Sirius_Bright

indeed. how weak must the non shia arguments be, that they can "prove" us wrong by (supposedly) claiming that Imam (as) named his sons after the first 3...while completely ignoring:
- the burning of the house
- the theft of fadak
- the debacle of saqifa
- the murder of companions 
- the abandonning of the funeral of the prophet pbuh
 
but shia are wrong and sunni are right. because names. #SunniLogic. 

Since when did fallible leaders become the ultimate proofs for religion? 
 
Imam Sajjad [a] cursed them, and we are suppose to unite with them? For what? So they can betray us with their hate towards God's light and his chosen ones like they always do. What do you want? Unity with them with their Caliphate system back with one leader leading the Umma so they can oppress us? 
 
People talk about divisions in nationalism as if it's a bad thing. Thank God our countries got divided into national states instead of this monster Caliphate system of the past which most Sunnis want a return to.
 
They see our blood as cheap. That's reality. It's always been like that and continues to be like that.
 
Where are they at condemning Saudi crimes in Yemen? That's right, no where, rather the opposite, they praise them. They will oppress you if they get the chance as they always have been oppressing us.
 
I rather live under the rule of a Jew or a Christian or an Atheist than a Sunni any day any time.

From my experience with Sunnis, majority are actually very well acquainted with proofs of Wilayah of Ahlulbayt like wage verses, thaqalain and Ali Mawla hadith, even though Sunni scholars do their best to keep people ignorant. 
 
That said, even if they aren't aware, Quran is suppose to bring insights, and blindness to it despite it's clear signs, may or may not be forgiven, depending if someone is purposely blind to it as it denies what is manifest to him from it.
 
Case in point, a lot of Sunnis very well know why God emphasized on the chosen families in Quran. This is just one example. Some of them then try to say "family" means "believers" that are of the same blood of the Prophet. They go out of their way to down play the exalted chosen above meaning, into a different type choosing. This is despite God saying he chose Adam and Nuh before that, which is to emphasize that they are chosen in the same way Nuh is chosen.
 
In my view, in this day and age, Sunnis are willfully ignorant. They come across proofs, and their hearts are whispered from Satan "don\'t think about other then what I suggest to you it means" and that's what they do. And when they come across the clear signs that is the true meaning, they turn away from it and belittle it as "mutashibiha" even if it's clear with respect to other parts of Quran and with the flow of Quran.
 
Aside from that, it's the eternal rational of Suratal Fatiha that designates Ahlulbayt and shows the wisdom of Prophets and in particular the best of the best people being Guides in sealing the religion. It's a silent argument but none the less, it shows pure rationally humans acknowledge facts that should lead them to God and his chosen ones.
 
The question is, did Imams [a] makes excuses for majority of people? No. If we see hadiths, it's true some people are excused, but it's quite a different thing to say majority ought to not know the truth.
 
In some countries, I understand ignorance. In some countries, people are well informed and have access to research the different interpretations of Quran.
 
That said, the Taghut is always get's support from the Jibt on the hearts, and it's an evil whispering, an evil suggestion, and evil casting upon the hearts, that can be avoided by the word of taqwa and faith.
 
The Imams over all cursed all those who support the enemies of Ahlulbayt from the beginning and latter people. 
 
I have a question for you, what reason would he have to think this excludes Abu Baker and Umar? That supporting them is ok? 
 
Most Sunnis are very well aware there was controversy between Fatima and Abu Baker. Why do they chose Abu Baker's side?
 
I think we have to take a step back and realize,  they love their sect and hence envy the status of Ali, Fatima, Hassan and Hussain, and the 9 Imams from the offspring of Hussain out of love of their leaders, to the extent they are vehemently opposed to accepting them despite their being clear proofs in Quran and Sunnah.
 
Does the Quran allow blindness in midst of a hearing his clear signs? This is the question. 
 
Had the Quran not been there, had it's warning and advice not been there, and had the Prophet not emphasized on the true interpretation of Wilayah in there, on the day of ghadeer and made sure it the message would become clear to the masses, then I would understand blindness and denial.
 
But here the Imam curses all supporters of their enemies because over all they are without excuse. That means the hadiths that made exceptions to some supporters of their enemies, ought to be understand as an exception, and not the general rule.
 
The general rule is that there is no excuse for people to disbelief and differ with the clear proofs, in the same way Bani-Israel were given clear proofs of the affair of religion (Wilayah).
 
I don't know why we want to be unified with people Imams themselves cursed.

So eloquently put and so bang on!!

You said it, succinctly and precisely.
 
What we need is peaceful coexistence where every school is able to practice their faith without fear. We don't need what is called 'unity'. And besides I don't understand how could anyone seek 'unity' in matters of faith/religion unless to de-emphasize crucial differences.  Yes, we should seek common ground as much as we can but  part ways respectfully when it's not possible; yes, we can have national unity in which both Sunnis and Shias combine their effort for a common cause; we can seek political unity against common enemies; we may have unity on other social causes. All good, but at the end of the day please don't sell me the fiction of Islamic unity as an achievable goal. It's not. There has never been unity since the day of Saqifa, there was none during the times of Umayyad and Abbasid; there was no unity in the gunpowder empires of Safavids, Ottomans and the Mughals; there was no unity during the colonial times; and there is no unity today. There never will be.
 
Needless to say that the rejection comes from the arrogant Sunni quarters who are too confident of their majority. We have been shouting UNITY, UNITY! at the top of our voices for so long, but the world Sunnism does not listen. Yes, there are good `ulemas and good normal people who want good relations and follow the live-and-liet-live policy. I admire and accept the efforts of such Sunnis. But there are too many who reject us as deviant rafidis worthy of all sorts of terrible things. So unless Sunnis fix their own problem, I as a Shia cannot be expected to seek 'unity.' Sure, I will respect their religious sentiments when it comes to their caliphs and other revered figures, as I won't badmouth them, abuse them, curse them by name etc. But I can't stand to deliver a speech praising their virtues. Unless I do that, I don't think conservative Sunnis are willing to seek 'unity' with me.
 
There is another long-standing, deep-seated problem with Sunni-Shia power relations. For centuries past Shias have not have any political power anywhere. Even in Iran where Shias are in majority, political power for at least a century or more was concentrated in a secular king who was antagonistic to religion. It is first time after many centuries that Shias have been able to gain political power relative to their numbers in Iran, Iraq, part of Lebanon etc. This threatens Sunnis because they are used to being the rulers of everyone. Unless Sunnis can adopt a pluralistic mindset in social and political terms, the 'unity' will remain a figment of the dreamers' imagination.

We are the followers of religion called Islam. Those who believe in Allah and his Prophet is called as Muslim. You can call yourself a muslim if you believe in them. However, we see that after Holy Prophet (sawa), some people usurped the caliphate from his rightful candidate. Hence People got divided into two sects: those who believe in Allah, His Prophet (sawa) and Imam Ali (a.s.) and other those that believed in Allah, his Prophet (sawa) and Abu Bakar. The matter of two sect continued until other sects came into existence like nusairi (believed Imam Ali (a.s.) as God), kaisani (believed Mohammad e Hanafiya as their Imam after Imam Hussain (a.s.)), Ismaili, Bohra,  etc, etc. 
Among these few sects got extinct by time and other remains. When we see our beliefs, we'll come to know to which sect/firqa we belong. Calling yourself Muslim is not enough at all. Holy Prophet (sawa) has already prophesied that my ummah will be divided into 73 sects, from which 1 will go to jannat. What the Prophet of Allah has said is bound to happen. There will be sect and firqa, we have to do research and find the correct one (no blind faith allowed). 

(salam)
 
Going to go really old-school here:
 
Zain, Whizbee, Spizo, fyst, HR, Peer, Thamina [unregistered], Hasnain, hmMm, Nida_e_Zahra, Bismillah, karateka, sweeter than salsabeel [unregistered], Blessing, Blessedflwer [unregistered], ansoo, Ya Aba 3abdillah, Shireen [unregistered], QT-Maram [unregistered], Wise Muslim, SayedM'sSister [unregistered], Nida_e_Zahra, Baatil Ka Kaatil, Friend of All, lilacfatima, Serenity`, jlainqatar, Hajar, SyedMed, poiuyt, Zuljenah, Simba [aka s4ever], strawberry, Batool, A Follower, Bollywood_Hero, fadak_166, Basim Ali, Cyan_Garamond, Maula Dha Mallang, sarmad [aka al-mufeed], So Solid Shia [and his dozen usernames], Aliya. There was one super crazy guy called the Anti-Mason [who had dozens upon dozen usernames] not sure who on the forum today would remember him - though I don't want him back because he was pretty disturbing. Rawshni [even though I had to end up banning her for reasons undisclosed].
 
I am probably missing some other names as well, and some members I have in my mind, but can't remember the spellings of their usernames [some individuals who would be active in the politics forum and elsewhere]. Other than that, these are the names that came to my mind on first thought.
 
Wassalam

You can search shiachat and there are numerous forums on muta, its proof, laws and rules, etc. 
Hope it hepls.

salam,
we dont need to worry about what sunis have to say. They are ignorant people and it is not our religious duty to prove everything to them.

A 3rd question in light of this hadith from Sahih Bukhari:
Narrated `Aisha:
We poured medicine in one side of the Prophet's mouth during his illness and he started pointing to us, meaning to say, "Don't pour medicine in my mouth." We said, "(He says so) because a patient dislikes medicines." When he improved and felt a little better, he said, "Didn't I forbid you to pour medicine in my mouth ?" We said, " ( We thought it was because of) the dislike, patients have for medicines. He said, "Let everyone present in the house be given medicine by pouring it in his mouth while I am looking at him, except `Abbas as he has not witnessed you (doing the same to me).
Sahih al-Bukhari 
Book 64, Hadith 474
Why did this need to happen?

It is not pointless because the division actually shaped later Islam dramatically and it is our duty to find the truth and will be accounted in hereafter.

Welcome to ShiaChat, Jon. I'm sure it is hard for you, knowing that your friend is dying. If you can speak positively about God, the Creator, who gave life to your friend, perhaps he/she will reflect on the goodness and love of God. Are you sure your friend has no faith? Sometimes people have belief in God but they cannot speak about it with anyone. They are very private with their own thoughts. There is always hope until the last minute. Take care. 

Please visit www.almuntazar.com There are some very good and authentic articles on Imam Mahdi ATFS

[Mod Note: This topic is a project with the Development Team. Some links to websites that no longer exist were removed. Some broken links have been fixed. The project continues. However, the project to post the PDF links has been discontinued. If you have found the link to the book, look for the PDF at that site.]
(salam)
 
I'd like to compile a list on all the books available on the net on Imam al-Mahdi (atf). If anyone has a book/s to share, then please do post.

Title: Discussions Concerning al-Mahdi (May Allah hasten his return)    PDF
Author: Ayatullah ash-Shaykh Lutfullah as-Safi al-Gulpaygani

Title: The Signs of the Reappearance of the Twelfth Imam (ajtf)    PDF
Author: Br. Ali Abbas  

Title: Imam al-Mahdi (a)     PDF
Author: Sayyed Sadruddin Sadr

Title: Forty Hadith: The Awaited Savior of Humanity (Al-Mahdi in the Eyes of the Ahlul Bayt)    PDF
Author: Abdul-Rahim Mugahi

Title: Discussion Concerning Hazrat Mahdi (Peeramun-E-Emam Zaman)
Author: Dr.. Sayyed Hasan Eftekharzadeh

Title: The Occultation of the Twelfth Imam (A Historical Background)    PDF
Author: Jassim M. Hussain

Title: Explanation to the Belief of Mahdism in Shi'a Imamia    PDF
Author: Ayatullah Lutfullah as-Safi al-Gulpaygani

Title: The Twelfth Imam: Muhammad al-Mahdi (عليه السلام)
Author: Dr.. Syed Haider Hussain Shamsi

I am neither a scholar nor do I have a scholarly reference. But look... 
In my very humble opinion, it is not a good enough reason to ask for a divorce. Maturity means learning to resolve issues rather than escalating them. So help your partner meet the minimum standards of taharat. And lead the way to becoming an example of piety, however you define it. 

My lord, you may have been spending your entire time on Shiachat trying to prove chains, but the very root of your hadith narrator Abu Hurraira admits himself that he has been making up hadiths himself and is clearly admitting himself as a liar.
One more question I would like to ask to you
How many hadiths in Sahih have been narrated from Fatima (as), the leader of paradise Hasan and Hussain (as), the leaders of Paradise, and their father Imam Ali (as) the most truthful?
and you have more than half of Sahih filled with hadiths taken from liars.

Now here comes a solid proof of lying of Abu Huraira
Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 64, Number 268:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
"The Prophet said, 'The best alms is that which is given when one is rich, and a giving hand is better than a taking one, and you should start first to support your dependents.' A wife says, 'You should either provide me with food or divorce me.' A slave says, 'Give me food and enjoy my service." A son says, "Give me food; to whom do you leave me?" The people said, "O Abu Huraira! Did you hear that from Allah's Apostle ?" He said, "No, it is from my own self."
http://www.iiu.edu.my/deed/hadith/bukhari/064_sbt.html

And they ask me why i chose to be a shia... Despite the numerous reasons who is he to defy the word of God and His prophet?

and all the sunnis and catholics and atheists and even sunni scholars who turned shia? theres quite more out there

He was the one who gave bay3ah to Ali(as) to distantiate himself from his own father and his actions. He is also the one who was fought by his own sister who was fighting for the revenge of another man.

Also worthy of note are the views of the son of this Bidah introducer. We read in Musnaf Abdul Razaq:
 
 
عبد الرزاق عن الثوري عن منصور عن مجاهد قال جاء رجل إلى بن عمر قال أصلي خلف الإمام في رمضان قال أتقرأ القرآن قال نعم قال افتنصت كأنك حمار صل في بيتك‘Mujahid reported that one person came to Abdullah Ibn Umar and asked: ‘Shall I pray during Ramadhan behind an Imam?’ He (Abdullah Ibn Umar) asked: ‘Can you recite the Quran?’. He answered: ‘Yes’. Upon this (Abdullah Ibn Umar) said: ‘Then why do you want to stand quietly like a donkey, go and pray at your home’
 
 
 
As usual pathetic logic and reply. As if two wrongs make one right. 

Salam,
After reading some of the posts here, I just wanted to jump in and give my 2 cents. 
I know a lot of shias believe in Wilayat Fagih and love it. That's good. If you feel like it's a great system, then it's your opinion. 
I, personally, don't believe in Wilayat faqih, but that doesn't mean I'm against Iran and certain scholars like Ayaltallah Khomeini and Ayatallah Khamanai. 
The thing is I kind of get annoyed when shias place Wilayat Faqih on par with imamate or usool e deen. As far as I know we only have 5. 
I think it's totally wrong to equalize it's importance with the fundamentals of religion. 
 

Some members tend to confuse opposing Wilayat al-Faqih with scholars disagreeing about the power in the hands of the Faqih.
A better question would be "which scholars oppose Wilayat al-Faqih al-Mutlaqa?".

Forget about circumstances, had Umar or anyone from that party dare to dig up the grave of Fatima (as) that day, then Ali (as) would have filled the whole of Madina with a stream of blood. When he came out bare headed and barefooted, with his sleeves rolled up and his thobe ripped from the front, and his eyes were red, and he said, whoever walks over this line, they are asking for their death sentence, everyone remembered that hadith of the Prophet (saw) when he said if you see Abul Hasan in such a state, do not come near him otherwise you will be finished.

LOL i suggest you research the event that occured when maula ali (as) wore the red cloak.
the sole mission of the ahlebeyt (as) was and is to preserve and save islam. the punishment of umar for his attack on bibi paak was not possible to be implemented by maula ali due to a higher cause.
dont even BOTHER trying getting into a "who can curse the worst" match with me sonny jim. ill eat you for breakfast.