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Peace to all brothers and sisters. I am from a town the Amazon region and I am learning about Islam since 2 years. No Muslims here. First year: I said the shahada and 6 months later I read books on ahlul bayt and I didn't know I cannot eat meat slaughtered by christians. I believed only pork was prohibited. Then I stopped praying and realized I cannot be a Muslim because I am poor for afford halal meat from the capital city which is 1.000 km away and apart from rice, pasta and vegetables I don't know what to eat. I'll become ill if I rely only in these 3 base-foods. Last year I continued reading Quran and Hadith as a guide for life but I don't consider myself as a Muslim anymore because I don't pray and Cannot eat like a Muslim. And I I pray my prayers Dua and good amal will be void because of Haram food. I will be happy if there exists a scholar who allows people like me to eat meat slaughtered by christians or even Jews. That will be practical and will ease and perhaps double the number of conversions because I see many refrain from accepting Islam because of this.

salaam Ive been muslim for years, but as i said ive been lost and confused for most of the time, i was never accepted by wahabbi,salafi,sufi, some sunni and sadly some shias!! i got ran around and end up becoming lost(i still am), i was trying to be shia, but i got overlooked, i was told by shia and even non muslims, that im not shia or muslim,and that i said ya hussain abd im going to hell and im not accepted by the muslim community, and that i was insane and mentally ill and my shahadah didnt count, and i was given a salafi oath insted of the true shahadah. So with all this being said, i hope shias will accept me as shia, i feel this is my last stand, and if i dont get accepted, im finished, proobly practice Quran and sunnah by my self!!!! So what should i do should i take the wali and make it official? will i be recougnized as a shia?

Have you ever been fascinated by something? I mean truly fascinated-- wherein you find yourself pondering, daydreaming, and even neglecting your hobbies to research the topic in question? I attended three separate high schools from 1421-1425 (2000-2004 CE), so one might think that Islam would have been very topical during this period. I'll be the first to admit that my high school didn't cover Islam at all. We had no units on Islam or Muslims in World History nor did we speak of Islam in any sort of current events units in social studies (my schools didn't even offer World Religions as an elective). Although we had Muslim students, the only information we ever received on Islam was from an Evangelical Christian Language Arts teacher that I will refer to as Mrs. B. Mrs. B did not take a very favorable view of Islam at all & would semi-regularly sneak in mean-spirited verbal barbs about the faith itself. These usually were ignored by everyone or written off as “Oh, there Mrs. B goes again!” while we pondered whether what her proclamations regarding her specific flavor of Christianity somehow violated the prohibition on public school employees promoting their religious views. We also knew nothing of Islam except what the American media (usually through right-wing pundits) was trying to pound into our heads. That is, until an incredibly well spoken and gifted classmate came along: Massomeh. Massomeh's came from a Muslim family and they had moved to the US from Tehran a few years prior to our sophomore year. She was a straight-A student who played on the girl's soccer team, never was so much as “shushed” by a teacher, and did her best to fit in socially while maintaining a level of integrity in her faith that not even the Southern Baptist students (who would act up outside of school), as vocal and virtue-signaling as they were, could hope to maintain during this period of American history, when the moral sentiments of previous generations began to “circle the drain”. Massey (how she preferred to be addressed by classmates) was the student that a lot of us wished we could be... until Mrs. B and a few other teachers began making their broad generalizations and giving false information about Islam, Iran, and Muslims in the wake of the attacks on New York City. As the idiom goes: “Sista don't play dat”, and we watched in awe as this peer of ours respectfully and concisely refuted, contradicted, and dismantled every claim that these faculty members made about Islam & Muslims (and occasionally Iran). She ended up becoming so popular with the students after these statements that she was voted as the head of our Student government (and also because her skill at persuading adults got us the few concessions in the cafeteria that we had wanted from the day the brand new high school opened its doors). Massey's mini-lectures on Islam had a major impact on me. I was already well into almost an obsessive interest in religions by that point, and it was refreshing to be able to hear one of my peers deliver expertise on something aside from school gossip, gangster rap, or football. I heard her elaborate on what Islam was, what Islam taught (remember that she was not an Islamic scholar), and subjects like the Hajj & what it entailed. When she inevitably gave a presentation on Islam during a current events segment of social studies, she had prepared a PowerPoint presentation complete with graphics; and that's where I saw a picture of a structure that would come to dominate my imagination and interest to this very day: a large black cube in the middle of the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The Kaaba. The “House of God”. After the presentation in which she explained to the puzzled students that this grand, black cube structure was built by the patriarch Abraham (the root from which monotheism was reestablished) & it was believed to be the first house of worship ever constructed; I began to search out whatever pictures and information about this fascinating structure that I could. Of course, I was (nominally) Christian, so it made no sense to me why I was so enamored with this ancient structure when my own (nominal) religion had sacred sites and holy places of its own. My family didn't understand, and my teachers were uneasy with this fascination for whatever reason (likely politically motivated, as this was during the first presidential term of George W. Bush). I didn't look into Islam as a religion at this time, all I knew was that there was something about this large, black granite cube that captured my attention. Whether it was the shape, the Masjid al-Haram that surrounded it, or the ritual of the Hajj itself has been forgotten to me over the years; but I began daydreaming about its significance and even put a photo of it as the wallpaper on my 1998 IBM Aptiva PC (which troubled my mom and got me in a bit of trouble, as I was clearly “only doing this to rebel & get attention”). I had even printed a picture of It and glued it to the inside of my creative writing binder. This made no sense to anyone, least of all me: After all, I was the video-gaming, Magic: the Gathering-playing, anti-authoritarian punk rocker teen who was bored in school & had no plans on going to university or college after I escaped what amounted to little more than a government funded indoctrination daycamp. Why was I so star struck by this sacred structure, particularly as I was going through a period of doubting the existence of God and a general belief that “all religions have gotten it wrong”? Fast forward to the present day (1441). As my life changes in so many ways, I am more fascinated than ever before with this amazing, beautiful geometric house of God. However, I still cannot give a good explanation of exactly what it is that piques my interest to the point where I dream of and draw pictures of this monument, I tear through the internet for any articles, scholarly or otherwise, that I can find (and access) that will reveal the history, purpose, and significance of the Kaaba to me. The argument will likely be made that this is another case of the “white man fetishizing a non-white culture”, but such a limited hand-wave of my interest in the Kaaba betrays a painfully ignorant view of Islam and Muslims that is almost ironic in its naivety, as Islam is a religion and a way of life (deen) for all people of earth, regardless of their native language, skin color, or national origin. After all, it was upon making the pilgrimage to this most sacred place that one of my heroes, Malcolm X, repented of his Black Supremacist views and left the Nation of Islam (which is “Islamic” in the way that White Supremacist hate groups in America claim they are “Christian”). Furthermore, the Prophet Muhammad ((عليه السلام).) repudiated the idea of race in his farewell sermon: “O people, your Lord is One, and your father is one: all of you are from Adam, and Adam was from the ground. The noblest of you in Allah’s sight is the most godfearing: Arab has no merit over non-Arab other than godfearingness.” (from the report of Al-Jahiz (translated), forgive me if I have made an error) I wonder if the Kaaba and my obsessive interest in it was what drew me into pursuing Islam, or more appropriately (and truthfully), if this was the “introduction” to the Islamic way of life that Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) used to begin to undo my ignorance in regard to the perfect path that he has ordained for ALL mankind through His final prophet & messenger Muhammad ((عليه السلام).), to draw me away from the imperfect, tainted “cultural Christianity” that I was born into & subsequently was my sole religious exposure until that fateful day in class. Since this period of my life began, I have moved closer and closer to Islam like a comet being drawn toward the sun. I do not know what the future holds for me, nor can I pretend to & doing so would be both absurd & presumptuous on my part; but what I DO know is that Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) has created me for both his pleasure and to fulfill a specific destiny, no matter how insignificant it may seem to me & the world I occupy. Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) is THE BEST of planners & Inshallah, I will eventually be able to live a proper and functional Muslim life. It's just a matter of arriving at that point.

Why do I chase Islam? This isn't a rhetorical question, I really would like to understand the pathology of my continual fascination with a religion, worldview, and life path that I have no familial, ethnic, or historical connection to. I simply do not understand what it is about Islam that intrigues me so, and furthermore, I do not understand exactly why I cannot leave it alone. So the point of making this blog was essentially to let out my feelings in a way where others don't feel like the "owe" me a response. Let me dive a little bit into my own history. I am a third generation Ukrainian American. I was born and baptized into the Catholic church (Eastern Rite, Ukrainian specifically). I can remember plenty of Sunday mornings of going to church with my entire family (Yes, dad was still around at that point) & at a young age, it didn't mean much to me in that I didn't understand exactly why we had to get up early, get dressed in business casual clothing and drive about a half hour out to another county, wherein we would go sit in a little old white building for an hour or so-- standing up, sitting down, repeating words in a call and response style, kneeling down, standing up again & the older kids and adults would file out into a line and the old grandpa of a man who led this activity would one by one, use a golden spoon to place a little bit of bread into their mouths before they took a sip of something called "wine" out of the most expensive looking cup I had ever seen (ornate with gold and silver)-- then we would just turn around and go home, and life would continue as normal. When I turned seven years old, that's when things began to change for me. I had gone to Sunday School and become familiar with the elementary stories of the Garden, Noah, and the star of our specific show, a man named Jesus, but I hadn't seen what my part in all of this was, as I was quite literally along for the ride. Then I was told that I would be training to be able to participate in the ritual of bread and wine, what those in the know called "communion". I had to go into a little booth with a screen and tell the kindly old grandpa (whom we called "Father") about all of the bad things I had done, they called them "sins", and I had to say that I was sorry for them which, when I heard myself saying things like "I was mean to my baby sister/I disobeyed my father/I said rude words/etc" I legitimately felt for the first time that I wasn't a very good person & then I was assigned a few prayers to say not as punishment, but to show Jesus that I really was sorry for doing these bad things. This was called "reconciliation" and it had to take place before I could participate in communion. You were supposed to do this as often as you needed to, but ideally once a week. However, this being the early 1990s, nobody really did aside from the few older people in our rural corner of post-industrial upstate New York. After I made communion for the first time, with all of the pomp and circumstance involved in any Eastern Catholic milestone, I began to feel more and more of a connection to what was happening on Sunday mornings. I still didn't understand the words that were being spoken by the priest very well, or why they never changed from week to week, but I felt a very deep connection to the physicality of the church itself. I was enamored by the darkness of the interior: the dark wood paneling, the deep red carpet, the large wooden pews, the absolutely gorgeous stained glass windows, the scent of frankincense and candle wax, the opulence of the sacramental implements of our small rural congregation in all of their splendor... something about the aesthetic of the place made me feel safe despite this being a public place where I had to behave myself and “act my age” (to quote my parents). I didn't feel threatened or exposed here, I felt a sense of immense comfort as the rays of sun poured through the multi colored stained glass windows. It was like stepping out of the time and space that I occupied in Harpursville, NY and being swaddled in some sort of otherworldly space. Bringing it back to where I am now: In light of this, why do I chase Islam? What is it about the religion of my parents that isn't “enough” for me, particularly when the research that I have done thus far has shown to me that the path of Islam is so much more demanding than any branch of Christianity that I have dabbled in since I left the confines of the church to go out and live the typical suburban small town American teenage life with all of its vices, distractions, and ennui? Furthermore, with all of the time I have spent making peace with my conception of Jesus-as-personal-lord-and-savior, all of the wrestling with the Old and New Testaments, all of the going out and coming back again when a new church would inevitably be missing that “something special”... ...Why am I so curious about, fascinated by, and attracted to Islam, to impress a girl? (there isn't one who would be impressed, and you can't even meet women or date as a Muslim. I don't have parents to arrange a marriage for me, so choosing a Muslim life would invariably be a lonely and celibate one). ...is it to shock my parents? (My father hasn't talked to me in years and denies me and my sister as his children now that he's gotten his marriage to my mother annulled by that same religion that I took so much comfort in throughout my life whereas my mother is a rather live and let live person, but seems to look at Islam and the Qur'an with a nervous apprehension) ...Am I trying to be a non-conformist and stick my finger in the eye of American society? (Not at all, America is no longer a “Christian nation” and likely never truly was when you look into what happened across America's short history thus far & Islam is certainly not a religion for people who do not wish to conform to social norms) ...Am I seeking approval from others? (Absolutely not, I don;t know enough people to do something like that and even if I was super well known and liked in this area, there would be no pressure to convert to Islam at all as most people are quite irreligious & have not even a cursory understanding of Islam) ...Is this an attempt to be “unique” and build an identity? (I am already too “unique” for my own good and this has had a detrimental effect on finding work, making friends, meeting a wife, even finding a church where I fit in. Besides, I already have a concept of identity when it comes to asserting oneself as a unique individual with dignity). None of these potential excuses feel remotely legitimate at all. At this point in time I don't even have an answer aside from “Every time I try to write-off Islam, I can't walk away but for a few months” and in addition to that, my periods of putting Islam into the back of my mind usually end up stressful and riddled with tragic news & painful life transitions. I wouldn't even be able to be a “good Muslim” due to my autism spectrum related fascination with music, my inability to speak, write, read, or comprehend another language without translating its meaning back into English in my own head (I did this a lot when Ukrainian was being spoken at church), my distaste for being around other men + their painfully desperate attempts to not look remotely sensitive or warm & my tendency to have female friends who I am closer to. At the end of the day, I wouldn't even know where to start if I chose to dive head-first into Islam and make a commitment to radically reorganizing my life, forgetting everything about who I thought I was & what I knew, to become someone completely different... all the while dealing with a mental illness that makes even the most ridiculous conspiracy theories seem like objective reality. Writing this blog wasn't a request for assistance from the forum members of ShiaChat. It's more an attempt to organize and catalog my thoughts, and figure out exactly what's taking place inside of my head that's got me so fascinated and intrigued with this specific religion that by all intents and purposes, asks its adherents to live as the polar opposite of the identity I have already crafted for myself since the tender age of sixteen. Inshallah, I will discover the source.

Hey to all. I’m looking a mosque in Spain. It’s really difficult because all the mosques around here are Sunni. I think I wasn’t to convert but first I would like to ask some questions to an expert or something. I’ve located a alulbeyt foundation but they don’t seem to reply. hope you can all help me thanks

Hi there. I have a question regarding conversion to Shia Islam in Dublin. I recently moved here from one ex Yugoslav country. I am not a Muslim, but I spent a lot of time in my life reading about Islam (I've read Quran in my language and atm I'm reading it in English) and when I discovered Shia Islam I kind of felt for the first time in my life like this is something that is close to my personal religious beliefs. I grew up in Catholic country and I was forcefully baptized when I was young because my mother feared of our society (with the war and all that going on and my family being of particular political background), however since I was 8 I told my parents that I don't want to go to the church because of the hate that the church was preaching. Them being agnostic they respected it. However, I am not sure if I ever was an atheist. I just rejected the hate and materialism... So, considering that I spent a lot of time searching for myself I would really like to discuss with an imam about certain questions etc and what does it really mean to be a Muslim... because I know theoretical stuff I read in books etc. However, I am kind of shy or I dunno in a way to approach a mosque etc. I am not sure how to contact it and I'd feel weird just to walk in... it is a big step. So I'd like to know if there are any Shia from Dublin that could help me with that i.e. advise me how to establish contact etc. Thank you.

I am a muslim . I belong to a sufi sect who do believe in wilayat e Ali ((عليه السلام)). But unfortunately i was brought up among people who were wahabi and i grew up with a wahabi mind set and believed shia are extremists. Now i've realized that whatever i believed was not rational. I want to study about shia islam and need guidance about books and authentic scholars.Now I am too much confused about what exactly is the truth.. Secondly, is it necessary to belong to a specific sect ? If yes then why?? I am already a muslim.

This is my story on how I became a Shia Muslim. I became a Shia Muslim recently with help from friends and from ShiaChat. To begin with, I grew up in a heavily Anti-Shia society, where loads of allegations were stirred up against Shias. Some of these allegations were like Shias mixing blood with food and spitting in water etc. At first I began to believe this until I was in 7th grade, where I met a Shia person for the first ever time in my life. I had a long conversation with him about Shia Islam and he cleared many doubts, which Inclined me to be more kind to Shias. However, Some of my Sunni Friends told me that Shias are like Hindus and they whip themselves and etc, and because of this I became Anti-Shia for a while and I avoided Shias in my School. Eventually, I made many Shia friends and Sunni friends in 8th grade, yet we rarely talked about Sects in Islam, until 10th Muharram of this year. My Shia friends debated with some Sunnis over Ali (AS)' Imamate and how he should have became the first Khalifa. And I was surprised to see that My Sunni friends were Cursing Ali ((عليه السلام)) and praising Khwarij groups. They started to label people as Kafir and Munafiq and they eventually broke ties with my Shia friends. I was shocked that they insulted a Member of the Ahlul Bayt and I remained in confusion for quite some time, until my Shia friends told me to read Kitab Al Kaafi and other Shia books so I could understand them even better than what I heard from Sunnis. As I started to read Kitab al Kaafi, I became so interested in it, that I preferred some of its Ahadith over Al Bukhari. I eventually told my Shia Friends that I wanted to become a Shia. I took their advice and they told me to search online. I returned to them and I told them that I became a Shia and I believe in the Wilayat of Imam Ali ((عليه السلام)) and in Usul Ad Din. (Thanks to Shia Chat.) They told me to stay in a State of Taqiyyah and to not tell my family until a few years later when I move out. Ever since I have became Shia, I have adapted the Shia Method of Praying and I have talked a lot about Shia Islam with them. May Allah bless them for helping me see the Truth and may Allah Bestow his mercy on us all. Ameen.

Salam Alaykum. I am a Sunni Muslim who has been interested in Shia Islam for ages. I have adapted the Shia way of Praying, and I follow many other Shia Beliefs as well. Upto this stage, I was wondering if there was anything I should to do to make me a Shia Muslim? Kind Regards. Qasim.

Hello / salam alaikum. I know that Islam is somewhat strict on marriages where husband is not a muslim (since children of such couple could potentially be raised as non-muslims and other issues).But is there any ruling on those who used to follow another religion but than converted to Islam? I am not talking about converting just for the sake of marrying a muslim but those who genuinely believe. Are they anyhow special in this case (e.g. that muslim women should still avoid them)? Another question is if such marriage between a born-muslim girl and a guy who converted during his adulthood (e.g. is from the west) can exist in real life? I am not asking for myself, I recently had a conversation about that matter with someone, but since both of us are not muslims we lack any knowledge on the subject. Thanks.

I'm having a bit of a problem. I was in a relationship with an Arabic shia Muslim for a year. I'm a white american woman who was never made to follow any religion but I am highly spiritual and open minded to many courses of faith. The two of us were/are in love and both talked actively about our future together. I didn't realize his parents wouldn't be accepting at all, but I think he hoped they would be regardless of previous struggles in the family regarding this issue. Within the last couple weeks, he finally told them about me and they reacted badly--said some things he wouldn't repeat to me and threatened to disown him if he continued on. They are still angry with him and have shortened their leash by a lot. He obeyed them and broke up with me, but we both still have feelings for each other and I know he would have married me had they been accepting. He is worried about their health and doesn't want to further anger them or cause rifts in the family by pushing this issue. I am hardworking, in school, in a great position at my job, and he and I both encourage each other's goals. I know I would make a great wife and good daughter to them. I find his respect and love for his family extremely admirable and is part of what makes me love him like I do. I love the culture and am interested in the faith and said I would be willing to convert. He said his parents weren't upset just because I'm not Muslim, but also because I'm white and because I come from a white family with divorced parents. He says nothing will ever change their mind. I am willing to be patient, understanding, and withstand the negativity to get through to them but he says they won't change. I know the religion permits a man marry a converted woman and that racism is frowned upon (because Allah created us all from the same man and woman) but he says they are set in their ways. I still want to attempt to reach out to them, and bridge this gap, with love, respect, and patience in my heart. I also know that dating is haram and that my boyfriend/ex boyfriend never should have pursued it in the first place, but we're past that now and that's part of the reason why I want his parents' respect to continue forward the correct way. I would never ask him to choose--I want to be PART of the family. Does anyone have any advice on how to reach out to them? Thank you, peace and blessings be upon you all

Salam to all my brothers and sisters in faith I have a question about a complicated situation I have and want to know the Islamic laws regarding this. I have been married for 4 years and have a child and another under way. My wife is 5th month pregnant and recently changed her religion from Islam to Bahaism. We have had many arguments but I try to not be so harsh to her since she is pregnant. What is the right decision. Should I divorce her and take my children away (I live in United States), or should I wait until she give birth, so I can talk to her more and have a chance to bring her back from her wrong path? Can I still live with her in the same house? Thanks for your guidance in advance.

Salam A catholic woman, separated from her husband for a couple years but not legally divorced in country of her origin (living abroad now), is converting to Islam. From sharia point of view, does she need a legal divorce from her catholic husband before marrying a muslim? If no, does she need to spend time in Iddah though she has been separated from husband for years. What is the required duration? If yes, are there any exceptions in case of hardship such as if it will be financially difficult for her to pursue divorce through country's legal channels or the husband not agreeing making it more difficult? Any specific verdicts from Ayotullah Sistani on this? Appreciate response from members with knowledge of the subject.

Legacy of Islam in early centuries in Iranian culture and society In her book "The New Muslims of Post-Conquest Iran: Tradition, Memory, and Conversion" Sarah Bowen Savant talks about Iran's conversion to Islam in the ninth to eleventh centuries, focusing on the historical consciousness of Iranians at the time. It emphasizes the importance of a shared history for groups and traces the remolding of Iranian history and identity in the light of Islam. Through these interactions, Iranians developed a sense of Islam as an authentically Iranian religion, as they simultaneously shaped the broader historiographic tradition in Arabic and Persian.

This is a sensitive question. After a non-Muslim converts to Islam and his/her relatives end up not converting before their deaths, what follows according to Islamic teachings? Will his/her parents go to Hell for not being Muslim, while he/she goes to Paradise (if he/she would turn out to be a good Muslim, of course)? Or, will his/her relatives be saved from Hell thanks to him/her choosing for Islam (I remember someone telling me something like this)? It's such a horrible thought that the parents of a converted Muslim cannot join their child in the afterlife.

Changing faiths: Hispanic Americans leaving Catholicism for Islam21 August 2013 With more than 50 million Hispanics living in the US, the Latino community is now the country's biggest minority. While most are brought up within the Catholic Church, a number of them are turning to Islam. Precise figures are difficult to pin down as the US Census does not collect religious data, but estimates for the number of Latino Muslims vary between 100,000 and 200,000. The BBC's Katy Watson went to Union City in New Jersey - where the population is more than 80% Hispanic - to meet some converts. VIDEO : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23774334

I wanted to send this to the list earlier. Here are a friend's observations and "Conversion Manual" when I argue with our Sunni brothers. There might be other manuals out there but this one has worked for me so far :). *** Important Note*** All Arguments should preferably be in email/written form. Do not waste your breath on it. Force them to READ not listen. Genuine ones will read and convert. Non genuine ones will quit bothering you. Guaranteed. PRECONDITIONS 1. Have a sympathetic attitude towards Sunnis. Feel sorry for them that apparently confessing Islam, they are still so far away from the real message.Do not feel mad at them. Do not show your ingrain anger over Saqifa and Karbala. These poor simplistic brothers (sisters) of ours are genuinely brainwashed for ages and are worthy of our compassion, not anger. 2. Never get defensive on the questions they ask us. They mostly ask us benign questions such as alam, tazia, zuljinah which are at most mustahib but not wajib. They might also ask about mutah and divorce, having belief in those are wajib but practicing those are not. Key here is "do not get defensive". 3. Use the "Sunni Itch" in your favor. Notice how during every Muharram, your Sunni friends suddenly realize that you are a Shia and start asking questions primarily about the topics listed above. I call this "Sunni Itch". Here's how to channel this "Sunni itch" to cast doubt about their religion. Once you do that, they become conditioned to come to the right path except a majority of those who are plain stupid to see the light or have "seals on their hearts" as Allah has said in Quran. Almost none of them would ever denounce Islam so do not fear that you are going to make anyone reject Islam through your discussions. DISCUSSION CONDUCT 4. Never abuse Umer, Abu Baker, & Usman. Sunnis are programmed to revere them so deeply that most Sunnis would accept the insults to the Prophet (sawaw) but would be found justifying the actions of Sahaba. Show hadith, events, and instances from Sunni literature which breaks this infallible status of the Sahaba from Sunni psyche. 5. Keep repeating this line - "no one has the right to change the sharia' of Prophet except for Allah and Prophet" while repeating the changes and innovations brought in by primarily Umer (others were too simplistic or ignorant to add things in the religion anyway). 6. Whenever discuss the crimes of these BIG THREE (Umer, Abu Baker, Usman), DO NOT be disrespectful. 7. Whenever discuss the crimes of Abu-Sufyan, Muawiah, and Yazeed, BE VERY disrespectful. Still do not use the foul language. 8. Your Sunni friend will soon notice this which you could use to argue later as how complacent the BIG THREE were in planting the Muawiah gang in Syria and thus implicate the BIG THREE in the Karbala crimes as well. Then you could take them back to Saqifa. 9. Hazrat Ayesha - try to avoid discussing her saying you do not want to discuss her since she was one of the wives of the prophet (sawaw). Gain higher moral ground by saying that certain things need not be mentioned due to her being one of the "mothers of momineen". This is also making this itch incredibly unbearable which you could use later in your advantage. Of-course discussion of faux-Islamic history can not be completed without her but she is the BIGGEST DEMAGOGUE Sunnis have and you could use her as your last big bang. 10. Arguing succession to prophet-hood - there are two groups of Sunnis. a. Half of them claim Abu Bakr was "nominated". Ask "nominated" group to show proof from hadith. Refute their false hadith with bunch of Ghadeer hadith from their books. "Nominated" group is more dogmatic so argue based on hadith and Quran. b. Other half claim Abu Bakr was "elected". Ask "elected" group as to why the later generation of Muslims should abide by that election anyway. "elected" group is relatively more logical and you can at least get them accept your point of view based on sound argument. 11. Sunnis for most part not knowing their religion, swindle between hadith and Quran. Once you checkmate them on hadith, they will claim that let's argue only based on Quran. It is important that you bring them to say this. Because once they come to say "let's argue based on Quran", Quran is full of clear ayat which could be used to support your claim. ATTACK 1. Have your Sunni friend count how many salat he (she) has prayed so far in life. Ask the importance of "wudhu". Show ayat of Quran according to which they perform wrong wudhu. 2. Ask to count "sawm" fasts he (she) has done in life time. Show ayat of Quran that all his (her) fasts were "broken" and are invalid according to Quran since they could not wait another 15 minutes. 3. Number of salats = 5, number of times to read that salat = 3. prove it according to Quran. Ask them why and according to which hadith they go against it. You will being them to say that "it is optional" - invite them to pray magrib and isha with you together one after another. Remember for Sunnis, praying and fasting are among the five pillars of their religion. Your attack on them performing these wrong will go a long way. 4. Use hadith saqlain - the famous hadith quoted in Sunni and Shia sources both. Ask them to show you the hadith of "Quran and Sunna". 5. Never let them come back to discuss "alam, tazia, zuljinah" or "mutah, divorce, or sajdigah". Once they will understand Imamat, these things will get cleared in no time. 6. Keep on offensive on other things Sunnis do wrong. Never let them take the podium to have you justify your faith. 7. Bottom line - Keep them on defensive. There are two benefits to it - a. Most important, you have conveyed the true religion of prophet Muhammad (sawaw) to them. Now they would not be able to complain on the day of judgment. b. The least, you have got a Sunni monkey off your back. More likely he (she) would not bother you again. 8. Never sever ties with your Sunni brothers. Always include yourself in their functions etc. Always be their friends. How else would we have them listen to the real story of Islam? And most important of all, always stress on unity between various currents of Islam. Sunnis are misled confused folks but still, they are Muslims and should be treated as such. (this line is in light of instructions of Imam Sadiq (sa)). PREPARE YOURSELF 1. Read and use books such as "Peshawar Nights", "Then I was guided", "Shia by Ay. Tabatabai'". 2. Read your Quran. I've found Agha Mehdi Puya's tafseer very helpful. Maulana Farman Ali's is excellent as well. 3. When you find yourself out of proofs, visit www.al-islam.org and search. 4. Most important of all, ask for help from Imam of Time (af) before starting this discussion. Pray for the lost Sunni soul to come to the right path. Sincerity to this effect also goes a long way. Don't argue for your ego... 5. Find the real un-edited Siha-e-Satta if you can. FOLLOWUP 1. Pretty much during the course of all this Sunni belief shattering process, you have created following feeling in your Sunni subject (I meant brother/sister). a. Depression b. Anger c. Self Pity d. DOUBT 2. By this time he (she) has also recognized that you are a tough nut so make sure they don't run away saying "we can not judge" - a famous Sunni line of retreat. 3. Be persistent. Keep bringing them to the discussion, keep sending them emails of the stuff which goes in line of your discussion. DO NOT let them off the hook. THEY started the discussion. YOU end it. Talk to them about the stuff you emailed them. Keep asking them until either they do "tabarra" on Umer and the team in-front of you :), at which time they will ask more questions and inshAllah see the light, or apologize and ask you not to bother them again... Good luck arguing -