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Salam Dear brothers and sisters, I am new here and would like your help to refute the Sunni arguments. In the Internet the hate against the Shiites is meanwhile so large that we are only accused of doing everything wrong, I would like to meet this. Can you recommend me some good sites that refute the arguments of the Nasibis?

I'm excited about my new life as a (shia) Muslim, so I naturally do a lot of digging on the internet for any info I can find that might help me perfect my prayer & perfect my submission to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى). Last night, I found a site called "NewMuslims . com" and I went to look around, figuring I could get some information on "next steps" for Shia reverts. I searched the term "shia" and was directed to a section called "Introduction to Sects (part 2 of 2). The constant talk of the Sunnah should have tipped me off from the get go, but here is what they had to say about us: (4. Shias[3] Also spelled “Shi’ites.” The “Twelver Shias” believe that, after the death of the Prophet, the Imamate (the political and religious leadership of the Muslim community) should have gone to 'Ali - the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet - and his descendants as a divine right. Unlike the Sunnis, who perform prayers five times a day, the Shi'ites pray three times a day. The Twelver Shias population in 1980 was estimated to be 73,000,000. They are dominant in Iran, but are also found in Pakistan, India, Iraq, Lebanon, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Syria. There are also small Shia communities in the West, one of the largest in Dearborn, Michigan.) Isn't that fascinating? I never knew that I only prayed 3 times a day! I could have sworn that I learned how to count as a child from repeated viewings of the Bela Lugosi-type "vampire" on Sesame Street, but I guess I was wrong. Those five alarms I have on my phone are apparently only three alarms! Did anyone know that we had been counting completely wrong our entire lives? (yes, the above is very snarky sarcasm) Seriously though, how can it be argued that we only "pray three times a day"? My guess is that this has something to do with the OPTION to combine prayers (which correct me if I am wrong, but only two prayers can be combined per day... either Dhur & Asr or Maghrib & Isha.) I do not combine my prayers right now because I don't know the proper way to do so, but I don't really think that I would if I had the knowledge on how to properly do so anyway. I enjoy prayer, at the risk of sounding like a piety-signaler, I actually look forward to prayer because I am very much motivated to become perfect at offering it. Not only that, but I get more of a rejuvenation out of the five daily prayers than I ever did going to "rock concert church" where everyone is dancing, crying, and waving their hands around in the air. I never in my life saw myself as being someone who would eagerly anticipate having to perform religious duties, but Islam has done that for me in the short three week period or so that I have officially considered myself as a Muslim. What do you think brothers & sisters? Is this a salafi site sponsored by Saudi Arabia and if so, what is the Saudi compulsion to denigrate and undermine their brothers and sisters in Islam at any and all opportunities simply because we believe (correctly) that The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) chose his family to continue as his successors?

(salam) (bismillah) I came across this fatwa by al-Sistani that has been recently given. I found it interesting. Sunday, October 13, 2013835 MasonDearborn, MI 48124United StatesSee map: Google MapsQuestion No. 100644 The subject of the question: Insulting the companions and wives of the prophet (s.a.w.a.) --------------------------------------------- The Question: as-Salamu Alykum wa rahmatu Allah wa barakatuhu, A video clip has been seen several times on social network web sites showing a congregation during the martyrdom of al-Imam al-Jawad (a.s.). This group of people from the area known as al-A'dhamiyyah are shown shouting out insults upon 'Omar, A’isha, and others. Is this type of behavior condemned by the supreme religious authority, especially since it involves the insult of religious figures of our brothers of the Sunni school of thought, and it could potentially fuel unrest amongst the people of Iraq and jeopardize peace? The Answer: In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful This type of behavior is condemned, strongly denounced and contrary to the commands of the Imams of the Holy Household of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) to their followers. Allah is The Guide. The Office of Ayatullah Sayyid al-Sistani The Holy City of Najaf 12/2/1434 Source: https://secure.imam-us.org/fatwa/companions?utm_source=Sayyid+Sistani%27s+fatwa+about+the+Prophet%27s+%28s.a.w.a.%29+companions&utm_campaign=Sistani+Companion+Sahabah&utm_medium=email (salam)

Assalamu alaykum, everyone. Hope you're all having a great Ramadan; heavenly breezes your way. Before I ask my questions, allow me to recount my spiritual/religious journey in brief (or what I hope will be brief). I appreciate if you could patiently read before answering. I was born in Iran to a non-practicing Muslim family. When I was a child, my parents taught me that there is a God, and read to me stories about the prophets (my favourites were the story of Nuh, Yunus and Yusuf, alayhimussalam); but they didn’t practise any Islamic rituals. Fasting and praying was never part of their daily routine. The only precepts that they followed (and still follow, despite living in a Western country) is avoiding pork and alcohol. As a result, throughout my childhood and teenage years, I wouldn’t perform namaz or fast Ramadan. I still had a deep-seated belief in God, and would pray (dua) to Him, especially when things got difficult; e.g. when a teacher wanted to check our homework and I hadn’t done it, or when I had broken something and I didn’t want my parents to find out. When I was about 17, I left Iran to study in Malaysia. It was the first time I was living away from my family in a foreign land, and for whatever reason, a great transformation took place in my soul at that time. I fell in love with God. I began to pray the daily prayers regularly, to read the Quran often, to remember God often; I found in these such joy, such ecstasy, and at the same time, such peace, such solace, such serenity, the like of which I had never tasted before. At this same time, I began to associate with a group of Malaysian Sunni Muslims who had Sufi inclinations. I would often pray with them; and from what I remember, I would pray like them outwardly, with hands folded over chest. At that time (and to a certain extent, even now) I cared very little about Sunni-Shia differences. What mattered was God. The Remembrance of God is greater. (Quran 29:45) Greater than everything. Love God, worship God, with all your mind and soul. Give yourself to God; and leave all the rest. This was my philosophy, at least at that time. A couple of years later, I migrated along with my parents to Australia. My parents realised that I had profoundly changed; I would pray five times a day, recite the Quran, fast Ramadan. My parents, of course, thought that this was a transient phase and decided to completely ignore these changes in my life; they made no objects to me praying or fasting, but they themselves still didn’t pray or fast. They also weren’t interested in any conversation about religion. In the following years, I continued to deepen my understanding of faith; from time to time, I would read Islamic books or listen to lectures (mostly Sunni, but also Shia from time to time). Books that intrigued me the most at this stage were Sufi literature; books by Rumi, Attar, Sana’i, Ghazzali, etc. The greatness of these books was that they dealt with pure spirituality, not identity politics, sectarian polemics, etc.; and I had the pleasure of reading them in their original language, my mother tongue Persian. Now, let me come to the questions: While I find my relationship with God satisfying, I now know that Islam is meant to be practised communally, not just in solitude. For years, I had prayed alone, fasted alone, broken my fasts alone (even before Covid-19!) For someone like me, finding the right community and spiritual company was a challenge. One main question is: Which community is right for me? Should I join a Sunni OR a Shia congregation? and I hate to ask that question: Why should it be either/or? Why not both/and? Loving God is not Sunni or Shia. It is neither, or it is both. Same with sincerity, humility, kindness: none of these are exclusively Sunni or Shia qualities. But the fact on the ground is that, (for whatever reason), Sunnis and Shias don’t pray with each other anymore. Sunnis pray with Sunnis. Shias pray with Shias. Which congregation should I join? What I like most about the Shia tradition is the spirituality of Sahifa-Sajjadiya and some of the great sermons in Nahjul Balagha. I also returned to follow Shia fiqh in my wudhu and prayer. While I respect all fiqh traditions and consider them equally valid, this is the way I felt most comfortable praying and performing wudhu. I believe Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (regardless of whether he was an infallible imam) is definitely not a less credible expositor of fiqh than Imam Shafi’i, Abu Hanifah or Malik, radhi allahu anhum. On the other hand, my understanding of Islam was mainly shaped by Sunni-Sufi thought and sentiment. For example, while I deeply respect and love Imam Hussain ((عليه السلام)), I am more interested in what Imam Hussain taught, what he stood for, how he lived, than just crying endlessly for how tragically he was killed. To be completely frank, I never understood the concept of religious azadari. Azadari makes sense when you lose a loved one; but we haven’t lost the Prophet or the Imams. Their teachings, their spiritual presence and ultimately God (to whom they all pointed; and their whole mission was to lead us to God) are still with us, and will forever remain with us. So why should we mourn someone who is alive? More living than us. Other reasons for not wanting to be a Shia were practical: the Shia are in a minority. There are very few Shia mosques. The ones that exist are far away from where I live, often ethno-centric (frequented mostly by Iraqis or Pakistanis with lectures said in Arabic or Urdu, rather than English) or having political links/agendas. I felt more-or-less estranged from the Iranians in Australia as well. From my observation, the Iranian diaspora consists mostly either of non-Muslims (Christians, Bahai’s, etc.), cultural/nominal Muslims, or people who have turned against religion altogether, mostly as a reaction to what they see as aggression and injustice by the ‘Islamic’ government in Iran. Traditional, simple-minded, religious Iranians who aren't politically affiliated seem to be a tiny minority here. Incredibly hard to find. As for associating with Sunnis and calling myself a Sunni, the obvious advantage is there are many more mosques I could go to (more options!); but then the problem was that people would want to know whether/why I have changed my madhhab and become a Sunni; as Shia Islam is the madhhab of the majority of Iranians. I don’t want to give anyone the impression that I don’t like Shia Islam; because the truth is that I consider Shia Islam a valid perspective and a valid madhhab to follow; and by saying that I have changed my madhhab, I would give the impression that I find Shi'ism wrong (which isn't true). As you can see, because of my spiritual journey which isn’t as straightforward as most Muslims, I have ended up in a confused state. Alhamdulillah, I am not confused regarding my relationship with God, but in navigating my relationship with others. Non-Muslim Australians think that I am not one of them because I am Muslim. Sunni Muslims think that I am not one of them because I am Shia. Shia Muslims think that I am too Sunni to be a good Shia. Maybe you could help me out.

Asalamwalaykum. I am a 15 year old boy, who is currently on winter break. I am very stressed about school right now. Last year (Grade 9) and throughout elementary school, I got very good grades, especially mathematics, was 90's and 80's. Last year went really well too. This year however, I have been trying very hard, and studying a lot, and praying, yet I still have got very bad grades like 60's 70's. I know that I am doing everything I can, and I have gotten very close to Allah over the past few weeks, and have been crying in the glory of Allah, and for forgiveness for sins. I know that school has gotten harder from grade 9 to 10, but I know that I should be getting 90's, 80's at least still! I study constantly, and I am also humble about my grades, even though I might not have been before. Everyone of my friends are getting the same grades as last year, while possibly even studying less! I am frustrated by myself, and I need some hope. I will need 90's next two years in mathematics, and science, which are courses that I love, but have not been doing well in. I am also very scared because over the break I have been praying to Allah to help me with my education, so I can go on and help the Muslim community after getting a good job, I have been praying to become a doctor from a young age as well. I need some hope, or some clarification from you people, to help me understand if this is a test from Allah, and how to improve myself so I can do something about my situation. Thanks.

Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Raheem, Since last year I have been deeply studying the Islamic divide that took place following the death of the Rasul (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ) and the differences in how we Shias approach the topic about caliphate. I have read a lot of Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim and also have ahadith from both of those books that which prove the hypocrisy of the so-called companions, although the authenticity of these ahadith is denied by Sunnis. My main aim of this post is to put aside all ahadith books, both Sunni and Shia, mainly because they are subjective and open to a lot of bias. I wanted to gather the most pure and divine of evidence to prove the Wilayah of Imam Ali ((عليه السلام)). I am aware of Ayah 67 in Surat Al-Ma'idah, named Ayat Al-Balagh - "O Messenger, announce that which has been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message. And Allah will protect you from the people. Indeed, Allah does not guide the disbelieving people." Based on Abi Saeed Al-Khudri, a very well known companion that which the Sunni majority take hadiths from, stated that this ayah was revealed to the Rasul (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ) on the day of Ghadeer Khum, where he stated that Imam Ali will be leader following his passing, and Hadith Al-Thaqalayn was also mentioned on this day. I will be grateful if anybody knows of any other ayaat in the Qur'an that link to the Wilayah of Imam Ali and the divine succession of the Ahlulbayt to the Rasul (صَلَّىٰ ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ). Salaam.

I've seen from nahjul balagha that Ali said to Muawiyah in a letter that "Verily those who swore allegiance to Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman have sworn allegiance to me on the same basis on which they swore allegiance to them." What does this mean? Are batris the true shia?

Hello. I am a Sunni and I have noticed that that Shias' Sahoor time ends before Sunnis and their Iftar ends after Sunnis. My question is, what method is used to find out the timings of Ramadan Iftar and Sahoor in Shia Islam ? Thanks.

(salam) A christian has asked me that Why Quran has mentioned that male sperms originate from between the back and the ribs. I could not answer him because of my little knowledge. Any one can help? (bismillah) خُلِقَ مِنْ مَاءٍ دَافِقٍ {6} يَخْرُجُ مِنْ بَيْنِ الصُّلْبِ وَالتَّرَائِبِ {7} [Shakir 86:6] He is created of water pouring forth, [Shakir 86:7] Coming from between the back and the ribs.

"I am not so good in English" but I research a lot of thing in my language. And discuss a lot of thing with a Shia Master. ____ "Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the Prophets: and Allah has full knowledge of all things." — The Qur'an – Chapter 33 Verse 40 Here it's clear that in the future anyone can declared that he is the successor of Mohammed (s). That's why Allah sent this message to the world. Sunni Muslim loves everyone - 4 khalifa and also the other members of Ali (a) s family. And Ali (a) was alive when Abu bakar siddiq became a khalifa. So why he didn't tell anything? And khalifa means the head of Muslim state. Believes that khalifas ruined Mohammads (s) family tree. It also would be natural (family tree). So who will be the khalifa or head of state of Islamic country in the absence of Muhammad's (s) family tree?

Assalamualaykum, I know this topic has been discussed time and time again, but I believe this matter should be dealt with on a case by case basis. I am a Sunni male (21 years old, about to graduate college and go to professional school) and I am attracted to a Shia girl. She and I are very good friends, and everything I'd like to see in a future wife, she has. We are trying to proceed with this the halal way and will be notifying our parents ASAP. A little about me and my family, we are extremely pro-ahlul-bayt. My father, especially, is extremely knowledgable when it comes to ahlul-bayt and he respects people of the Shia madhab. He is always lecturing me and his friends about the virtues of the ahlul-bayt and how we should use them as role models and also how they went through such extreme trials and tribulations. So that is a little about the type of household this Shia girl would be joining. I myself have been learning a lot about how Shias pray salah, a lot about their version of history, watching lectures, etc. There are many things that I agree with and respect, and I am much more aware and open to it now than ever before (not saying I would convert). Getting back to the topic at hand, I have assured this girl that neither my family, and especially me, will ever force her to practice anything against her will. I really like her for who and what she is, and I would never force her to change. Quite frankly, I believe these Shia-Sunni arguments and hatred is extremely unnecessary and I disagree with it. In terms of convincing parents, I think I will have it much easier than the girl. Her father is very extreme in his views and is very pro-Shia so it will be an uphill battle (he is just being a great father and looking out for his precious girl, so I understand). I was wondering if you guys could give any feedback on how she would approach and persuade her father? Would you guys support this marriage if it were you in my situation or if it were your kids? I think if she showed him some comments on here in support of us, he would be more open to it. At the end of the day, I believe that two Muslims who seem to be perfect for each other, love their last Prophet (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى), love the ahlul-bayt, and are tied to their deen, should be allowed to be together. JazakAllah for your time everyone!

Bismillah Al-rahman Al-rahim. Is there any hadith from the twelve Imams (عليه السلام) or the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) that describes how to perform the Salat Al-Istighfar? I've googled but people tend to say different things like do 2 Rak'ats or 4 Rak'ats and honestly I don't know if there's any difference between Shia or Sunni opinion on how to perform this salaat. I would appreciate if someone could guide me in full detail. Wa-asalam.

I will start this post of by saying I am a non denominational Muslim (which means I don't really align myself to a sect but if I had to I would say I'm more zaydi in my beliefs, but I have the upmost respect for the companions of the Prophet) . If you asking why, it's because of my research into both Shi'a and Sunni Islam has given me so much to ponder over that I question a lot of the beliefs and wonder why things are in both beliefs. Please comment below if you have anything to add, anything you found interesting or anything you want to challenge or counter. Mosques: When I went to Shi'a Mosques, it felt more closed off if you catch my drift, I know some of you will probably disagree with this, but the Sunni mosques that I went to are more open to outsiders. I went to Shi'a mosques that were run by Pakistanis (which seemed more cultural then religious, maybe it will the language and the way they presented things, but there were far more emphasis on the Ahlul Bayt (particular in regards to Imam Ali and Fatima Zahra, )). I went to an Iranian Shi'a mosque which was a more nice experience but once again it was very culturally designed, unfortunately as I'm not Persian I couldn't really understand what they were saying. The closet thing to a mosque that I grew up was an Arab Shi'a mosque, it wasn't extravagent, just plain bear and just saw people continuously praying. My experience at Sunni mosques is quite different, I'm not saying this as a biased point of view but I feel like the Sunni mosques teach the message of the messenger Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) more then the Shi'a mosques which empathise the teachings of the Ah'lulbayt more. It was quite weird hearing people saying Imam Alis name louder then the Prophets ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)) name. Sunni mosques also like to focus on previous Prophets and focus on actions more (well from what I've experienced). In my experience the leaders of the Sunnis mosques are more open to talking and interacting then the sheikhs in the Shi'a mosques. I know it isn't common practice amongst quite a few Shi'as but it'd be quite nice to see a Shi'a mosque which was open for 5 Daily Prayers (at 5 consecutive times). For some praying 5 times a day brings them closer to God, although I don't disagree with hadiths that state that praying 3 times performing 5 prayers is allowed Beliefs: Prayer Wudhu: The method of prayer between the Sunnis and Shi'as is quite different. First of all is the matter of wudhu. Being a Shi'a forum I assume you guys probably know your method of wudhu. I find the Sunni version of wudhu makes me feel and more ready for prayer however. Azaan: Although it is debated amongst Shi'as and Sunnis that the azaan is altered on both sides. For example the Shi'as argue that the Fajr azaan in Sunni Islam is altered (although I'll be honest I havent looked in this), the athaan for the rest of the prayers seem unaltered, as they pledge the first two statements (There is no God but Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى)), and the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) is the final messenger. Shi'as also add the third to their athaan. I know Shi'as say that it is not mandatory (wajib) but I will say from my observe in the mosques etc, none has dropped the third testimony to the Athaan, which if you growing up as a young person you might start to assume that it is part of the athaan, which it isn't. I found this uncomfortable at time because I have grown up with the belief that the athaan is the athaan and should be unaltered (which is why I think the zaydi athaan is the correct form of athaan). I also questioned if it is optional, why didn't any of the centres I visited omit it from the adhaan, it's not like you have to add it everytime, for Sunnis this is quite controversial, if Shi'as are to add it to the athaan isn't it moving away from the Sunnah? Prayers: Shi'as pray with there hands down, Sunnis pray with there hands crossed. Not an issue for me either way sometimes I pray with my hands down sometimes with my hands crossed (I prefer praying with my hands down as it feels more natural). Shi'as use a turbah (which I don't like to criticize as I find it admirable), however there is an issue for me with turbah, because some of them say Imam Hussein or other members of the Ah'lulbayt, this for me is a grey issue, on the one hand you have a turbah made out of clay as it's Sunnah to pray on earthly material, on the otherhand you have members of the Ahlul'bayts name on them to which you're prostrating to, you can start to see my issue right....? Also whether we accept it or not there is no recollection of the Prophet ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)) using a turbah in his prayers, although there is hadiths of him using a mat made out of leaves I believe, this is still quite different from a turbah. The second thing which I observed was that Sunni's were much more observant of praying 5 times at 5 different times then Shi'as in their 5 daily prayers. Most Shi'as do tend to adopt the view that 3 times a day performing all 5 prayers is fine, however it's preferable to pray all 5 at 5 times which isn't encouraged enough in Shi'a centers hence the reason why they are only opened 3 times a day. Shi'as also ask Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) to bless the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) and his family often in ruku and in sajda (although I don't have an issue with this per se, we are praying to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) so we should focus on given the upmost praise to our Lord, which is why I just save it till Tasshahud). Beliefs: Without going into all the beliefs I have seen I will point out a few that I will say had me questioning Shi'a Islam Imam al-Sadeq was a great scholar, and he had all 4 main Sunni madhabs come from his teachings. But the thing that I find questionable is why is it then the Jafari school of thought is so different to the Sunni school of thought, if all 4 schools derived from Jafar al-Sadeq how comes non of them proclaim that the teachings of Jafer al-Sadeq similar to the Shi'a Jafari school of thought, in regards to stuff such as prayer etc, why are there all so different? Just a side note I'm not sure but apparently Imam al-Sadeq is also a descendant of one of the Sahaba (although I can't remember who), how would he feel to hear his generation criticised? Sunnis belief the Prophet saw was the most noble man to work this Earth, the Shi'as say he was infallible, this is also a point of sticking point for me and which I have to do more research on but I don't totally disregard the Shi'a view that our Prophet is infalliable (I say this because of the argument that the Prophet of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) has to be perfect for us to believe his message, otherwise people wouldn't be as trusting of his message). But it did get me questioning, how would an infallible man come to pick companions who wouldn't be loyal to him? Surely he would see people who would betray him, I have respect for the Sahaba (I'm not here to criticise Shi'as), but whether it is liked or not, the Sahaba were with the Prophet during his life and helped the growth of our religion, there are also authentic hadiths in which the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) has praised the Sahaba so why turn a blind eye to these? However I have read the Hadith al-Thaqlalyn and the story of Ghadir Khums. Because of these two counters, I do believe that Imam Ali was the rightful successor, but not to infallibility which something as big as this should be more clearly defined in the Qu'ran. I believe Imam Ali was the rightful caliphs but due to his merits, not because he was divinely appointed, an issue such as divine appoint would have been made clear in the Qu'ran, we can looks at verse but the tafsir on both Sunni and Shi'a sides could be correct (which is why I have an issue picking a side). For example, 33:33 Sunnis argue that is all the Prophets household including his wives (which would make sense make sense as the whole Surah is on women), however Shi'as argue it is based on the Ah Al-Kisa, whos correct I don't know, but why would something like this be made for us laymen to ponder and then interpret in a different way to how the message seems originally? I still struggle to see viewpoints in Sunni hadiths (the reason I take them more seriously because there is a greater hadith science between it and the verification process is more extensive) that Imam Ali was in direct conflict between the first three caliphs. Also a lot of the hadiths have been translated from the Prophets wife Aisha in Surah Bukhari, which is important in understanding the Sunnah of the Prophet in the Sunni traditions, which is why I don't understand the animonsity Shi'as have towards her. If we are to adopt the traits of the Ahlul Bayt, Imam Ali still showed her respect despite the disputes, so wouldn't it preferable to take the opinion of Imam Ali? Just a sidenote, I also find Sunnis beliefs a bit difficult to understand, if they are under one umbrella, lets take an issue like combining prayers, Hanafis say it is not permitted under any circumstance unless at Hajj, whereas Malikis say it is permitted, but during travelling, rain etc, Hanbalis say a distance of 90km. So whos right? The Maliki madhub pray with their hands down, this is because the founder of the madhabs was from Medinah I believe and said that hows people in Medinah prayed which means this is what the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) must have taught. If this is true, why did the other school not do it aswell, we are from the rope of religion. I also have an issue with the way Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) is described, for me it's more plausible that the Shi'a view that Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) is not limited by time or space, and to attribute attribute to our Lord is limiting him. Unfortunately what did turn me away from Shi'a Islam was the difference in pilgrimidge etc. Sunnis emphathise visiting Mecca, Medinah and Al Aqsa, as the first three holiest sites, I know this belief is shared in Shi'a beliefs aswell, but unfortunately I just don't thing this was empathised as much as visiting the shrines of Imam Ali, Imam Hussein, Imam Ridha etc. I'm not against visiting shrines, but to make it into a pilgrimidge kind of thing where these things for some take precedent over visiting officially recognised sites was a bit concerning. If I offend you with this I'm sorry but I have noticed it more people do actively talk about visiting Karbala than visiting Mecca for example. The story of the birth of Fatima Zahra. I heard from the Shi'a perspective that apparently that angels or something along these line visiting Lady Khadija and appointed 4 women to the birth of Fatima Zahra, but I never heard of this before anywhere in our religion and I don't see anything from the Prophet pbuhbeing mentioned regarding this Tawassul. Tawassul is hugely controversial and difficult for me to understand. When you look into to what they say in Dua Tawassul as a Sunni you'd be forgiven for thinking that Shi'as ask for other for help rather then Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى), which is polythiestic. I understand the Shi'a reasoning behind it, but for me it is always strange to ask someone for help, who will then turn to our Lord and ask on our behalf, this is not common in Sunni Islam at all, which then paints a grey area, why not just ask Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) directly, surely it's better and safer to do anyways Mu'tah, Tattoos, Tatbir Zanjeer. Sigh, these things are things that a person like me from a Sunni background has grown up and been told are not allowed. Why? I don't wish to speak bad of Mu'tah incase I may be mistaken, but you guys have probably heard the arguments against it. Tattoos, we've grown up to believe that our bodies are perfect so to modify them artificilly is looked down upon, some reason why we don't agree with Tatbir/Zanjeer, our bodies shouldn't be used to harm ourself, the Prophet didn't do it, so should we? This thread took a long time to write, I'm not hear to bash Shi'a beliefs, I just want a discussion, I'm a layman who is looking to learn (which is an important part of our religion), I was reading a article on how Khomeini was so adamant and fixed on the idea that Shi'a Islam was the true form of Islam it got me wondering, despite the majority of Muslims being Sunnis why was he so adamant that he was right? These things are so difficult to understand, it would take years to know if you practicing the religion properly and sometimes it hurts my brain thinking about these things. I'm open minded, I believe that Imam Ali should have been successor, but as I said I don't think he was divinely appointed, because I don't think something like this would have been left without being said, why would the Prophet not annouce that the Imam Mahdi has gone into hiding aswell or it being mentioned in Qu'ran. Because of all that I've that I've observed I do not really align myself with a sect, but I would say I'm more general Sunni follower with Zaydi beliefs if that makes sense. Let me know if you guys have anything to add. Than

Hello, I’m a Sunni girl and the perosn I’m marrying is an ismaili Shia. The problem we’re facing is deciding what our children (in the future IA) will be. I’ve said to him that I want them pray my way primarily (5 times a day), and apart for that they can go to the ismaili jamaat khana with their father. And learn all the good values taught to them, and also take part in the activities there. He believes that this would lead to an identity crisis for them. For example, I’ll teach them that we have 12 Imaams while in the jamaat khana they’ll be taught about the >40 (and still on gojng) Imams that Ismailis have. And in the jamaat khana they’ll be taught to pray the ismaili way, and they’ll be living amongst ismaili. So he says that things like these would lead to an identity crisis for them, which would be ofcourse really bad for them. But I’m persisting that we can make this work. Please if any one has any advise or has been in a similar situation, please help us out a bit. I need some direction as to if this ‘middle ground’ can work. Please let me know. I’ll be extremely grateful.

Asalaam o Alaikum brothers and sisters, I am from Norway. I was born a Sunni and I've been a Sunni upto now. I read a book called After the Prophet. It's written by a non Muslim author who claims to provide a neutral view on what took place after the death of the Prophet. After I read the book, I started researching the Shia school of Islam. I just have a few questions and I'm looking for some support and I thought this would be a good platform. I don’t really know many people that are Shia. I pray every day that Allah guides me to the right path.

Salam I am reading about Imamate and it is very interesting intellectually but here are some questions I have: If we have a divinely appointed imam to guide us on the way of the Prophet (s.a.w.) why only stop after 12? Why not continue with one imam after another till Imam Mahdi? I would like you to answer this without referring to the Sunni hadith books about the hadith of 12 caliphs or similar narrations in your own books but only using intellect and logic. See, I am almost convinced that the idea of a divinely appointed ruler for the Muslim Ummah, who is protected from sin is a good one and it makes sense to my intellect but since we do not know when the Day of Judgement will be and when the world will end, shouldn't there be a continuous line of imams, one after the other, until the last one (whom we can call Imam Mahdi (a.s.) ? I am a Sunni Muslim and a member of a Sufi tariqah but have recently been reading about Shi'ism as well and this question came to me.

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته What is the difference between the four Sunni Madhabs’? Wikipedia doesn’t explain much and from what I’ve noticed they’re all the same except Maliki’s who pray with their hand either down or up. Looking forward to your answers brothers and sisters!

You may have read my last post where I mentioned how a Salafi mosque's Facebook page referred to people defending Shi'a Muslims and their creed as not true Muslims. This mosque was talking about me because I had brought their treatment of a Shi'a Muslim up on a Google review and Facebook. A lot of mainstream Muslims would also hold this view as some of these threads seem to suggest. I also read how according to many people, if a Muslim does not follow the belief that the Imams are infallible and the concept of waliyat, that they are not true Muslims. So where does a person like me stand, and others like me, who aren't true Muslims according to both sides of the fence? Do we simply become kafirs? Do we become as bad as the guys who attack you on the countless social media comments, the fatwas, the YouTube videos and in the conference halls? I came here wanting to listen, read and get to know about you because too many people from my mosques, from my initial background, they do not have a clue apart from what they read on Islamqa. They think you worship Ali, the sun, believe that you think the Qur'an is incomplete, that you think Ali was supposed to be given revelation... They believe such nonsense, and they are teaching their kids the same! At best they think you are deviant, rejectors, a people of innovation or secret Jews... If people do not become more educated I imagine future generations to believe Shi'as are all secret Jews and completely have bred out all indication they are Muslim in the first place, such is the power of misinformation and the effect of time. Now I sit here thinking that people on both sides think I am not a true Muslim. I know I joke about going down the garden to eat worms on my own, and I expected the takfiri attitude from the Salafis. I just thought most Shi'a Muslims were a people of reasoning, that they seemed to just make more sense and see life with a more realistic view point than a lot of Sunnis. I don't expect anyone to suddenly stop believing in hadiths narrated by Imam Ja'far or whoever said that people who do not believe such and such aren't true Muslims, I just wonder from your own points of view how you see a person such as myself.

Salam, I was wondering if anyone could tell me the role of the sahaba during the 3 year boycott of banu hashim and the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم). For example where was Abu Bakr, Omar, Osman, and Ali. And what did they do. Thanks

Putting aside the matter of music, because that is another topic altogether. What are your thoughts on people who aren't following the school of the Ahlul Bayt but wear a zulfiqar, like Jae Deen (of Deen Squad) who says in a song 'No I'm not a Shi'a but a Sunni, brother still rock a Zulfiqar, I'm still about the unity, if you don't like it I don't really care at all'? My other question is should such gestures of unity be encouraged or should the intentions be kept to oneself? Do zulfiqars and other objects become tools to show off if displayed or would you welcome such a gesture? As I say, I'm not encouraging judgement on Deen Squad, music or expecting scholarly opinion, just the views of the ordinary brother or sister on the street.

Hey brothers and sisters, a Sunni sent me the following Shia hadiths about Imam Mahdi (aj), could someone answer and/or explain that? Thats urgent. 1st. Bahau-d-Din al-Husseini al-Najafi, describing the Imam-Mahdi as: "And he (Kaim) will kill the men, tear off the belly of pregnant women and the babies on spears" (Surur ahli-l-iman, p. 105). باهو دين الحسيني النجفي، واصفا الإمام المهدي بأنه: "وقال انه (كيم) قتل الرجال، تمزيق بطن النساء الحوامل والرضع على الرماح" (سرور أهلي-إيمان ، الصفحة 105). 2nd. The Mahdi will kill people and cut the bellies of pregnant women ("Bihar al Anwar", Volume 52, p. 348). المهدي سيقتل الناس ويقطعون بطون النساء الحوامل ("بيهار الأنوار"، المجلد 52، ص 348). 3rd. The followers of the Mahdi will be people from the of the sons of Israel (the Jews). (Bihar al Anwar, vol. 52, p. 346). أتباع المهدي سيكونون من أبناء إسرائيل (اليهود). (بيهار آل أنور، المجلد 52، ص 346).

Read the Reddit comments to understand what the thread was about, since the post has since been deleted. ....................................................................................... I'm so tired of the utterly nonsensical and VERY COMMON Sunni notion of 'I am happy to seek unity with Shias as long as they don't curse/insult/abuse any Sahaba, and especially NOT Aisha, Abu Bakr, Omar, Uthman. Firstly, any Shia claim regarding the sahabi that happens to go against the Sunni narrative is considered insulting. Secondly, and more importantly, is that the same notion is true for Shias... You are insulting the Ahlul Bayt by not accepting them as divinely appointed leaders of Allah, and infallible individuals, and perfect preservers of the religion of Islam, and a high means of seeking closeness to Allah (intercession). Not only are you insulting revered Shia figures by not following them, you are commiting MAJOR shirk by giving a false attribute to Allah, by saying that Allah has not always appointed an infallible leader on this Earth, and that there currently isn't an infallible leader. Furthermore, the real kicker is that plenty of revered Shia figures, such as Abu Talib (رضي الله عنه), are considered kuffar by Sunnis. Is this not insulting? So, how can we Shias unite with Sunnis based on their own fallacious logic? Shias are the minority, and Sunnis are the majority. It makes Sunnis think that they are Orthodox and that they have to unite with Heterodox for political and humanitarian reasons, and that Shias must make [ridiculous] compromises. Shias are far more receptive to the unity message, because we actually understand Sunni Islam, and can see the commonalities. We understand that we can't make Sunnis compromise on their beliefs. Simply by being the minority within Islam, by nature we Shias already understand Sunni beliefs, whereas Sunnis have a basic strawman understanding of Shia beliefs... which is natural, considering that they are the majority. Anyways, the point of my post is the following: Let's compile a list of revered Shia figures that are not given their proper status by Sunnis, according to Shia Islam... with an explanation given. ...This is to show that we Shias and Sunnis can unite, but we cannot unite upon revered figures and imamah. ...This will also serve as a way of showing Sunnis that this argument of theirs makes no sense. Another important question we may ask is "What about commonly revered figures like Imam Ali (عليه السلام) who is given different status in both sects? Can we unite upon Imam Ali (عليه السلام)?" ...a common Sunni criticism of political unity is that "Ali ibn Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه) is given an improper status in Shia religion because they call upon him... tawassul (intercession) of the 'dead' is Shirk! So there is absolutely no room for unity since we can't even agree on the status of the sahabi" [yes, I am aware that the Imams (عليه السلام) are still alive, but Sunnis don't believe this...] I would love to hear your thoughts. Wassalam. JazakAllah Khair. Fi sabilillah.

Wasalam, which surah and verse in the Qur'an is this from brother?

Salam alaikum brothers and sisters. I am a revert now for maybe 4 months and I am having some trouble understanding what is permissible or not. My wife is Sunni muslim of african decent and I am of the USA. She lives in the EU and Im in the US for now(working of immigration process). Ive been recently combining my zhuhr and asr prayer together and sometimes the maghrib and isha prayer. When i started this i actually combine the two so zhuhr and asr 8 rakat and 7 for maghrib and isha. This is not all the time but most of the time because of convenience and work. Is this acceptable? My wife says that I have to separate them but from the research ive done online this is acceptable and some say no. Some sunni brothers told me that this is acceptable as long as the reason is valid. On this site I have read that this is an acceptable practice no matter the reason. Why the differences? Is it a cultural or regional thing and or sunni and shia thing? Can someone give me a little guidance here with references. Thank you all! and Ramadan Kareem

I was wondering if a Shia woman can marry a Sunni man and if not why? I don’t want to ask this question to my parents because they will think im having something with a Sunni man. By the way, im with sayed Hussein fadlalah.