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I know the controversy of this subject and at this point I just give up trying to stop it lol. I’m trying to get an understanding of Ayatollah Sestanis view on tawhid but I can’t find anything. I’m personally a believer in Wahdat al wujud and when I read najal balagha it’s so clear that that is what’s it’s explaining. And similarly in many verses in the Quran. I would never be so silly to dismiss someone like ayatollah sestani as ignorant given how many years he’s studied at the highest level and despite his labeling of Wahdat al-wujud followers as najis. But as of now I’m stumped and can’t see where to place him. He can’t be as certain schools in Islam where they don’t understand anything of Islam other than dogmatic practices. Wouldn’t make sense to me. Any help?

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.

The Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim In the name of Allah most gracious most Merciful. La illaha illAllah Muhammador Rasoolullaah May Allah shower his blessings on Muhammad and his Ahlul Bayt. Asalaam wa laikum brothers and Sisters, Alhamdulilah, for the past year when I turned 40 years of age strange occurrences happened to me and in these strange occurrences I believe that an insight was given to me as to a more definitive structural outlook of believers and outlook of disbelievers or unbelievers. I do not claim to receive revelation or alter revelation of the Holy Qur'an in any form. I only seek to understand Allahs Holy Book and how it relates to the nature of our existence in the past, present, and future. Please do give thought and reflection so that we all may enhance our understanding of our religion and ourselves. I was Born and raised only by title as a Sunni Muslim for most of my teenage years and then introduced to Ahlul Bayt in a blessed strange occurrence on the 19th of Ramadhan in the year 2000. For years I saw disbelievers as any religion outside the precincts of Al Islam with the exception of the people of the book whom I saw as Christians and Jews etc who lost their ways and went astray into disbelief. But then after some strange occurrences leading up to my 40 birthday while in the midst of reflection and thought one night in Rajab, it suddenly dawned on me at that moment! Human beings are two different species! The Holy Qur'an breaks us into two different species, Believers and Disbelievers. As we are created from dust ranging widely, We look alike and have physical features that resemble that of being of the same human race, but our patterns of thought and nature are on a completely different signal. This signal is the very signal that would not allow the two species to ever peacefully co exist throughout the time upon the Earth which we know as the ever revolving battle between good vs evil. The Holy Qur'an mentions how the two species kill each other by nature. This is why the Angels questioned Allah about the very existence of Man before being created and Allah scolded them. The Angels limited in knowledge only understood that in free will being a huge factor in the existence for man would give the disbelieving men and jinn the drive for war and bloodshed and rebellion and against Allah and his believing servants. So Allah revealed the exalted personalities which were to come through the loins of Adam AS over the course of time. Free will is part of the factor which creates the signal that separates the two species of humans. Allah mentions in the Qur'an how he could have made us one Nation but he didn’t. The unbelievers are those who fully exercise free will in believing there is no God and their desires become their God or they attribute others to God or even believe themselves to be a God like Ibliss, Nimrod, Pharaoh etc. By exercising full free will their hearts become blackened and hard like stone and in which a seal is set around that stone and then you have the expression their fate is sealed. They are therefore deaf, dumb, and blind. They are on a complete different signal which is why surah Kafirun was revealed. The Holy Qur'an is a signal to the believers who would be coming from different backgrounds through the loins of believers and Disbelievers alike warning them to submit which is what Islam essentially means, Those who submit their free will to Allah and are in peace, because the reality is that there is no free will outside the Tawhid of Allah. All creation outside of free will recognizes the Oneness and majesty of Allah. Those who believe are on the same signal of oneness even if they are not of Al Islam itself. It’s this signal which drives believers to Al Islam. It is how Allah makes the believers. If you read suratul Jinn, in this chapter believing jinns sought request to the presence of Muhammad SAW and so they explained how a group of them are believers and the others are like a different species or group who attribute sins and daughters with Allah. This is nature of the disbelievers to willfully sin and deceive and cause mischief in rebellion to the existence of Allah. There is no conscious or remorse with their sin and it’s purposeful. All the major sins are the same for them and they all excel at certain sins more that others. Like the believers who excel at certain good deeds and gain status in Jannah it is the same for people of Jahannam in regards to their evil deeds. On judgment day these disbelievers and munafiqoon who were amongst believer ranks will show up blackened faces and disfigured and bad smells. The true nature of their evils and who they really are will show. The disbelievers are a different species and This is why Allah forbids believers from eating their meat and taking them for friends and marrying them because They will always be of a rebellious sinful nature and only seek to do you harm and pull you away from the straight path. They don’t guard their thoughts and modesty. Their ambition to fulfill there desires is unguarded and they will oppress and transgress in fulfilling those desires in beastly ways and systematically. When believers sin they not only sin against themselves but they participate in sins that essentially are helping disbelievers rebel. The major Sins that are characteristic of the unbelievers can deform the soul of a believer and therefore he has to be cleansed through repentance or the grave or hellfire. When you think about the worlds problems most stem from disbelievers machinations and beastly ways. You watch the news and see a story and think to yourself who would do such a thing? The disbelievers would do such things because their minds work differently. Their lust for murder, raping, stealing, control, abuse, fornicating, gambling, drinking, vanity, etc is strong within them as individuals and collectively as towns, cities and nations. Allah has constantly been destroying certain lands based on not just the unbelief but the heavy sins that accompany unbelief. Allah mentions this in the Qur'an many times. In the Shaitan’s war against man he has everyone fighting against each other which takes the focus off him and his allies. There are believing Christians who are monotheistic but it is plagued by munafiqoon pretending to be Christian by calling Jesus the son of God or God outright. These are pagan Christians which are essentially unbelieving hypocrites and these type of hypocrites are in the ranks of Islam and most worldly religions who’s main principal is Tawhid as well. Allah knows the believing hearts and disbelieving hearts. They can’t fool Allah. The disbelievers aim is to disprove Allahs existence and deteriorate society by turning what’s unlawful into lawful and turning what’s lawful into unlawful. These are the owners of the fire, the people on the left who will be the losers on judgement day. It is in Gods mercy that we are not just Muslim but Shia Muslim Accepting all tenants of Allahs universal holy book and order. It makes us the upper echelon of believers. So it is imperative that we hold on to the rope of faith firmly. Those who didn’t accept all tenants but had tawhid will have to answer to Allah but salvation is attainable. Remember Muhammad SAW asked that of his ummah even those who just held on to La illaha illAllah will attain Jannah at some point and the last man to come out of Jannah will have had held on to just that, leaving Shaitan with those disbelievers he was meant to be with and not one believer. Give glad tidings to the believers when you see them especially because you don’t know the psychological duress that the enemies of Allah have them under in many different environments. There are believers who haven’t formally taken shahadah walking around trying to make sense of the evils in this world not realizing that the disbelieving men and women have joined forces with the like minded of the disbelieving jinn devils. I read a Hadith a long time ago in Muhammad says “those who understand Islam are in fact Muslim by heart”. I believe this refers to that universal signal of tawhid and goodness. Inshallah may Allah have mercy on the believing men and women around the world and forgive us our sins of ignorance, sins of arrogance, and sins of negligence.

وأول من عرف في الإسلام أنه قال إن الله جسم هو هشام بن الحكم The First person in Islam known to have said ‘Allah is a Body’ is Hisham b. al-Hakam (Ibn Taymiyya) اليهود أكثرهم مشبّهة وكان بدء ظهور التّشبيه في الإسلام من الرّوافض مثل هشام بن الحكم The Jews are mostly anthropomorphists. The beginning of anthropomorphism in Islam is via the Rawafidh such as Hisham b. al-Hakam (Fakhr al-Diin al-Razi) Hisham Accused Proto-Sunni heresiographical sources describe Hisham as an anthropomorphist who ‘likened God to his creatures’. Unfortunately, it becomes clear with the least bit of study that most of what has been attributed to him is embellished and driven by an agenda. An example of this is a frequently circulated statement that Hisham supposedly said: وحكي عن هشام بن الحكم أن أحسن الأقدار: أن يكون سبعة أشبار بشبر نفسه God is seven spans tall but according to His measures not ours. Indeed, there was so much spurious material attributed to him, and he was made to hold so many disparate opinions, that the only way his detractors could explain the phenomenon was to claim that he was very inconsistent: وذكر عن هشام انه قال في ربه في عام واحد خمسة أقاويل It is remarked that in one and the same year he advocated five different standpoints about His God. One of the earliest sources, the Kitab al-Maqalat of Abu al-Hasan al-Ash’ari (d. 324), has the following to say when discussing the so-called Hishamiyya (followers of Hisham b. al-Hakam): يزعمون أن معبودهم جسم وله نهاية وحد طويل عريض عميق طوله مثل عرضه وعرضه مثل عمقه لا يوفي بعضه على بعض ولم يعينوا طولاً غير الطويل وإنما قالوا: "طوله مثل عرضه" على المجاز دون التحقيق وزعموا أنه نور ساطع له قدر من الأقدار في مكان دون مكان كالسبيكة الصافية يتلألأ كاللؤلؤة المستديرة من جميع جوانبها ذو لون وطعم ورائحة ومجسة لونه هو طعمه وطعمه هو رائحته ورائحته هي مجسته وهو نفسه لون ولم يعينوا لوناً ولا طعماً هو غيره وزعموا أنه هو اللون وهو الطعم وأنه قد كان لا في مكان ثم حدث المكان بأن تحرك البارئ فحدث المكان بحركته فكان فيه وزعم أن المكان هو العرش They claim that the one they worship is a finite ‘body’ with limits, having length, breadth and depth of equal size … They claim that He is a radiant light, similar to a pure ingot shining like a round pearl from all sides … That He was originally not in space but then produced space through his own motion and thus came to be in it (space), and that this space is the ‘throne’ … This is another example of a fabrication against Hisham because you would expect to find echoes of this in the early Imami sources if it were true. I could find only one report which can be said to corroborate the accusation. Furthermore, its chain is clearly unreliable with the primary narrator (Ali b. Abi Hamza) weakened by some as a liar. احمد بن إدريس، عن محمد بن عبدالجبار، عن صفوان بن يحيى، عن علي بن أبي حمزة قال: قلت لابي عبدالله عليه السلام: سمعت هشام بن الحكم يروي عنكم أن الله جسم، صمدي نوري، معرفته ضرورة، يمن بها على من يشاء من خلقه، فقال عليه السلام: سبحان من لا يعلم أحد كيف هو إلا هو، ليس كمثله شئ وهو السميع البصير، لا يحد ولا يحس ولا يجس ولا تدركه الابصار ولا الحواس ولا يحيط به شئ ولا جسم ولا صورة ولا تخطيط ولا تحديد Ahmad b. Idris – Muhammad b. Abd al-Jabbar – Safwan b. Yahya – Ali b. Abi Hamza who said: I said to Abi Abdillah عليه السلام: I heard Hisham b. al-Hakam narrating from you that ‘Allah is a solid body of light. (Acquiring) Knowledge of Him is necessary. He grants it (knowledge of Him) to the one He wishes from among his creatures’. He عليه السلام said: Glory be to the One whom no one knows how He is except Himself. There is nothing like Him and He is All-Hearing All-Seeing. He is not bounded. He is not sensed. He is not touched. Neither Vision nor senses can reach Him. Nothing encompasses Him. (He is) Not a body nor a form. Neither demarcation nor limitation (can apply to Him). If this particular characterization of Hisham’s views on God can be put aside, it is much harder to do the same with a more widely attested doctrine attributed to him and for which he became infamous. A Corporeal God? Hisham stands accused of holding God to be a corporeal body (Jism). All the narrations below are weak in one way or another (in terms of chain), but when taken collectively, paint the picture that this accusation cannot be easily dismissed like the others. علي بن محمد رفعه عن محمد بن الفرج الرخجي قال: كتبت إلى أبي الحسن عليه السلام أسأله عما قال هشام بن الحكم في الجسم وهشام بن سالم في الصورة فكتب: دع عنك حيرة الحيران واستعذ بالله من الشيطان، ليس القول ما قاله الهشامان Ali b. Muhammad raised it to Muhammad b. al-Faraj al-Rakhji who said: I wrote to Abi al-Hasan عليه السلام asking him about what Hisham b. al-Hakam said regarding ‘the body’ and what Hisham b. Salim said regarding ‘the human form’. He wrote: Leave the confusion of the confused, seek refuge in Allah from the Shaytan, the (true) position is not what was said by the two Hishams. محمد بن أبي عبدالله، عمن ذكره، عن علي بن العباس، عن أحمد بن محمد بن أبي نصر، عن محمد بن حكيم قال: وصفت لابي إبراهيم عليه السلام قول هشام بن سالم الجواليقي وحكيت له قول هشام بن الحكم إنه جسم فقال: إن الله تعالى لا يشبهه شئ، أي فحش أو خنى أعظم من قول من يصف خالق الاشياء بجسم أو صورة أو بخلقة أو بتحديد وأعضاء، تعالى الله عن ذلك علوا كبيرا Muhammad b. Abdallah – the one he mentioned – Ali b. al-Abbas – Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Abi Nasr – Muhammad b. Hukaym who said: I described for Abi Ibrahim عليه السلام the position of Hisham b. Salim al-Jawaliqi and quoted for him the position of Hisham b. al-Hakam that He is a body. He said: Nothing can be compared to Allah the Elevated. What can be a greater obscenity than the statement of one describing the Creator of things as a body, or a form, or having constituents, or by limitations or parts. Elevated is Allah from all that a great transcendence. ابن المتوكل، عن علي، عن أبيه، عن الصقر بن دلف قال: سألت أبا الحسن علي بن محمد عليهما السلام عن التوحيد وقلت له: إني أقول بقول هشام بن الحكم، فغضب عليه السلام ثم قال: مالكم ولقول هشام؟ إنه ليس منا من زعم أن الله جسم، ونحن منه برآء في الدنيا والآخرة، يا ابن دلف إن الجسم محدث، والله محدثه و مجسمه Ibn al-Mutawakkil – Ali – his father – al-Saqr b. Dalaf who said: I asked Aba al-Hasan Ali b. Muhammad عليهما السلام about Tawhid and said to him: I subscribe to the belief of Hisham b. al-Hakam. He became angry and said: What do you have to do with the belief of Hisham? He is not from us the one who claims that Allah is a body. We disassociate from such a one in this world and the hereafter. O the son of Dalaf - a body is accidental and Allah is its cause and the one who forms it. The common thread running through all these narrations is Hisham’s affirmation of the corporeality of God. In order to get a better understanding of Hisham’s actual position and motivations, one needs to piece together the disparate data and overcome the many layers of confusion in the sources. A beginning point has to be the context of Kalam in the second century. Theoretical Framework The view of God in Islam is formulated based on the foundation of the verse in the Qur’an which says: لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ There is nothing like Him (2:11) A Kalam question that originated over the interpretation of this verse was whether God may be described as a shayʾ, meaning a ‘thing’ or ‘something’. The controversy arose when the early Murjiʾi, Jahm b. Safwan (d. 128) asserted that God was not a thing. This Jahm has been described by Western academics as “the first Muslim ‘theologian’ in the full and proper sense”. Documentation about him is scarce and not entirely reliable. Jahm lived and taught in North-Eastern Iran, and it may well be that he never left the territory of Khurasan. It is claimed that Jahm is the first or among the first who introduced the method of reasoning to derive opinions from propositions (ra’y) in Islam. He stood accused of drawing on pagan Greek philosophy which he borrowed from Hellenistic philosophers (al-falasifa), Christian heretics, and Jews. Jahm’s concept of God, in particular his distinction between God and ‘things’ (ashya’), has been described by scholars as neo-Platonic. This would indicate a link with Harran and the ideas of the Sabians who were living there. It should be remembered that Umar b. Yazid, the uncle of Hisham b. al-Hakam, claimed that Hisham followed the Madhhab of the Jahmiyya before his conversion to the truth at the hands of the Imam al-Sadiq. وقال الكشي: روي عن عمر بن يزيد: وكان ابن أخي هشام يذهب في الدين مذاهب الجهمية خبيثا فيهم Thus, it is natural that he would be influenced by Jahm’s system of thought. Most Muslim scholars understood the verse in the sense of ‘no thing at all is like him’ refusing any degree of ‘likeness to God’. They interpreted the Qurʾanic verse as meaning that God is a thing unlike all other (created) things. Jahm’s explanation was different. His emphasis lay on the conclusion that the term ‘thing’ does not refer to God. That is to say, to be a thing is to share the property ‘likeness’, e.g. to be dead like another dead thing and unlike a living thing. The property ‘likeness’ then is an inseparable accident concomitant with ‘thing’. God, according to the Jahmites, exists outside the realm of all things which share the property to be like and unlike other things, thus He cannot be referred to as ‘thing’ (He is a non-thing). The majority understood any denial of God being a shayʾ as implying His being nothing. Jahm b. Safwan, to be sure, did not mean to affirm that God was nothing. He recognised God as most real, the only reality, but the controversy persisted. This question was authoritatively settled by Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (as far as the school of Ahl al-Bayt are concerned). محمد بن يعقوب، عن علي بن إبراهيم، عن محمد بن عيسى، عن عبد الرحمن ابن أبي نجران قال: سألت أبا جعفر عليه السلام عن التوحيد فقلت: أتوهم شيئا؟ فقال: نعم، غير معقول ولا محدود، فما وقع وهمك عليه من شئ فهو خلافه، لا يشبهه شئ ولا تدركه الاوهام، كيف تدركه الاوهام وهو خلاف ما يعقل، وخلاف ما يتصور في الاوهام؟! إنما يتوهم شئ غير معقول ولا محدود Muhammad b. Ya’qub – Ali b. Ibrahim – Muhammad b. Isa – Abd al-Rahman b. Abi Najran who said: I asked Aba Ja’far عليه السلام about Tawhid saying: do I think of him a thing? He said: Yes. (Something) neither cognisable nor delimited. Whatever your imagination falls upon is different than He, nothing resembles Him and imaginations cannot reach Him. How could imaginations reach Him when He is different from what can be cognised and different from what is represented in imagination? (He must) only be thought of as a thing that is neither cognisable nor delimited. Hisham submissivley followed the Imam in thinking of God as a ‘thing’ but this meant that he had to then abide by the implications of such a decision seeing as though his former master Jahm also taught that each thing exists when it exists as an existent body (jism mawjud). The incorporeal is non-existent (ma`dum, ma laysa bi-mawjudin). For something to exist it had to be a ‘body’. Tathbit not Ta’til or Tabtil محمد بن مسعود، قال: حدثني علي بن محمد القمي، قال: حدثني أحمد ابن محمد بن خالد البرقي، عن أبي عبد الله محمد بن موسى بن عيسى من أهل همدان، قال: حدثني أشكيب بن عبدك الكيساني، قال: حدثني عبد الملك بن هشام الحناط، قال: قلت لأبي الحسن الرضا عليه السلام: أسألك جعلني الله فداك؟ قال: سل يا جبلي عما ذا تسألني، فقلت: جعلت فداك، زعم هشام بن سالم أن الله عز وجل صورة وأن آدم خلق على مثل الرب، فنصف هذا ونصف هذا، وأوميت إلى جانبي وشعر رأسي، وزعم يونس مولى آل يقطين، وهشام بن الحكم أن الله شئ لا كالأشياء، وان الأشياء بائنة منه، وأنه بائن من الأشياء، وزعما أن إثبات الشئ أن يقال جسم فهو لا كالأجسام، شئ لا كالأشياء، ثابت موجود، غير مفقود ولا معدوم خارج من الحدين، حد الابطال وحد التشبيه، فبأي القولين أقول؟ قال: فقال عليه السلام: أراد هذا الاثبات، وهذا شبه ربه عالي بمخلوق، تعالى الله الذي ليس له شبه ولا مثل، ولا عدل ولا نظير، ولا هو بصفة المخلوقين، لا تقل بمثل ما قال هشام بن سالم، وقل بما قال مولى آل يقطين وصاحبه. قال: قلت: فنعطي الزكاة من خالف هشاما في التوحيد؟ فقال برأسه: لا Muhammad b. Masud – Ali b. Muhammad al-Qummi – Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Khalid al-Barqi – Abi Abdillah Muhammad b. Musa b. Isa from among the people Hamdan – Ishkib b. Abdak al-Kaysani – Abd al-Malik b. Hisham al-Hannat who said: I said to Abi al-Hasan al-Ridha عليه السلام: Can I ask you - may I be made your ransom? He said: Ask O Jabali - what do you want to ask me about? I said: May I be made your ransom - Hisham b. Salim claims that Allah Mighty and Majestic has a form and that Adam was created in the likeness of the Lord. Half human and half otherwise - and I pointed to my sides and the hair of my head. Yunus the client of the family of Yaqtin and Hisham b. al-Hakam claim that Allah is a thing unlike other things, and that the other things are distinct from Him and He is distinct from the things. And they claimed that to establish the existence of a thing is to consider it a body, but he is unlike any other body, a thing unlike any other thing. Self-subsisting, present. Not lost or non-existent. Free of the two extremes, the extreme of negation and the extreme of likening Him to his creation. Which of these two positions should I take? He عليه السلام said: This one (Hisham b. al-Hakam) desired Ithbat (to establish the existence of God) while the other one (Hisham b. Salim) likened His Lord the Elevated with creation. Elevated is Allah who has no like, analogue, equal or match. He is not in the attribute of the created ones. Do not subscribe to what was said by Hisham b. Salim rather subscribe to what was said by the Client of the family of Yaqtin and his fellow (Hisham b. al-Hakam). I said: Do we give Zakat to the one who opposes Hisham (b. al-Hakam) in Tawhid? He said with his head: No. In the same Kitab al-Maqalat, we encounter another view attributed to Hisham which seems much more credible than the previous quote and backs up my interpretation. The view of the anonymous ‘second group of the Rafidha’ below evidently belongs to the school of Hisham b. al-Hakam. والفرقة الثانية من الرافضة: ... إنما يذهبون في قولهم أنه جسم إلى أنه موجود ولا يثبتون البارئ ذا أجزاء مؤتلفة وأبعاض متلاصقة The second group from the Rafidha … when they refer to him as a body they wish to assert that he is Existent. They do not ascribe to the Creator parts which are combined or limbs adjoining one another. Thus, Hisham’s aim was Tathbit to affirm the Existence of God and to escape the charge of Ta’til (denying the attributes of God) and Tabtil (invalidating the existence of God). He accepted that God was a thing. This in his system meant that He was a body. But what kind of Body? To be continued ...

Salam alaikum, Please read and share this well-written article titled "What is Ghuluw". It will give you a better idea what falls under Ghuluw and how countering it relates to the essence of Tawheed. https://www.al-islam.org/articles/what-ghuluw-seyyid-mohsen-rizvi Duas

In reading A Shi'ite Anthology, I get the impression that Allah's Oneness transcends attributes and names, but the Sunni tradition lists 99 names of Allah. I am sure that many of these names are found in the Qur'an, for example, ar-Rahman and ar-Raheem. Does this concept of 99 names of Allah exist in Shi'ia teachings? I know that Allah is beyond our comprehension, but He has described Himself in terms that we have some semblance of understanding as humans else the words would be meaningless. Do these various names give us some comprehension of the Uncomprehendable and Incomparable One?

This sheikh at the mosque often recites Bismillahi rrahmani rrahim twice during surah Qul huwa Allahu Ahad. Is this justified ?

Note: This is not a shia sunni issue. So I am posting it here. And this is not to offend anyone. Focus on the message and its impact.

Salam I was wondering if there were any philsophical papers that talked about ibn sina`s proof of god At 10:24 he begins his proof for the existence of one god. I don`t quite seem to understand it.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Assalam o Alaikum, Wa Rehmatullah, Wa Barakatuhu. The most important, the most fundamental belief of Islam and the thing that causes one to enter Islam is belief in Tawheed (Oneness of Allah). "La ilaha illALLAH", There is no deity (khuda, god) except Allah. But what is meaning of "illah"? what are the things or characteristics that make someone "illah". Have you ever pondered over this thing? Answer is given by Allah in Quran, Surah Naml ayah 59 to 64. If someone's belief in Tawheed is correct as per teachings of Quran and Sunnah, then his/her other beliefs and customs/practices will also be correct or will have only a little problem. On the other hand if belief in Tawheed becomes wrong in any manner, then all other beliefs and customs will also have some problems. Because its the foundation of Islam, all other things come after this. For example consider the Jews and Christians, their main problem is their belief in Tawheed. Similarly there are many muslims (from both shia & sunni) who have some problems in their Tawheed. Read carefully. Surah Naml, Chapter 27, Verses 59-64, Translation: Sahih International. - An-Naml: Verse 59 قُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَسَلَامٌ عَلَىٰ عِبَادِهِ الَّذِينَ اصْطَفَىٰ ۗ آللَّهُ خَيْرٌ أَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ Say, [O Muhammad], "Praise be to Allah , and peace upon His servants whom He has chosen. Is Allah better or what they associate with Him?" - An-Naml: Verse 60 أَمَّنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَأَنْزَلَ لَكُمْ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَنْبَتْنَا بِهِ حَدَائِقَ ذَاتَ بَهْجَةٍ مَا كَانَ لَكُمْ أَنْ تُنْبِتُوا شَجَرَهَا ۗ أَإِلَٰهٌ مَعَ اللَّهِ ۚ بَلْ هُمْ قَوْمٌ يَعْدِلُونَ [More precisely], is He [not best] who created the heavens and the earth and sent down for you rain from the sky, causing to grow thereby gardens of joyful beauty which you could not [otherwise] have grown the trees thereof? Is there a deity with Allah ? [No], but they are a people who ascribe equals [to Him]. - An-Naml: Verse 61 أَمَّنْ جَعَلَ الْأَرْضَ قَرَارًا وَجَعَلَ خِلَالَهَا أَنْهَارًا وَجَعَلَ لَهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ حَاجِزًا ۗ أَإِلَٰهٌ مَعَ اللَّهِ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ Is He [not best] who made the earth a stable ground and placed within it rivers and made for it firmly set mountains and placed between the two seas a barrier? Is there a deity with Allah ? [No], but most of them do not know. - An-Naml: Verse 62 أَمَّنْ يُجِيبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ وَيَكْشِفُ السُّوءَ وَيَجْعَلُكُمْ خُلَفَاءَ الْأَرْضِ ۗ أَإِلَٰهٌ مَعَ اللَّهِ ۚ قَلِيلًا مَا تَذَكَّرُونَ Is He [not best] who responds to the desperate one when he calls upon Him and removes evil and makes you inheritors of the earth? Is there a deity with Allah ? Little do you remember. - An-Naml: Verse 63 أَمَّنْ يَهْدِيكُمْ فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَمَنْ يُرْسِلُ الرِّيَاحَ بُشْرًا بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَحْمَتِهِ ۗ أَإِلَٰهٌ مَعَ اللَّهِ ۚ تَعَالَى اللَّهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ Is He [not best] who guides you through the darknesses of the land and sea and who sends the winds as good tidings before His mercy? Is there a deity with Allah ? High is Allah above whatever they associate with Him. - An-Naml: Verse 64 أَمَّنْ يَبْدَأُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ وَمَنْ يَرْزُقُكُمْ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۗ أَإِلَٰهٌ مَعَ اللَّهِ ۚ قُلْ هَاتُوا بُرْهَانَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ Is He [not best] who begins creation and then repeats it and who provides for you from the heaven and earth? Is there a deity with Allah ? Say, "Produce your proof, if you should be truthful." If anyone apply/consider any of the above things/attributes as taught by Allah, for anyone except HIM then its like he/she has considered or taken that person/thing as an "illah" (deity). Thus he/she has commited shirk (i.e ascribed partners to Allah). Shirk is the only unforgivable sin, see Surah Nisa 48 and 116, except for those who repent, correct way of repentance is in Surah Nahl 119. It is the most important and basic obligation muslims owe to themselves, that to know and understand the meaning of shirk, its seriousness and its different types, so that our Tawheed become firm and complete. CAUTION: Beware of those among both the shias and sunnies who attribute such things to Ahlebait and other pious servants of Allah. Jazak Allah Khairan.

AOA fellows, I had some questions in my mind for long and so i decided to post them on the forum.i know that my questions are basic and are a fundamental part of the Muslim faith but I never had an answer that could satisfy me. I would be really thankful if anyone could clear my confusions regarding TAUHID and Prophethood and other topics 1.The proof of the existence of a god 2.what makes us believe the fact that Islam is the right religion? 3.Why was Muhammad(PBUH) the last Prophet? every community before got a prophet and the answer that scholars provide to this is that they needed guidance. Why is that we have no prophet in this era who could guide us? are w better than those before us? 4.Why is that Allah revealed many religions (Judaism,christianity etc) before the introduction of Islam? i would be really thankful if anyone could help..

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.

Correct me if I'm wrong, or if I am making the wrong conclusions, but after studying tawheed, it seems to me that most of us (muslims) are committing shirk.One thing that a lot of muslims do not want to except, is that someone who is a muslim and pronounces the shahada, and prays 5 times a day, and gives zakat, and makes hajj, and fasts in ramadhan, and recites quran can commit shirk through some of his beliefs and practices and be a mushrik(polytheist). "Ibrãhim was neither a Jew nor a Christian but he was a sincere ‘Muslim’ (one who submits to Allãh), and he was not one of the polytheists.” (3:67) The fact that Allah says that Ibraham(a.s.) was a muslim AND not one of the polytheists, proves that someone can worship and serve Allah, but yet be considered a mushrik, for that individual does not worship and serve Allah purely. Although his or her object or goal may be to worship Allah and be a good person, he or she may still commit shirk if it is not done in a way that is pure and proper; and as we know, shirk is the worst of sins. Today, in islam, many are committing shirk, the sunnis commit shirk by saying that the Quran is eternal and created by Allah, if this is so, then it implies that Allah’s speech is a part of Him and not a thing created. This is similar to how the Christians say that Jesus(a.s.) and the Holy Spirit, are not created and are in fact a part of Allah, and thus they(Christians) disbelieve by saying that Allah is a trinity. Furthermore, in islam, we believe that Jesus(a.s.) is the word of Allah(meaning that Allah said “be” and he was) and since the sunnis believe that Allah’s speech is eternal and not created, then they thus(unknowingly) assert that Jesus(a.s.) is a part of Allah just as the Christians do. The salafis have committed shirk by assigning physical characteristics to Allah, and saying that we will be able to see him in paradise, and that Allah sits on a literal throne above the heavens. This is shirk because it constricts him to space, while Allah is the creator of time and space. Many shia have committed shirk also by supplicating to the prophets and imams (pbut) instead of to Allah, the most high and the one possessing all of the power and strength whom the infallibles themselves worship and supplicate to(i.e. when some shia say “Ya Ali Maddad!” [Oh Ali help me!]) May Allah protect us from falsehood and error, and guide us, and forgive us for our shortcomings and what we do out of ignorance, and accept our intentions over our actions. the sunnis commit shirk by saying that the Quran is eternal and NOT* created by Allah. sorry for that misleading typo.

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In The Name of Allah ÓÈÍÇäå æÊÚÇáì, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful. This is an interesting document on theology: http://www.scribd.com/doc/75311059/A-Short-Discourse-on-the-Unlimited-One dealing with three issues: God and His Attributes; God and Time; God and Omnipresence. NOTE: It is written by an amateur and NOT a Shia scholar so NOT everything in the book may be sanctioned by Shias and believed by them. Also, even though the result he tries to bring may be in line with the Shiite beliefs but his methodology and his way of reasoning - how he reaches this result - may NOT be agreed to by Shias. May Allah ÓÈÍÇäå æÊÚÇáì, bless us all, our families and our loved ones. May He guide us all to The Straight Path with His Perfect Guidance and may He, The Forgiver of Sins, The Oft Forgiving forgive all our sins for, indeed, there is neither any refuge nor any respite for the sinners except in Allah ÓÈÍÇäå æÊÚÇáì.

In The Name of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful. Assalamualaykum wa RAHMATULLAHI WA BARAKATOH. I hope and pray that you are all in the best of health and spirituality. If you might know, we divide Tawhid into four main categories: Tawhid as Sifati; Tawhid ad Dhati; Tawhid al Afa'ali; Tawhid al Ibadi. If anyone does not know what they are, I will give a brief explanation of them: Tawhid as Sifati - this refers to the belief that The Divine Postivie Attributes of Allah (SWT) are NOT seperate from His Essence; Tawhid ad Dhati - this refers to the belief that His Essence is One. He is Unique with no match or partner. Also, this refers to the belief that His Essence cannot be divided; Tawhid al Afa'ali - this refers to the belief that all actions (including human actions) and all phenomena have their source in His Will. Just as He has no partner is His Essence , He also dpes not have any partners in His actions; Tawhid al Ibadi - He is the Sole Deity worthy of worship and only He should be worshipped. If anyone of you could, can you please give me verses of the Quran or Ahadith which refer to these different types of Tawhid. By the way, this may be used in something that MAY (I am not sure) be published on the internet. I only wanted to tell this so that people who contribute may permit me to use their inputs and have no problems with me using it. Thank you very much for the help. May Allah (SWT) bless all the believers, their families and loved ones and may He forgive all our sins for there is neither any refuge nor any respite for the sinners except in Allah سبحانه وتعالى, The Most Compassionate, The Forgiver of Sins.