Search the Community

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?

https://historyofislam.com/contents/the-age-of-faith/muawiya/ I strongly Advise you read the above link. A Sunni' professor, describing Sunni perspective of the History of Muawiya. For those among my Shia brothers who believe their Sunni Brothers say RadiAllahu 'Anhu after Muawiyah, you can see that the Sunni's do not do that, at all. For those of you who want to see a Shia Acadamic, who is well known (and whom I saw lectures at UMAA this year), I refer you to Nabil Hussayn :http://scholar.princeton.edu/nhussen/links/term/400 and if you're lazy, here http://scholar.princeton.edu/nhussen/links/pro-alid-sunnis-المنزهون من اهل الحديث The above is a scholarly study on the Pro-'Ali Sunni scholars, that many of you may or may not know The reason I made this post is because I came across certain rhetoric over here making ill based sweeping generalizations that the MAJORITY of their Sunni brother's despise Ali and Revere Muawiyah so much so that they say RA after his name, The first step in Unity is to dispel ignorance and misconceptions from both sides. I've gone through great lengths with my Sunni' brothers to dispel and normalize their misconceptions of the Shia', now I feel I must do the same here. This: Modern Sunni literature Despite his endeavours in the expansion of the Caliphate and the establishment of the Umayyad Dynasty, the persona of Caliph Muawiyah I evokes a controversial figure in standard Islamic history whose legacy has never quite been able to shed the taint of his opposition to the Rashidun Caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib. The late (Sunni) theologian Mawdudi (founder of Jamaat-E-Islami) wrote that the establishment of the caliphate as (essentially) a monarchy began with the caliphate of Muawiyah I. It wasn't the kind where Muawiyah was appointed by the Muslims. Mawdudi elaborated that Muawiyah wanted to be caliph and fought in order to attain the caliphate, not really depending upon the acceptance of the Muslim community. The people did not appoint Muawiyah as a caliph, he became one by force, and consequently the people had no choice but to give him their pledge of allegiance (baiah). Had the people not given Muawiyah their allegiance at that time, it wouldn't have meant so much as losing their rank or position, as much as it would have meant bloodshed and conflict. This certainly couldn't have been given preference over peace and order. Following Hasan ibn Ali's abdication of the caliphate, all the Muslims (including the Sahabah and Tabi'een) gave their pledge of allegiance to Muawiyah I, bringing an end to civil war. That year was called the Aam Al Jamaat (Year of Congregation). As Mawdudi pointed out, Muawiyah's own speech during the initial days of his caliphate expressed his own awareness of this:[146] By Allah, while taking charge of your government I was not unaware of the fact that you are unhappy over my taking over of government and you people don’t like it. I am well aware of whatever is there in your hearts regarding this matter but still I have taken it from you on the basis of my sword… Now if you see that I am not fulfilling your rights, then you should be happy with me with whatever is there The above taken from Wikipedia, with proper citations. Legacy Mu'awiyah greatly beautified Damascus and developed a court to rival that of the Byzantines. He expanded the frontiers of the empire, reaching the very gates of Constantinople at one point, though failing to hold any territory in Asia Minor. Throughout the Umayyad dynasty which he founded, its borders would be commensurate with those of the Islamic community (with the exception of the short-lived rival caliphate in Mecca, 680–692). No later caliphate would share the same borders as the whole ummah. Sunni Muslims credit him with saving the fledgling Muslim nation from post civil war anarchy, although many are critical of his controversial decision to designate his son as his successor, thereby converting the caliphate from an elective office to a monarchy. He nonetheless attempted to preserve the form of the election however, by causing his nobles and the chiefs of the empire to elect and swear allegiance to his son in his own lifetime, a tradition that endured for several succeeding dynasties. Later Sunnis decided that preservation of unity was more important than how the leader was chosen, and concentrated more in their writing on the caliphate on the qualities that were needed rather than on how he should be selected. Like Uthman, he tended to favor Arabs in general (and his own family in particular) over others. However, his administrative skills are widely acknowledged. It is said that friends and critics alike recognized his quality of hilm (civilized restraint). He shared this with his predecessors but not their humility and simple lifestyle. In contrast to their simple dress and table, he dressed and ate like a king. He began the transformation of Damascus, his capital, into a center of culture and learning. The Sunni view of Mu'awiyah Mu'awiya is not recognized as one of the four rightly guided caliphs. Most of the early Sunni historians saw his rule, and that of the Umayyad dynasty that followed him, as a descent into mere worldly rule (mulk), kingship rather than religious leadership. These historians were writing after the fall of the Umayyad dynasty to the Abbasids, and hence their writings reflect the Abbasid justifications for the Umayyad overthrow. Few later Sunni historians wholeheartedly defend Mu'awiyah. However, they do not dispute his right to rule. Sunni clerics and scholars have generally preached submission to authority, even when authority is less than perfect. Sunnis tend to view communal dissension with horror and accept flawed rule as preferable to civil war (fitnah). @ The above taken from http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Muawiyah @kirtc @Gaius I. Caesar @Abu-Jafar Herz @Tawheed313 @Sarah2016 @shiaman14

Today on the internet there are many websites and youtube channels in all world languages set up spesificly to attack shiism in the most unfair and violent ways.In those website you can find unbelievable false accusations about our beliefs,insults towards the ahlulbait(as) especially the 12th imam and many disgusting lies,out of context phrases from our books,misrepresenations of our leaders etc. While there have been effort to counter these from the shii side these have always been in the form of DEFENCE in the sense that sites such as al-islam and others put the emphasis on defending our beliefs and practises by presenting evidence from the holy quran and sunnah of the prophet. Now,the best form of defence is actually offence,we need to be on the offence and i believe on shiachat we have many talented people who can help carry out a project in which the shia would be on the offence against the nasibi devils. I think we should begin by establishing a youtube channel because the people are generally lazy and most of them wont bother to read a logical argument. What we need: 1.Arabic and English speakers who can make translations 2.People who can make youtube videos 3.Content editors knowledgable in theology,jurisprudence and the holy qoran If you have any suggestions please present them. Please devote yourselves to this noble cause of defending islam and aal-muhammad they were abused when they were alive by devils now their souls are being cursed by these devils if we do not stand against them like Hussein did on the 10th of muharram, believe me no one will !

Hello i'm a syrian sunni muslim (Asha'ari sunni) and i'm wondering why shias are fighting in Syria !! Defending Assad's regime ? Please note that shias are fighting before the creation of The islamic front (Jabhat Al-nusra)... is it because the sufyani and Mahdi thing ?

Hello i'm a syrian sunni muslim (Asha'ari sunni) and i'm wondering why shias are fighting in Syria !! Defending Assad's regime ? Please note that shias are fighting before the creation of The islamic front (Jabhat Al-nusra)... is it because the sufyani and Mahdi thing ?

Honestly this might sound really weird coming from a 15 year old, but I've been doing some research related to Shias and Sunni. I was born in a Sunni family. So I searched for different things related to different sects. Now I'm confused as to which sect is correct. So I prayed to God to show me signs of the correct sect. And I'm not even kidding but I had dreams for two consecutive days in which I was supporting Shias. So I guess those were signs.. But now I'm very confused and everyone must be thinking that I'm only 15 and all but it's not that. I have this affiliation with the prophet(pbuh) and his family. I started watching documentaries related to the battle of Karbla. I got scared as I've never been taught about it in such depth. And now I feel the pain. I could go on about this but I don't even know.. Thank you.

As-Salam 'Alaikum, We have been discussing issues related to Sunni tawhid (and, sometimes, the anti-tawhid practices of some so-called Shi'ah) for a few months. This is yet another thread in that series. It is about the 'aqidah of Sunni Islam that Allah can be seen in dreams. Sunnis generally declare that no one will see Allah in this world. However, they also claim that they will see Him with their naked eyes in the Hereafter - a fact that essentially makes them mujassimah. Meanwhile, Sunnis accept that Allah can actually be seen in dreams in this world. And, here is a Salafi fatwa which explains how this happens: The question of whether Allaah may be seen in a dream does not contradict the fact that Allaah cannot be seen in reality in this world, because all the texts quoted above speak about physical vision when one is awake, not the “vision” of the heart when one is asleep. Proof that the latter kind of vision is possible is to be seen in the hadeeth about the dispute of the “chiefs on high” (the angels). Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said, “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘My Lord came to me tonight in the most beautiful form.’ I think he said, ‘in a dream. He said, “O Muhammad, do you know what the chiefs on high disputed about?” I said, “No.” He put His hand between my shoulder-blades and I could feel its coolness on my chest (or just beneath my throat), then I knew everything that is in the heavens and on earth. He said, “O Muhammad, do you know what the chiefs on high disputed about?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “About expiation, and expiation is staying in the mosque after prayers, walking to join congregational prayers, and doing wudoo’ properly in adverse conditions. Whoever does that will live a good life and die a good death, and will be as sinless as the day his mother bore him.” He said, “O Muhammad, when you pray, say Allaahumma innee as’aluka fa’l al-khayraat wa tark al-munkaraat wa hubb al-masaakeen, wa idha aradta bi ‘ibaadika fitnatan fa’qbudni ilayka ghayra maftoon (O Allaah, I ask you to make me do good deeds and avoid evil deeds, and to make me love the poor and wretched. If You want to test Your slaves, then take me unto You without subjecting me to the trial). One’s status in Paradise may be raised by spreading the greeting of salaam, feeding others, and praying at night when people are sleeping.”’” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 16026; and by al-Tirmidhi, 3159, who said it is a saheeh hasan hadeeth). Some of the scholars have commented that it is possible to see Allaah in a dream. Imaam al-Daarimi said, in his refutation of Bishr ibn Ghiyaath, “This seeing took place in a dream, and in a dream it is possible to see Allaah in any shape or form.” (p. 166) Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said, “A believer may see his Lord in a dream, in various forms according to his faith and belief. If his eemaan is correct, he can only see Him in a beautiful form, and if his faith is lacking, this will be reflected in the way he sees Him. Seeing Allaah in a dream is not like seeing Him in reality. It may have different interpretations and meanings referring to something in reality.” (al-Fataawa, 3/390) He also said, “Whoever sees Allaah in a dream sees Him in a form that corresponds to his own state. If he is righteous, he will see Him in a beautiful form, which is why the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw him in the most beautiful form. (al-Fataawa, 5/251) Shaykh ‘Abd al-Azeez ibn Baaz was asked about the ruling concerning one who claims to have seen the Lord of Glory in a dream, and whether it was true, as some claim, that Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal had seen the Lord of Glory in his dreams more than one hundred times. The Shaykh answered as follows: “Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) and others said that it is possible for a man to see his Lord in a dream, but what he sees is not reality, because there is nothing like Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): ‘… There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.’ [al-Shoora 42:11]. Nothing in His creation is like unto Him. A person may dream that his Lord is speaking to him, and no matter what kind of image he sees, that image is not Allaah, because there is nothing that is like Allaah in any way. Shaykh Taqiy al-Deen (may Allaah have mercy on him) mentioned that dreams differ according to the state of the person who is dreaming. The more righteous and closer to goodness a person is, the more correct his dream will be, but the truth is still something other than what he sees, because the guiding principle is still that there is nothing like unto Allaah. He may hear a voice and be told such-and-such, or to do such-and-such, without any clear image resembling anything in creation, because there is nothing at all like unto Allaah… Some people may imagine that they have seen their Lord when in fact this is not the case. The Shaytaan may deceive a person and make him imagine that he is their Lord, as it was reported that he made ‘Abd al-Qaadir al-Jeelaani see him on a throne above water, and said, ‘I am your Lord and I freed you from doing any duties (worship, etc.).’ ‘Abd al-Qaadir al-Jeelaani said, ‘Get lost, O enemy of Allaah! You are not my Lord, because the commands of my Lord are not cancelled for anyone,’ or some similar words. As for whether Imaam Ahmad saw his Lord, I do not know if this is true or not. It is said that he saw his Lord but I do not know if this is true.” And Allaah knows best. Apparently, Ibn Baz spoiled everything, due to his severe confusion over the matter. How can anyone see Allah in a fake image, when this is even impossible for prophets?! Anyway, an "authentic" Sunni report claims that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) saw Allah in a dream "in the most beautiful form." This is interesting since the most beautiful form, according to the Qur'an (95:4) is the human form: لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ فِي أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ We have created the human being in the most beautiful form.

The Sunni tribes in Iraq welcomed, aided and cheered for ISIS takeover. Now, they are paying for it....they wanted to use the 'Takfiris' to establish chaos in the country and gain power, now after years of cooperation it seems they were used by the Takfiris :- ) ---------------------------------------------- Inside Fallujah: ISIS-held ghost town ruled by fear, paranoia as battle looms Two years after Fallujah became one of the first prizes claimed by ISIS, the Iraqi city is a ghost town where fearful residents turn on one another and resistance is met with unspeakable brutality, according to sources trapped inside the Pittsburgh-sized community just 40 miles west of Baghdad. The sources, who spoke by phone with FoxNews.com, painted a bleak picture of life under an increasingly brutal and desperate ISIS, as it prepares for an expected assault by Iraqi government forces. Backed by coalition air power and aided by Shia militias, Baghdad has already liberated nearby Ramadi from ISIS, but plans to retake Fallujah fell apart in the latter half of last year when the risk of civilian casualties was deemed too great. “They have had almost two years to build up the city for defenses, make strong points, set all sorts of booby traps, dig tunnels for ease of movement between positions,” said former U.S. Army Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, now a foreign policy analyst. “I’d expect they’d fight much more fanatically for Fallujah.” An uneasy alliance of government forces, Shia militias and Sunni tribal units are now skirmishing with ISIS on the city’s outskirts, signaling the pending -- and likely bloody -- campaign. Little information has trickled out from Fallujah since it was seized by ISIS in January 2014. The terrorists have informants throughout Fallujah’s population, which once stood at 320,000, but is now unknown, said Davis, who added that ISIS “actively searches for people sending reports of any sort out and will kill them.” People inside Fallujah told FoxNews.com that ISIS fighters don Iraqi government uniforms to trick citizens into believing the liberation has begun, only to slaughter them when they venture from their homes. Yet skeptics have said previously that much of the brutality is carried out by Shia militias who resist ISIS even as they use it as cover to cleanse the city of the Sunni Muslims they despise. Such differing accounts are a testament to the mistrust and fear that pervades the city. Under ISIS control, Friday morning prayers are followed by mass executions in the public square, including locking people in cages with ravenous wild animals, blowing them up, setting them on fire and driving armored vehicles over them, say residents. “Nobody can stand up to them,” an insider currently in the region said. “If they speak out, they will be killed.” As in other parts of ISIS' sprawling caliphate, women suspected of adultery are beheaded and men believed to be homosexual are thrown from atop buildings. “All they need is for two witnesses to testify and say that this person has done something wrong and they get killed,” he said, adding that the accusation of adultery against a woman results in beheading. “So two bad people can make something up and have a person killed.” Two weeks ago, 10 boys “no older than 12” were killed for running away from ISIS training camps, one of the sources inside Fallujah recounted. Schools are open for a few hours during the day, although boys and girls are strictly separated and the only courses being taught pertain to weapons use, a hard-line interpretation of Islamic doctrine and learning the classical Arabic language which differs from local dialects. ISIS requests that families provide at least one or two child fighters – depending on the size of the family – and boys are forced to register for selection at age 14. ISIS members infiltrate local communities to root out disloyal residents, generating deep mistrust among members of a community that once lived in harmony, sources said. Scores – and possibly hundreds – of residents have been killed trying to leave Fallujah, and those left behind face constant water, food and electricity shortages. To deter further defection attempts, ISIS strips locals of identity cards and documentations, making prospects for landing in a safer locale far more challenging. Those who once served in the Iraqi military or police force are hunted down and killed, as are families that have even a remote connection to the Iraqi government. A recent and rare case of civilian retaliation came late last month, according to a source in Fallujah, when three ISIS fighters, known by locals as Daesh, were killed by a boy of 13 after they tried to stop him from breeding pigeons. “They slaughtered 70 birds in front of this boy and flogged the father in front of the family, and when the mother tried to step in the Daesh slapped her – causing major anger for the son,” claimed a witness. The boy is said to have seized one fighter’s AK-47 and gunned down all three of the tormentors. The boy and his family are now in hiding within their community, the source continued, protected by family and neighbors who despise ISIS, yet hunted by loyalist infiltrators. Fallujah, like much of Anbar Province, has long been dominated by Sunni Muslims who distrust the current Shia-led government. When ISIS initially took the city, it had substantial popular support from Sunnis, including senior military officers from the reign of Saddam Hussein. “ISIS does not enter a place and control it firmly unless they have some sort of internal support,” Iraqi-American human rights activist Steven Nabil told FoxNews.com. But the Sunni terror group’s brutality may be making it even less popular with fellow Sunnis than the hated Shia government. “Now about 80 percent of the people are against ISIS,” said the source. “And the other 20 percent either support it or a part of it themselves… It used to be more.” FoxNews

Dear Shia brothers and sisters, I am new here and am posting for the first time. I hope this post will be shown. When I talk to my sunni class fellows and try to convince them that shi'ism is good. It works and they are almost convinced but I get stuck at one point. They say that the kufis who joined Yazid after writting Imam Hussain (A.s) so many letters were also Shia and ask me what I have to say about that. Can someone Please help me so i can reply to them and strengthen my Faith. Your help would be deeply appreciated

do shi'ites believe sunnis are sinners?

Mutah is haraam because they believe Umar has more authority than the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and can delcare what the Prophet (pbuh) said is halal as haraam, but at the same time believe Misyar, which is essentially having a f*** buddy you don't live with and have no financial obliations to, is halal. Go ahead Bakris, try and invent reasons why Misyar is halal but Mutah is haraam.

(salam) inshaAllah you are all in good health and iman! there was an interesting discussion in the chatroom regarding unity with sunnis, so i just thought i'd get a broader view on it so what is your view on uniting with the sunnis? do you think we should? is there a certain extent? maybe we shouldnt at all? tolerate them but not unite? work with them? I have my own view on this, but it'd be interesting to see others views :) (wasalam) If there is any difference, pleaase argue with tolerance and good akhlaq, no insults please :)

(salam) inshaAllah you are all in good health! there was an interesting discussion in the chatroom regarding unity with sunnis, so i just thought i'd get a broader view on it so what is your view on uniting with the sunnis? do you think we should? is there a certain extent? maybe we shouldnt at all? tolerate them but not unite? work with them? I have my own view on this, but it'd be interesting to see others views :) (wasalam)