there may be a pre-islamic influence, either in the Sabi' , Judaic, Christian, Bedouin, Greek , ancient Pagan et al influence that may have led to such a Hadith or belief system being circulated in Baghad/Kufa/Iraq during the time period al-Kafi was compiled. I found this interesting research paper: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/379616900_A_Tale_of_Two_Cities_JabarsaJabalqa_and_Their_Metamorphoses Abstract: Although the twin cities at the west and east edges of the world, Jābarā (Jābar, Jābalā, Jāburā) and Jābalqā (Jābalq, Jābarqā), are somehow common-place in Islamicate cosmographies throughout the medieval period, surprisingly little research exists on them. The main lines of the legend, as formulated by the medieval traditionalists and cosmographers, are as follows: there are two cities at the uttermost east and west parts of the inhabited world, where the sun rises and sets. The inhabitants suffer from the extreme heat and the noise made by the sun in its rising and setting; they have to hide in caves and make their own noise to be protected. In the various versions of the story, some elements lack or differ; the cities are often connected with other legends related to the edge of the world, such as Dhū l-Qarnayn, the Gog and Magog/Yājūj and Mājūj, Mummad’s night journey, the remnants of the Ād tribe, and so forth. The paper traces the origins of the legend, its formation and various formulations during the Islamic Middle Ages, the significant change it underwent in the late medieval Illuminationist (ishrāqī) philosophy, and finally its survival and fading away to a status of folktale utopia in Ottoman literature and scholarshi Interesting part of the conclusion: "Being not an Arabist, I would not dare to reach any conclusions regarding the gene-alogy of the Jābarā/Jābalqa legend throughout the tafsīr and sīra literature. It is, however, clear that the basic story incorporated elements from the Hellenistic tra-ditions built around Alexander the Great, as well as from various Graeco-Roman Indica, as distilled through the Syriac versions of Alexander Romance. In the Islamic period, these legends (most probably blended with elements from Arabic mythol-ogy) found their way in Quranic exegesis, universal histories, and geographical literature; the two cities took their names, in three or four versions (not to count the Syriac or Hebrew names given), and their features, including a possible connection with the lost Tribes of Israel, had been crystallized by the 10th century CE." I wonder whether with the translation of a lot of the Hellenistic work which flooded the Muslim world around the period al-Kafi was compiled, played an influence given in my own research of al-Kafi, there appears to be strong adoption of these ideas and I wonder whether such beliefs were reverse engineered to the Imams, or whether some of the myths maybe came from revelation of earlier Prophets and through Chinese whispers were distorted into their present form?

, Guitars are not haram even(according to 99% of ulema), so no problem going into a guitar shop and no problem buying a speaker from them. Its not a haram transaction. If you use a guitar to play a category of music that is considered haram by your marjaa' or haram by common sense (like Music which promotes haram and / or is disrespectful toward Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) or is used almost exclusively for a haram purpose) then that act is a haram act (i.e. the playing of that type of music), that doesn't make the guitar itself haram because you can use that same instrument for a halal purpose, i.e. to play halal music unless you follow a marjaa' who considers all music haram, like Sayyid Goplighani(رضي الله عنه). The same applies to a loudspeaker. If you are using this speaker to broadcast haram music, then that act is haram (broadcasting the haram music) but it doesn't make the loudspeaker haram since you can also use that same loudspeaker to broadcast the athan or Quran. If you go to a store whose main product is haram to buy, like alcohol for example, and you buy it there, then yes, it would be a haram transaction since you are supporting a business whose main business is from the haram. I don't think there are any liquor stores that sell guitars, though.

Salam main difference between sunnis salafist views and shia views in concept of Qada & Qadar is concept of Bada' which according to Shia viewpoint Allah can change everything including Qada & Qadar based on his knowledge & will while "sunnis salafist" accuse Shias that Nauzubilla Shias consider Allah ignorant or weak which is totally wrong ; which according to Shia viewpoint Allah can change everything even Qada & Qadar by his vast knowledge & eternal will & absolute power of doing anything . The word "bada'" is used about God without implying any change of mind out of ignorance or weakness, and thus bada' as a Shiite belief means that God reveals for people facts that were hidden from them such that they expected otherwise.[3] There are several verses of the Qur'an concerning this notion and some of its instances. In some hadiths, belief in bada' has been said to be along with the real knowledge of monotheism (tawhid), without which God cannot be truly known. In Shiite resources of hadith, details of bada' have been talked about; for example, in al-Kafi there is a separate section about bada' including 16 hadiths. Relation with God's Eternal Will Some non-Shiite scholars regard the belief in bada' contrary to the belief in God's eternal will. In defense of their belief, Shiite scholars have explained that God's eternal will (qada') has three types: Necessary qada', known only to God. There is no bada' in this type, because it entails change in God's knowledge, which is impossible. Necessary qada', which God reveals to the angels, prophets, or imams, and they inform people of it. No bada' occurs in this type of qada' either, because it casts doubt upon the honesty of the prophets or the imams in the eyes of people. Contingent qada', in which God decrees something, but makes its occurrence contingent on His will. It is in this type of qada' that bada' takes place. In the Qur'an In the Qur'an, there are several verses concerning the notion of bada' and its instances; for example, "Allah makes to pass away and establishes what he pleases" (Quran 13:39); in a commentary on this verse, Imam al-Sadiq (a) says: "is not it the case that Allah makes to pass away what is established, and establishes what has passed away?"[4] Historical Examples of Bada' In Hadiths In Shiite resources, there are many hadiths from the Prophet Muhammad (s) and Imams (a) that approve bada' and take belief in bada' to be a sort of worship for God and one of the highest forms of obeisance for God.[5] Imam al-Sadiq (a) said, "None of the prophets became prophets until they admitted five characteristics for God: bada', providence, prostration (sujud), divinity, and His obedience."[6] In another hadith from Imam al-Sadiq (a), we read, "No bada' occurs for God except that it is already in His knowledge." Moreover, the belief in bada' is greatly emphasized, so much so that it has been regarded as a sign of true faith in God. According to a hadith, "God is not worshiped with any deed as He is worshiped with [the belief in] bada'."[7] Imam al-Sadiq (a) is also reported to have said, "If people knew what reward is reserved for the belief in bada', they would never get bored with discussing it." In Sunni Sources Although some Sunni scholars have rejected the doctrine of bada' and criticized the Shi'a for it, the same doctrine, albeit not with the same name, has been affirmed in their sources. Al-Bukhari, for instance, reports, in his Sahih, on the authority of Abu Hurayra that the Prophet (s) said, "There were three people among the Israelites who were afflicted with three diseases, vitiligo, deafness, and blindness. It occurred to God to test them…"[8]. Ibn Hajar comments on this hadith that "The phrase ‘it occurred to God' means that God pre-eternally knew but then He revealed his knowledge, not that something was hidden from God and then He discovered it, because such a thing is impossible for God."[9] In his commentary on Quran 39:42, Ibn Abi Hatam also quotes a hadith from Ibn Abbas, according to which, "God makes people to die; if it occurred to God to take a soul, He would do so and the person dies; or He postpones the death until a specified time and returns the soul to its place".[10] Al-Haythami, too, quotes in his Majma' al-zawa'id in the section on "The Sun's Rising from Where It Sets" (Tulu' al-shams min maghribiha) a hadith related to bada'.[11] https://en.wikishia.net/view/Bada'

thank you guys for your help!

I am familiar with Thomas Paine and his writings. I am not impressed with him and find him to be a devil worshipper and a degenerate. I think the freemason founding fathers were ungrateful traitors to their king. I suppose we will have to agree to disagree. I do think that you need to have an equal standard when it comes to judging systems. You simply can not reject monarchy because it can deteriate to tyranny but accept democracy when it can deteriate to a tyranny of the same. I know of no government that can be prevented from falling into tyranny. What makes monarchy can do is it has the possibility of being redeemed once a new monarch has come to power. This is why monarchies can last a thousand years and democracies last only 250 yrs on average. Democracies only last that long because when tyranny does arise the only cure is revolution because of how thoroughly despotic and corrupt it has become and how it has riddled the political body.you simply can not stop the political class and bureaucratic state with a new president or prime minister. A monarch on the other hand can change everything with a simple command. There are no perfect systems that involve men and to think that a paper such as a constitution can account for men's hearts and apathy is idealistically naive. We can not stop men from becoming apathetic but we can have a form of government that may give them a chance to redeem themselves once they have suffered enough because of their apathy. There is no perfect government just a better governments than others. Atleast this is how I see it.

Salam Salam although based on christian understanding "qada w qadr are two distinct things" although they are not different from each other which Qada is base of everything based on will of Allah while Qadr is applying Qada through free will of human for example Qada is that fire burns by will of Allah which we can't be changed it but on the other hand Qadar is using Fire which you can burn a house with it or heat an oven based on your choice ; which in this Dua it's about granting Hajj based on Qada & Qadr which both doesn't change so therefore a real accepted Hajj surly will be granted this year without any doubt for who makes this dua ; which both of Qada & Qadr will be cemented in Laylat al qadr for granting the really accepted Hajj so therefore changing dua based on your understanding has not been allowed . Qada It is the creation of a necessary and definite relationship between the subject and the predicate. or Divine decree is the certainty of the existence of an event that is the result of Allah's inherent and eternal will, power, and knowledge pertaining to that object.[6] Qadar means measure. Divine Qadr is the relation that the limits of things have to the essence of the Almighty.[9] To be more precise, the measure and limits of the attributes and effects of everything is Qadr; and Al-Taqdir is the determination of these measures and limits. Translation Imam Baqir(عليه السلام) (Abu Jafar): There is nothing in the earth and the heavens except with these seven characteristics:[Divine] Providence, Will, (Qadr )Destiny,(Qada) Decree, Permission, Book and Deadline; if anyone thinks that he can diminish any of them, he has indeed disbelieved.) Translation: Yunus bin Abdur Rahman says: I asked Imam Reza: Is there nothing except by Divine providence or Mashīyya , will and divine decree? The Imam said: Nothing except by the will, will, destiny and divine decree. He says: I asked what is the meaning of Divine providence or Mashīyya? He said: Initiating a work. I asked what is the meaning of will? He said: Establishing the work. I asked what is the meaning of destiny(Qadar)? He replied: Determining the quantity of things such as their length and width. I asked what is the meaning of decree(Qada)? He said: When divine decree is attached to something, it fulfills it. This is that it is irreversible.) https://fa.wikishia.net/view/قضا_و_قدر

Salam surely it's not haram take it easy & buy your favorite speaker for listening to holy Quran .

Wa 'alaykum al-Salam, differences on Usul al-Din is present among the Shi'a also, the thing however is that Sunnis love to act as if there was one version of Islam followed by the absolute majority of Muslims and that the Shi'a for example are therefore innovators and people who cause disunity. In response to this it can be said that in the Quran al-karım the majority is usually used in a negative context and that knowledge of Islamic history and the different groups shows that there were different groups early on and that Sunnis were actually among those groups, who had the weakest proofs on those issues that the early Muslims differed upon. Take for example the issue regarding what happened amomg the companions from disunity: Most Sunnis today claim that both sides were upon goodness and that difference was just Ijtihadi, while according to the explicit statement of Rasulullah (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) one side were callers to hellfire. Another point is what you mentioned: Sunnis themselves had and have huge differences among themselves. The Ash'ari understanding of Allah ta'ala for example is very much different from the "Salafi" one. The difference is like that between two different religions (with the "Salafi" understanding being nearer to paganism than Islam in reality). That's why it's upon a Sunni to prove why one should follow his understanding, because using the "we were always the orthodox version of Islam"-argument simply falls apart the moment one invastigates a little bit.

Salam you can ask your question from @Qa'im who has written some books about Shia Islam as a Shia author.

Salam She has not been cursed which only sin here maybe sin of breaking oath ; Also Allah's merci is greater than what she thinks so she must not afraid but she must not make such swearing as a habit for making fun & etc ; sometimes women do illogical things when they are in state of menstruation due to unbalancing of their hormones which making a swear in unbalanced state of mind is just a void swear ; Swearing and oaths by other than the name of Allah, even swearing by the name of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and the infallible Imams (peace be upon them) and swearing by the Holy Quran are not obligatory, meaning that if someone swears by other than the name of Allah, She is not obligated to do so and there is no expiation for disobeying it. However, it should be known that swearing without reason and lying has destructive effects on faith, and sometimes swearing falsely is one of the greatest major sins, for example, swearing falsely can lead to a right being wronged. And if the oath is true, it is strongly disliked! https://hadana.ir/قسم-به-قرآن-خوردن-و-کفاره-شکستن-آن/