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Salaam, Some shia (perhaps Akhbaris or non-Taqleedis) try their best to justify that all hadith in shia books (particularly Kutub al-Araba) are authentic. They deny ilm-ul-rijal and view it as a fabrication (bida'). When shown some weak ahadith, they try to prove that these ahadith are being misinterpreted and are infact authentic. What are those weak ahadtih which no one can claim to be authentic due to their strange matn (content)? Members are requested to share those weak ahadith which are irrefutable.

The following hadith are presented to describe the knowledge of Imams from the pure progeny of the prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) that has been gifted to them by Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) after the prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم).. The following hadith are taken from Al kafi and these have been graded authentic / reliable: 5 - أحمد بن إدريس، عن محمد بن عبد الجبار، عن محمد بن خالد، عن فضالة بن أيوب، عن عبد الله بن أبي يعفور قال: قال أبو عبد الله عليه السلام: يا ابن أبي يعفور إن الله واحد متوحد بالوحدانية، متفرد بأمره، فخلق خلقا فقدرهم لذلك الامر فنحن هم يا ابن أبي يعفور فنحن حجج الله في عباده، وخزانه على علمه، والقائمون بذلك. H 490, Ch. 11, h 5, Vol 1 English Ahmad ibn Idris has narrated from from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Jabbar from Muhammad ibn Khalid from Fudala ibn Ayyub from ‘Abdallh ibn ya‘fur who has said that Imam abu ‘Abdallh ((عليه السلام).) said him the following. "O ibn abu ya‘fur, Allah is One and is the only One in His Oneness. He alone issues His command. He created a creature and appointed and measured them for that command (Amr, task). We are, O ibn abu ya‘fur are that creature. We are the authority of Allah over His creatures, the treasurers of His knowledge and the guardians of it." Majlisi Sahih (باب) * (ان الأئمة ورثوا علم النبي وجميع الأنبياء والأوصياء) * * (الذين من قبلهم) * 1 - علي بن إبراهيم، عن أبيه، عن عبد العزيز بن المهتدي، عن عبد الله بن جندب أنه كتب إليه الرضا عليه السلام: أما بعد، فان محمدا صلى الله عليه وآله كان أمين الله في خلقه فلما قبض صلى الله عليه وآله كنا أهل البيت ورثته، فنحن أمناء الله في أرضه ، عندنا علم البلايا والمنايا، وأنساب العرب ، ومولد الاسلام، وإنا لنعرف الرجل إذا رأيناه بحقيقة الايمان، وحقيقة النفاق، وإن شيعتنا لمكتوبون بأسمائهم وأسماء آبائهم، أخذ الله علينا وعليهم الميثاق، يردون موردنا ويدخلون مدخلنا، ليس على ملة الاسلام غيرناوغيرهم، نحن النجباء النجاة، ونحن أفراط الأنبياء ونحن أبناء الأوصياء، ونحن المخصوصون في كتاب الله عز وجل، ونحن أولى الناس بكتاب الله، ونحن أولى الناس برسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله، ونحن الذين شرع الله لنا دينه فقال في كتابه: " شرع لكم (يا آل محمد) من الدين ما وصى به نوحا (قد وصانا بما وصى به نوحا) والذي أوحينا إليك (يا محمد) وما وصينا به إبراهيم وموسى وعيسى (فقد علمنا وبلغنا علم ما علمنا واستودعنا علمهم نحن ورثة اولي العزم من الرسل) أن أقيموا الدين (يا آل محمد) ولا تتفرقوا فيه (وكونوا على جماعة) كبر على المشركين (من أشرك بولاية علي) ما تدعوهم إليه (من ولاية علي) إن الله (يا محمد) يهدي إليه من ينيب " من يجيبك إلى ولاية علي عليه السلام. H 598, Ch. 33, h 1, (Vol 1 English) Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn al-Muhtadi from ‘Adallah ibn Jundab to who Imam al-Rida ((عليه السلام).) wrote the following. "Thereafter, (thanking Allah) Muhammad (s.a.) was the trustee of Allah for His creatures. When he was taken away from this world we, Ahl al-Bayt inherited him, thus, we are the trustees of Allah over His earth. With us is the knowledge of the sufferings, the death, the genealogy of the Arabs and the birth of Islam. We know the man when we see him in the truth of faith or hypocrisy. Our followers (Shi‘a) are listed (with us) by their names and the names of their fathers. Allah has established a covenant with them and with us. They land wherever we would do so and enter wherever we would enter. There is no besides us and our followers as living the Islamic culture. We are the noble saviors and the descendants of the prophets and of the children of the successors of the prophets. We the ones to whom the book of Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, has come exclusively. We, of all people, have the first priority (closeness) to the book of Allah. We, of all people, have the first priority (closeness) to the Messenger of Allah. For us He formed His religion. "He has established for you (family of Muhammad) a form of religion which is of the commands to Noah {we are commanded with whatever Noah was commanded}. It is of the mattes that We have revealed to you (Muhammad) and of the commands to Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus to follow.{We have taught and preached the knowledge that was taught to us. We were given the knowledge of these prophets. We are the heirs of the commissioned Messengers}. (He has explained it) so that you (family of Muhammad) would be steadfast and united (all in a united group) in your religion. What you call the polytheists {polytheists in the acknowledgement of the Divine authority of Imam Ali ((عليه السلام).} to{the acknowledgement of the Divine authority of Imam Ali ((عليه السلام).}is extremely grave for them. God {O Muhammad} attracts to (the religion) whomever He wants and guides to it whoever turns to Him in repentance." (42:13) Majlisi صحيح مجلسي (3/11) ..........Contd.

HELP FROM OTHER THAN ALLAH? This debate, in the Shia community, is an unnecessarily controversial topic. You can find the description of this dilemma under various headings, the most famous of which is “Is saying Yā ʿAlī Madad allowed in Islam?” Is it shirk (association of partners with Allah), bidʿah (innovation in religion), mustaḥabb (recommended) or ḥarām (prohibited)? Many people resort to asking the Marājiʿ , seeking their fatāwā’ (jurisprudential ruling) on this matter. Some resort to their own whims and opinions, without caring or bothering to research, investigate, and peruse the Islamic literature on this matter. Among those who choose the more difficult of the three paths, i.e., to search for truth by investigation and research (taḥqīq), are two factions. First are those with confirmation bias who only set out to find proofs that fortify their claim, while ignoring or misinterpreting any evidence against their argument—these people are actually not looking for the truth, they have already made up their minds as to what the truth is, and won’t be convinced no matter how obvious and in their face the reality is. It is very hard for a person who is firmly rooted in a certain belief system to change his/her mindset, and if Allāh leaves them wandering in their rebellion, then not even the Prophet ﷺ can guide them. [7:186] The second group is constituted by actual skeptics who are willing to stand corrected when the argument presents itself in front of them, and strive to the best of their capability to remain logical and unbiased in their research. Āyatullāh Sayyid Kamāl al-Ḥaydarī said in one of his lectures: “When you or I read history, we seek to take what supports and establishes the correctness of our creed, sect, and religion, (i.e., what we already believe), however, if we put these biased glasses on, we will not reach the truth. Therefore, the search for truth must be more important than belonging to a sect or religion. Let the focus of your research be upon the truth. It may be that what you find is congruent with the religion you are convinced about, and it could also be that what you are convinced about is contrary to the truth. Akhbārī seeks to establish Akhbāriyyah, Uṣūlī seeks to establish Uṣūliyyah, philosophers seek to establish philosophy, ʿIrfāni seeks to establish ʿIrfān. If this is your focus, then rest assured you are not searching for the truth. Memorize this statement: ‘The search for truth is more important than belonging’—this is what we are calling for when we call towards logic (mantiq), i.e., we must find that you exhibit a logic geared toward the search for truth, not a logic which seeks to support whatever you are already upon.” WHERE TO SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH? The answer is clear-cut and straightforward. The Qur’ān should be any Muslim’s first point of reference whenever researching religion. The first question that should arise in a believer’s mind regarding Allāh’s decree or order is, “What does the Book of Allāh say?” George Tarabishi, a Syrian writer, has reportedly said that the reason why Muslims have become as debased and impotent as they have, is because they have left the Islām of the Qur’ān and accepted the Islām of ḥadīth. Regardless of what state the rest of the ummah­ is in, this notion most certainly holds true for the majority of the Twelver Shias today. The approach towards religion, for centuries, in the Shīʿī school of thought has been a traditional (ḥadīth-based) one. The practice of most turbaned scholars nowadays is to read the ḥadīth books, pick out traditions that support their cause, and feed them to the masses, without caring in the least to verify, at least, the chain of narrators first. How would they? Most are not even adept in ʿilm ar-rijāl (the study of people who transmitted/reported sayings from the holy Prophet ﷺ or the Imāms). Even if some of them do bother to verify the chain, they still fail on the second, and perhaps the most important step, which is to test the veridicality of the narration upon established principles from the verses of the holy Qur’ān. No matter how strong the chain of narrators is, if the narration opposes the Qur’ān, it should be thrown away, because whatever is from the Infallibles (عليه السلام) can never contradict the word of Allāh. In Mu’jam Rijāl al-Ḥadīth, Imām ʿAlī ar-Riḍā (عليه السلام) has confirmed the above methodology. However, most modern scholars have a converse approach: They study the corpus of narrations and subsequently read the Qur’ān, interpreting the verses according to the ḥadīth perspective. What they are doing is trying to make the Qur’ān comply with what they have already established from the narrations. Such a reading of the Book is close to fabricating lies against Allāh and His Messenger ﷺ. Then who is more unjust than [the one] who invents a lie about Allāh to mislead the people without knowledge? Indeed Allah does not guide the transgressors [6:144]. Hence, our methodology for this research will be primarily based upon clear (muḥkam) verses from the Qur’ān, and ḥadīth shall only be relied upon if it conforms to the Book. This is important because, the Qu’ān is “Furqān” or “Criterion” that separates truth from falsehood [2:185] [3:4] [25:1]. And truth has become distinct from error [2:256]. THE QUR’ĀN It’s harrowing how this explicit verse is still not enough to shatter the arguments that our fellow Shias come up with. Despite having memorized “You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help” [1:5] since childhood and hopefully reciting the verse at least 10 times a day in our daily prayers, it seems like we haven’t understood the message of it (and how clear a message it is!). The verse declares that worship is for Allāh alone—this is because of the use of the word “iyyāka”. If the verse said “We worship you” (as opposed to the usage of ‘only’ or ‘alone’), then the wording would have been different; Allāh could have revealed, “نَعْبُدُكَ وَ نَسْتَعِيْنُكَ”, which would translate to “We worship you and seek help from you.” But no! The word “إياك” has reserved the act of worship for Allah alone, without exception. This is clear to every believing Muslim, and is the fundamental pillar of Islām, i.e., tawḥīd. The rejection of other deities and gods as unworthy of worship is the very foundation of this monotheistic religion. But what most of us often choose to forget is that the same reservation and restriction is placed, without any distinction, to the act of seeking help. Both the phrases are separated only by a “و” (and). The import of the verse would have not changed had Allāh chosen to omit the second “إياك”, that means, the Qur’ān could have said, “You alone we worship and seek help from.” The meaning is not that different, is it? So, what is the need to add another “iyyāka” before “nastaʿīnu”? The reason is right in front of you. It is to put emphasis on the “You only/alone” part. “Seeking help” is very similar to the act of “worship” in the manner that both are reserved, by how this verse reads, for Allāh, and no one else. Here comes the layman Shia’s first question: “That seems illogical, how can it be said that “seeking/asking for help” is reserved for Allāh alone? Do we not seek help from other human beings like family, friends, doctors, teachers, strangers, and so on? Are we then flouting and violating an Islamic law by seeking help from the creation of Allāh, while it is reserved for the Creator alone?” This question is insincere, and only asked by those who want to defend their practice of saying “Yā ʿAlī madad” or “Yā Ḥusayn madad” to the very last breath. The answer to this question is very simple, “Asking for help from anyone who is alive and present in front of you is allowed and unproblematic, but seeking assistance from someone who is behind the curtain of ghayb is prohibited, because ghaybī assistance is from Allāh alone.” A counter that opponents of this argument often come up with is, “But the Prophet (S) and his Ahlulbayt (عليه السلام) are all alive, just like those killed in the way of Allāh (martyrs/shuhadā’). Doesn’t the Qur’ān say, “Do not call those slain in Allah’s way ‘dead’. No, they are living, but you are not aware. [2:154] …they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision [3:169]”?” First of all, most scholars opine that this realm of existence or state of living is not the same as ours, but it is barzakh. This will be confirmed if you refer to Tafsīr al-Mīzān for the above verses. Secondly, the verse still doesn’t legitimize or vindicate seeking help from martyrs because of the simple fact that even if alive, they are not present in front of us, but are on the other side of the curtain of ghayb, and therefore, seeking help from them would be disobedience in light of the verses of the Qur’ān. Moreover, they themselves are dependent on Allāh for their provision. In sūrah al-Baqarah, Allāh says, “And seek help through patience and prayer. And indeed, it is difficult except for the humble ones—who are certain they will meet their Lord and they will return to him.” [2:45-46] A very similar verse is found later on in the same sūrah: The phrase “ٱستعينواْ بٱالصبر وٱلصلوة” appears in both the verses. Patience and prayer are listed as the means or methods of seeking help. The verb for help is “astaʿīnu”—same as the one in sūrah al-Fātiḥah. In verse 153, Allāh is explicitly addressing “those who believe”, however, in the verse 45, Allāh is addressing Banī Isrā’īl (The Children of Israel). From the context of both verses, it can be understood that the teaching is not specific to Children of Israel, but even if someone ignorant enough does come up with the objection, the latter verse (153) clarifies the matter. Verse 45 is just a continuation of Allāh’s commandments to Banī Isrā’īl that begin from verse 40, which includes upholding covenants, believing in Allāh’s revelations, establishing and bowing down in prayer, paying the charity (zakāh), etc. The succeeding verses are also addressed to the same nation. A believer’s prayer is established when his niyyah (intention) is khāliṣ (pure), that is, to seek nearness to Allāh, his Lord and Sustainer (qurbatan ilallāh). Allāh continues, “and it is difficult except for the humble ones”—“it” refers to the act of prayer or “ṣalāh”. Clearly, prayer is the ultimate representation of complete submission to one’s Lord, when one bows down and then prostrates to Him, he admits his weakness to his Lord, who is the Almighty and All-Powerful. The believer is always in need of help from his rabb. Prayer is where a believer is humbled, as Allāh says in sūrah al-Mu’minūn, “Certainly the believers will have succeeded. Those who are humble in their prayer” [23:1-2]. Allāh repudiates those who are negligent of prayer and do good deeds only to show off: “So woe to those who pray [but] are heedless of their prayer. Those who make a show of their deeds.” [107:4-6] It is clear how humbly standing in prayer in front of Allāh is one of the best ways to seek help from Allāh. The second way mentioned in the verses is through “patience”. Patience is an exemplary trait in a human being that makes any hardship possible to overcome. It would seem that the believers, by being patient, have helped themselves, out of their own ability, but that is where verse 153 corrects you, “Indeed Allah is with those who are patient”—so even when the believers are being patient in the face of hardships, Allāh is with them. This confirms that the source of help is Allāh alone, in all cases! It could be said that on the basis of these verses that ṣabr and ṣalāh are two “wasā’il” of receiving divine assistance and support. The import of these verses is crystal even from a superficial reading, and does not need much clarification, as the meaning is not of an esoteric or arcane nature. However, just to supplement our argument, let’s take a narration from al-Kāfī, as mentioned in al-Mīzan fī Tafsīr al-Qur’ān by ʿAllāmah Ṭabāṭabā’ī: Imām aṣ-Ṣādiq said: “Whenever ʿAlī ((عليه السلام).) faced a difficulty, he used to stand up for the prayer and then recite this verse…” and also, “When a man is confronted by a hard misfortune, he should fast. Surely Allāh says: and seek help through patience, that is, fast.” Here, the Imām ((عليه السلام).) has interpreted ṣabr as “fast” or “ṣawm”. The tafsīr mentioned in this ḥadīth does not contradict the matn of the Qur’ān because fasting certainly requires a lot of patience. Hence, a wasīlah of seeking recourse other than prayer is fasting. Verse 46 says that the humble ones are “those who are certain that they will meet their Lord and return to him.”—this clause is important, as we’ll explain next: The translation of the above verses of the same chapter 2, al-Baqarah, [2:155-157] is: “And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, and give good tidings to the patient, who, when disaster strikes them, say, “Indeed we belong to Allāh and indeed to Him we will return. Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy and it is those who are rightly guided.” These verses tie up beautifully with [1:5], [2:45], and [2:153]. In al-Fātiḥah, we are taught to ask Allāh for help, and what help did we ask Him for?—“Guide us to the straight path” [1:6]. We’re asking for “guidance”. Allah’s guidance is to be found in His Book, which is a guidance for the godwary [2:3]. He ((سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى).) taught us to seek recourse through praying and observing patience (or fasting, acc. to tradition) in verses 45 and 153, where he also said, “إن الله مع الصابرين“. In the verses under discussion, He (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) has detailed who the الصابرين are. He (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) says that the believers will be tested with fear, hunger, monetary loss, death, fruits, etc. but also instructs his Prophet ﷺ to bear good news for the “patient” ones. What are the characteristics of those people? They patiently remember their Lord in times of affliction and calamity, remembering that their return is to Allāh, therefore the calamities of this world are trivial compared to those of the Hereafter. It is this remembrance of the day of Judgment that helps them stay patient in the face of adversity, because they are certain they will meet their Lord [2:46]. Such are the people who are helped by Allāh, and upon whom are blessings from their Lord [2:157]. There you have the guidance you asked for in al-Fātiḥah! Hence, is is those who are rightly guided. The 62nd verse of Surah An-Naml (27) is a cogent argument for all believers who exercise their reason. It is a rhetorical question or challenge to people who invoke or call upon anyone besides Allāh from among his creation. The translation is: Who answers the distressed when he calls Him and removes evil and appoints you as inheritors of the earth? Is there a god with Allāh? Little do you remember! If anyone other than Allāh could possibly answer you and remove your distress, then would not this challenge of Allāh become pointless (astaghfirullāh!)? Imām ʿAlī (عليه السلام) and Rasūlullāh ﷺ are clearly separate from Allāh and are His creations. They are not gods, that is true, and no Shīʿī believes that. All of the anbiya’ and ‘awliyā are His righteous servants whose only purpose is to guide us to the right path. They do not have a share in Allāh’s creation or might. They do not control the atoms of the universe. Therefore, when you call upon them in times of need, you are actually countering Allāh’s argument in the above verse. To boil it down for the layman in simple terms, what you are implying is: “Yes, O’ Allāh, apart from You, there are some creations of Yours who can answer us when we call them, and can remove our adversities, difficulties and problems.” Allāh: “Is there a God with Allāh?” You: “No, my Lord, they are not gods, but You have created them and appointed them as intermediaries. They can only hear our call and respond to us with Your permission. They are not indepentent of You, rather they are a wasīlah to You!” This is the typical Shīʿah argument, which is, unfortunately, often even put forward by pseudo-scholars who occupy the pulpit and address majālis consisting of hundreds and thousands of laymen who only know how to applaud the “mawlānā” or “dhākir” no matter what ghuluww or kurf they may be insinuating. Allāh answers this first in Sūrah al-Isrā’: Verses 56-57: Say: “Invoke those whom you claim besides Him, for they neither have power to remove your adversity nor bring change. They (themselves) are those who call and seek means to their Lord, whoever is nearer, expecting His mercy and fearing His punishment. Indeed your Lord’s punishment is to beware of. Lo! You were claiming that the prophets and Imāms have been given power by Allāh to hear you (even when they are in ghayb or deceased) but Allāh refuted you and negated your argument. If this verse talked about idols, then verse 57 would be meaningless because idols do not call upon Allāh or seek wasīlah to Him, or seek His nearness or fear His punishment. Therfore, it is proven that those whom “you claim besides Him” are clearly living creatures who pray to their Lord and fear His punishment. Was this not the exemplary behavior of all the prophets, Imāms and His righteous servants? You claimed that the prophets and Imāms themselves are a wasīlah to Allāh! That is why you were calling them. The argument you put forward is that you call upon these servants of Allāh because they are nearer to their Lord and therefore, will intercede for you in your supplications. But what did Allāh say? Read the āyāt again. "لا يملكون" means no power/control. Allāh again refutes the same argument in Sūrah Fāṭir: And those whom you call besides Him do not control even as much as the husk of a date stone. If you call them, they do not hear your call, and if they heard they would not respond to you. And on the day of qiyāmah will deny your shirk [35:13-14] The translation is clear. Those whom you invoke are creations who have not been given a share in Allāh’s power to control anything, they are nothing but dependent servants of Allāh. They can not even control a thing as small and insignificant as the husk of a date-seed, so how can they solve your problems? This verse, again, is not talking about the idols worshipped by idolaters, because of the words, “and if they heard, they would not respond to you”—we all know idols can not hear in the first place, so there was no need for Allāh to say “and if they heard”. Neither are idols conscious, sentient, speaking entities who possess intellect. That is why, it is only fitting that those who, on the day of qiyāmah will deny your shirk are righteous servants of Allāh, like the awliyā’, the angels or the prophets. Verse [27:62] when talking about calling Allāh, used the phrase: “Is there a god with Allāh” and this verse says “will deny your shirk”—hold on! But we never worshipped the Imāms or considered them to be gods, we only called upon them to help us—that is what the layman says. However, in Allāh’s eyes, this is shirk. Say: “Have you not considered your partners whom you call besides Allāh. Show me what have they created from the earth. Do they have partnership (with Him) in the heavens or have we given them a book so they are on evidence from it? No, rather the wrongdoers promise one another nothing but delusion.” [35:40] Are Imāms the creators? (naʿūdhubillāh) No! Are they Allāh’s partners in the skies/heavens? No! Have they been given a book containing evidence that you can call upon them? No! This is how the āyah can be applied to our current belief. The istighāthā defendant replies: “But the Prophet ﷺ was given a book. In fact, it is the very book you are quoting from, Allāh’s last and best book, the Qur’ān! So we can call upon him, right?” This is illogical. Yes, the Prophet ﷺ has been given a book, but is there any “evidence from it” that he ﷺ can answer your supplication? Do not take one part of the verse and ignore the other. In fact, Allāh says to His Rasūl ﷺ: Say: I have no power to harm or benefit myself, except as God wills [10:49] Say, “I have no control over any benefit or harm to myself, except as God wills. Had I known the future, I would have acquired much good, and no harm would have touched me. I am only a warner, and a herald of good news to a people who believe.” [7:188] If God touches you with adversity, none can remove it except He. And if He touches you with good—He is Capable of everything. [6:17] Do you not know that to Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth? And besides Allah, you do not have any guardian or helper. [2:107] Allāh strengthens whomever He wishes with His help. There is indeed a moral in that for those who have insight. [3:13] Indeed, Allāh is your Master, and He is the best of helpers [3:150] If Allāh helps you, no one can overcome you, but if He forsakes you, who will help you after Him? So in Allāh let all the faithful put their trust. [3:160] A similar argument is also found in Sūrah al-Aḥqāf: Say, ‘Tell me about those you invoke besides Allah. Show me what [part] of the earth have they created. Do they have any share in the heavens? Bring me a scripture [revealed] before this, or some vestige of [divine] knowledge, if you are truthful.’ (4) Who is more astray than him who invokes besides Allah such [entities] as would not respond to him until the Day of Resurrection, and who are oblivious of their invocation? [46:4-5] And your Lord says, “Call upon me, I will respond to you.” Indeed those who disdain my worship will enter Hell contemptible. [40:60] Allāh uses the word “ادعوني”, which means “call upon me”. But then, He (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) moves on to say “عبادتي”—what does this mean? Clearly, invocation or supplication is, in fact, prayer. The root word of ادعوني is دعا, which carries the meaning of calling, supplicating, praying, and invoking. Those who refrain from calling Allāh are disdainful of his worship, and will be forced to enter Hell, in a disgraceful, shameful state. That is what Allāh is saying. O’ mankind! Will you still call His servants instead of Him?! And when my servant asks about me, then indeed I am near. I answer the call of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to me and believe in me so that they may be rightly guided. [2:186] And We are nearer to him (man) than his jugular vein. [50:16] After all this exhortation from Allāh to his servants to call upon Him, would you still shy away from invoking him? Under the tafsīr of verse 2:186, ʿAllāmah Ṭabāṭabā’ī has quoted the following ḥadīth: Imām aṣ-Ṣādiq narrates from the Prophet ﷺ: “Allāh informed one of his prophets in a revelation: ‘By My Power and dignity! Verily, I shall change into despair the hope of everyone who hoped from other than Me, and I shall dress him with the clothing of disgrace before people, and I shall remove him from My relief and bounty. Does my servant put his hope in other than Me in hardships, while hardships are in My hand? And does he expect anything from other than Me, while I am the Self-sufficient, the Munificent? In My hand are the keys of the doors, while they are closed; and My door is open for the one who calls on Me.’” The Prophet ﷺ also said: “Allah said: “No creature seeks refuge in another creature, leaving Me, but that I cut off all the means in the heavens and the earth for him. Then if he asks from Me, I do not give him ; and if he calls on Me, I do not answer him. And no creature seeks refuge in Me, leaving My creatures, but that I make the heaven and the earth responsible for his sustenance; then if he calls on Me, I answer him and, if he seeks pardon from Me, I forgive!”” [Source: Al-Mīzān fī Tafsīr al-Qur’ān, where the author quotes from ʿUddatud Dāʿī] ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Despite these clear-cut verses from the Book of Allāh, people still try to argue in favor of istighāthā by quoting Nādi ʿAlī or Duʿā Tawassul. Nādi ʿAlī is not a duʿā, it is a poem. It is not from the A’immah (عليه السلام) of Ahlulbayt. It was never in the primary ḥadīth sources, only somehow appeared in later works. Duʿā Tawassul is also not from any of the Imāms, it was only found by ʿAllāmah Majlisī in an old manuscript that he thought was from Shaykh aṣ-Ṣadūq (who lived 700 years before Majlisī) and it was written on the paper that it was from the Imāms but did not even mention which of the Imāms. It does not have a sanad or “chain of transmission”. Hence, it is considered ḍaʿīf or weak. For verification of this claim, refer to this article published by Shia Reformist. These were likely the fabrications of the exaggerators (ghulāt). Imām ar-Riḍā (عليه السلام). in Rijāl al-Kashī has cursed the exaggerators (i.e., those who did ghuluww; esp. those that used to fabricate narrations and attribute them to the Imāms). In the same narration, he ((عليه السلام).) also said that whatever contradicts the Qur’ān can not be from the Ahlulbayt. Same is corroborated by many narrations in Uṣūl Al-Kāfī, from Imām Jaʿfar aṣ-Ṣādiq (عليه السلام). Authored by: Muḥammad Qā’im Ḥusayn

Who are living experts in the field of Ilm-i-Rijal after Ayatollah Sheikh Asif Mohseni (rahmAllah)? Any prominent personalities of the field in modern era? I'm starting this thread to discuss leading Shi'a experts in Ilm-i-Rijal and their works. Members are requested to share their knowledge.

Assalamalaikum, I am a South Asian "Syed" male(I put Syed in quotes because I am not sure of whether or not I am truly a Syed, many say real Syeds will have family trees or shajrah but they can also be easily faked). Is it actually forbidden for Sayyids to marry non Sayyids? Is there any hadith? My parents say that apparently on the day of judgement Bibi Fatima(sa) will questions Sayyids who marry non Sayyids and get some form of adhab. I will respect my parents wishes and marry a fellow Syed; however, I strongly disagree with them on this reasoning and I want to correct them on this matter. Are there any actual hadith that actually explicitly prohibit Sayyids from marrying non Sayyids? I imagine this hadith would refer more to Shias marrying Muslims of other sects and non Muslims. Also anything scholars have to say about Sayyid-non Sayyid marriage(forbidding or allowing)? I do not think there is anything wrong with Sayyids marrying Sayyids or non Sayyids, however, I disagree with the reasoning that Bibi Fatima(sa) will be disappointed with Sayyids who do marry non Sayyids. Also this hadith, Sort of off topic but is there an actual way to determine whether or not you are a Sayyid? I remember seeing a Hashemite gene testing thing where it checks if you have the Hashemite gene, you are really a Sayyid. I also imagine that a real Sayyid South Asian should have some Arabian if they did a DNA test.

An Inspiring Hadith from Imam Ali (a)

(salam) (bismillah) A NICE HADITH: Intercession on Day of Judgment The Holy Prophet (pbuh) (said to Hazrat-e Fatemeh): On the Day of Judgment, you shall intercede for the ladies and I shall intercede for the men; every person who has wept over the tragedy of Husayn (as), we shall take him by the hand and lead him into Paradise. Bihar al‑Anwar vol. 94 pg. 192,

Can we truly describe God?

I found this website known as e-bacaan.com where a user named jonny_k wrote a 3 part article arguing about how the Hadith Books that both the Ahlus Sunnah and The Shias have are plagiarisms from the Christian Bible. This user even went so far to discredit the Shia concept of The Ahlul Bayt from Part 3 of his . http://www.e-bacaan.com/artikeli_plagiarized1.htm http://www.e-bacaan.com/artikeli_plagiarized2.htm http://www.e-bacaan.com/artikeli_plagiarized3.htm There are 3 parts to this user's article rebuking the legitimacy of hadiths from both the Ahlus Sunnah and The Shias being plagiarism of the Christian Bible. I found it to be quite an interesting piece that I think it's worth sharing just so a discussion can ensue from this and see if anyone can debunk this article. Me personally when skimming through this piece, this user is really living too hard on fringe theories on top of coming across way too Quranist with his stance when explaining his perspectives. Next thing he'll tell me Japanese are of Jewish descent (aka The Japanese-Jewish common ancestry theory) which is a real fringe theory by the way for those of you wondering. To quote the purpose of the e-bacaan website here is there About Us section translated into English under Google Translate: One God One Book One People Reading , or Qur'an in Arabic, is a book of translation of the Qur'an that is written honestly, by translating each word as it is understood in the Arabic dictionary, lexicon or concordance, and without the influence of any interpretation teaching (opinions) of Sunni and Shia scholars. In addition to Reading , this page displays the writings of its author and other writers, who agree or otherwise, in addition to some interesting columns as noted in the Contents. All of them are provided so that the surfers can be stimulated to read the Qur'an by understanding its content. Even so, do not read the writings on this website to deny or blame them, or believe them, but read them according to the real purpose they were written, which is only for consideration. If you feel unhappy with writing based on the teachings of the Qur'an, which may be found to be contrary to the teachings of some of your scholars, then just leave this page. There is no need to write or act to criticize, insult or betray because such actions only harm yourself. Allah's Word, " Indeed We know that it saddens you, what they say; however, it is not you they are denying, but the wrongdoers, it is the verses of God that they are denying." (6:33) This website will be updated from time to time. Please come again. Thank you. Write to Site Manager Launch Date: Monday, April 1, 2002 - 18 Muharram 1423

Salam, after reading a few times, I still cannot digest what this hadith means. Could you help me re-phrase this hadith and break it up into a list of points? Imam Zayn al-Ābidīn (عليه السلام) said, “It is from the noble traits of a believer that he spends his wealth by standards of that which they do not have and spends it on his own opulence by standards of opulence itself [by that which he already possesses rather than that which he does not], and is fair towards people, and always greets them first with salāmun alaykum.” Thank you

Salaam Are there any gradings of Kutub Araba besides those done by Shaikh al-Behbudi (Saheeh al-Kafi, Saheeh al-Faqeeh, Saheeh al-Ahkam), Allama Majlisi I (Rowzaat Mutakoon), Allama Majlisi II (Mira'at al-Uqool, Miladh al-Akhyar)?

Link of Allama explaining Hadith about Bibi Fatima AS (urdu) (8mins) Assalamo Alaikum The video linked above is in Urdu of an Allama speaking about Three types of women who will be raised next to Bibi Fatima AS on the day of Judgement. He then goes on to explain those women do 3 things: Show patience against their husbands jealousy/doubts, Show patience against their rudeness, and Forgive their mehr/dowry. He then goes on a long talk explaining why the mehr point and throws in some anecdotes. Anyone find this "waqiah" or hadith anywhere?

Is there a hadith in Shia collections which says women outnumber men? It says it in Sunni hadiths what about Shia?

Salaam alaykom In sha Allah you are all well. Does anyone have fatwas in regards to not partaking in halloween...? Hadith too on not partaking in other religious or cultural activities such as this holiday would be great too. I have 1 fatwa but am hoping for others for my lecture in sha Allah. Shukran. Fee aman Allah Sr. Zaynab

141 / 5 – قال أبو جعفر: وحدثنا أحمد بن منصور الرمادي قال: حدثنا شاذان بن عمر قال: حدثنا مرة بن قبيصة بن عبد الحميد قال: قال لي: جابر بن يزيد الجعفي: رأيت مولاي الباقر (ع) وقد صنع فيلا من طين فركبه وطار في الهواء حتى ذهب إلى مكة عليه ورجع فلم أصدق ذلك منه حتى رأيت الباقر (ع) فقلت له: أخبرني جابر عنك بكذا وكذا فصنع مثله وركب وحملني معه إلى مكة وردني Marat ibn Qubaisat ibn Abdulhamid said that: Jabir Bin Yazid Al-Jafee said to me: “I saw that my master Al-Baqir (alaihi salam) had made an elephant from clay, and he sat over it(rode it) and flew in the sky to Makkah and came back to me”. So I (Marat) didn’t testify this from him (Jabir) until I saw Al-Baqir (alaihi salam) and I said unto him: Jabir told me about you about such and such things. And he did similar (elephant) and sat on it and took me with him to Makkah and returned me. Here is the scanned page from the actual book: On a more meta-level, how can I know whether a hadith is true or not? Is it enough to just think about it rationally and dismiss it on the grounds that it is illogical?

Salaam All. I recently read a narration online (seriously wish I had bookmarked it) regarding an incident regarding either Imam Zain-ul-Abideen's (عليه السلام) son or Imam Baqir's (عليه السلام) son where they had given money to a man to invest/do business but he had a slightly negative reputation. The man disappeared and the Imam's son was clinging to the cloak of the Kaabah imploring and pleading with Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) for the safe return of the money. I'm totally paraphrasing here but the Imam said something to the effect of you cannot expect Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) to undo your own foolishness. If someone can point me to the source of this incident/narration I would be much obliged.

I hope the person reading this is well, Insha'Allah. After getting into bad company and facing subsequent losses, I thought about one thing. Many people often quote the Hadith where the Mercy for All Worlds (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) says that Heaven is at the feet of mothers. Surely, this also means that if person A harms person B, such that person B's mother is hurt, even so far that person B's mother cries, especially if Person B is a victim of your Zulm, then despite Person A being good with their mother, Person A has done Zulm on Person B's mother. Due to obvious motherly love, Person B's mother will complain to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) about Person A's actions. As such, is it logical to think that Person A is set for an appropriate retribution through the 'Adalat of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى)? The Hadith seems to imply that treatment to one's mother is a big determinant towards one's position in the Hereafter, and judging by thge wording, I find that it not only talks about one's own mother, but other mothers as well. Surely, Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) delivers 'Adl for the Mazloom, so with this logic, is it justified to think that Person A's Hereafter is not a Heavenly one? I found this to be an interesting topic, but since I am so unlearned, I thought I would ask the much more learned people at ShiaChat. JazakAllah

There is this saying of one of the Infallibles (عليه السلام) that goes along the lines of A problem that makes you lose to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) is a trial. A problem that pulls you away from Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) is a curse (Azaab). What is the exact saying? Any sources and exact attributions? I've been looking around for this and haven't been able to find much and would be very grateful for any help. JazakAllah

Chapter 5 aya 6- The changing of `wipe' وَامْسَحُوا to 'wash' your feet and ankles: O believers! When you rise up for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, wipe your heads, and wash your feet to the ankles (5:6) https://quran.com/5/6 Chapter 4 aya 24 - The changing of 'muta' اسْتَمْتَعْتُم to 'consummated marriage' with their due dowries: Also ˹forbidden are˺ married women—except ˹female˺ captives in your possession.1 This is Allah’s commandment to you. Lawful to you are all beyond these—as long as you seek them with your wealth in a legal marriage, not in fornication. Give those you have consummated marriage with their due dowries (4:24) https://quran.com/4/24 This is misleading to non-Arabic speakers and converts. Quran.com is the most popular website to pop up on Google when searching for verses in the Quran, but as you can see they mistranslate to suite their agenda. When am debating with non-Shia's it becomes very difficult as I am forced to use Shia websites, which then they accuse me of being biased and deceiving for using something that is Shia. Debating becomes a very lengthy process because I first have to explain what the real translation is, which then they have to double check and do their own research on etc etc. understandably the opponent is very dubious. Also, these are obvious words. There is no way that wipe in Arabic should translate to wash in English. I understand that there are (Sunni) traditions that say for example that the Prophet (عليه السلام) washed his feet, but how can a tradition/hadith have more significance that the Holy Quran? These are clear orders and words, nothing ambiguous about them. So if a tradition contradicts the Quran then it should be thrown out. Or at least it should be taken with a grain of salt. We shouldn't resort to hadiths when we have the Quran - with clear verses. Can someone please explain, what are the reasons behind this, and what is their justifications?

Salam un Aliekum, Recently, I was looking for the Shia Ahadiths books in pdf format but I couldn't find them. I would prefer URDU translation first. Can anyone help me out in getting the PDF links for downloading them? > Kitab al-Kafi by Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni > Man la yahduruhu al-Faqih by Muhammad ibn Babawayh > Tahdhib al-Ahkam by Shaykh Muhammad Tusi > Al-Istibsar by Shaykh Muhammad Tusi Peace upon you O reader. :) Wassalam.

Does anyone have any English compilation of Hadith Qudsi? I’ve been searching and only managed to scour a few small ones.

Salamunalaikum, I am a shia and some questions have struck me from sometime which are regarding matam or chest-beating in the month of muharram. What are the authentic accounts to support chest-beating from Qur'an and Hadith? Note: My question is not specific to shia or sunni books. I just need authentic hadith whether from shia accounts or sunni. I also don't need a logical answer so a hadith or quranic verse is needed which verifies the act of chest-beating. Also, If matam/chest-beating is allowed, then, to what extent? Is it allowed to mourn every person like we mourn Imam Husayn (عليه السلام)? For instance, if someone's family member dies and he is neither a martyr nor an oppressed but simply died due to sickness or normal reasons. Then, are we allowed to beat our chest and face and cry loudly while mourning him? I need a detailed answer for this. If the question is not clear then please let me know. Note: This question is not concerned with qama or zanjeer and forms of matam/chest beating in which blood is spilled. Wassalam

Salaam everyone, The Thaqalayn Discord server and I have been working on a Hadith browsing site, which is ready here: http://thaqalayn.co/index.php/ahadith So far it's only Al Kafi, using the Hube Ali translation, but inshallah in the future we will be adding more books. Would be great if you guys could check it out. Thank you, 7ssein

Salam alaykum all, To help the Shia community more readily access our own books' information, I made a website with the four major Shia Hadith books. The site allows you to browse, search and share Shia Hadith. Please check it out and let me know any feedback. http://www.fourshiabooks.com

i heard of a hadtih in a book, which says that there will be 13 shia sects and only one goes to paradise, could some one privide detail?