Billy Saltzman

walaikum al salam. Your post smacks of denial. First of all, if a man has 4 sons, and you curse 2 of them, it is a factual statement to state that you have cursed that man's sons. Furthermore, this is from this very forum: "Ever heard of the battle of Jamal? It's when Aisha brought 3,000 soldiers to Basra in preparation for war against Amirul Momineen Ali Ibn Abi Talib (عليه السلام).How could you wage war against the very soul of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)? Unless, of course, you are a lying, backstabbing, short-tempered hypocrite." Calling Aisha a "lying, backstabbing, short-tempered hypocrite" is some of the lowest and meanest language to use towards a wife of the prophet ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)). I'm not here to attack the Shia so there's no need to be defensive. I'm asking about a very real problem I see. At this point in my life I can simply identify as a Sunni with strong Shia leanings in regards to the Ahl al Bayt (عليه السلام).

walaikum al salam. I actually agree with your comments and really appreciate them. I actually wish what you said was true but I've seen very mean language right here on this forum towards both the wives and companions of the prophet ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)). What actually prompted me to write this post was because I was browsing this site yesterday and saw someone call Aisha evil, a liar, and a hypocrite. I can totally accept that blame falls on the companions and even the wives of the prophet ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)). The story of Malik ibn Nuwaira is horrifying. The mistakes of the prophet's ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)) wives are clearly addressed in the Quran. But I can't accept the extreme disrespect for any of them. I look at it as if my father were to become evil. I would reject him and stand opposed to his evil. But I wouldn't start calling him ridiculous names. It's also very petty. There's a big difference between standing up against evil and petty name calling. This is the biggest problem I see with the Shia and why I can't be one in spite of the strong draw that pulls me regarding love for the prophet's family ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)).

As a Sunni I have always been sympathetic to Shiism. But I must say that the one thing that has always stopped me in my tracks from accepting the way of the Shia is all the emphasis on hating people. I find many problems in Sunnism which has troubled me for a long time but they do emphasize worship of Allah and love of the prophet (‎(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)) and have no emphasis on hating people as an aspect of faith. I’m pretty sure that if Shiism focused more on the wilayat of Ali (عليه السلام) and love for the family of the prophet ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)) and didn’t always focus on cursing the companions and wives of the prophet ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)) many people would become Shia.