The Rise of the Qaim - paperback and ebook

[Qa'im 11,143]

Another problem is that we don't want most of the literature on the Hidden Imam in English to be from secular academics. There are few works that offer a traditional perspective, like Jassim Hussain's book, but otherwise, most English-speaking intellectuals are forced to go to the works of Modarressi, Arjomand, Kohlberg, Sachedina, and others, who are very critical. (On a side note, this is why supporting initiatives like BLIIS is so important. It is an academic journal by Shi'as for Shi'as.)

My book is primarily a hadith work that offers little commentary (on purpose), but my intention is that it becomes a foundational text on the topic. Once we understand what is sahih and mutawatir about our Imam, we will be in a better position to judge other reports on him and on the End Times. We'll know which beliefs are sacrosanct, and which beliefs are more marginal, and which beliefs are dubious.

Alhamdulillah I have made most of my work publicly available and free (Ahl al-Bayt Daily, Imamiyya, and other initiatives), but some things need to be in print form, advertised, distributed, and (yes) profited from. I doubt I'll make a profit on this book, but this is just the way the market works these days. The Imams would teach at their house and in the mosques, and the students would bring them gifts and give them money, to a point where people questioned the wealth of Imam as-Sadiq. Most writers and even preachers still need a full-time job, and even if they make some money off of their books and lectures, it is, most of the time, not enough to live off of.

[Asghar Ali Karbalai 856]

11 hours ago, Abu Hadi said:

No offense, but this is exactly the attitude that is preventing knowledgeable and skilled brothers and sisters from developing products and works that serve the Shia community. So someone who is a lawyer, doctor, accountant should get paid for work that they do but someone who is doing work that is explaining and educating brothers and sisters about Ahl Al Bayt(a.s) should not get paid ? Please think before you post such comments. Please and thank you. 

Writing books takes alot of time, effort, and energy. This work will be compensated in the next life (IA) but it also needs to be compensated in this world, otherwise you will have very, very, very few who have the luxury of having enough extra time, effort, and energy where they don't need any compensation for this. This is the situation now and the reason why there are very few of these works available in the English Language that are well written and thoroughly researched. 

I am going to order a paperback copy, IA. I like reading religious books on the printed page. 

So you are saying that such work should be sold for money so that it encourages more people to write books and share information in exchange of money? 

Doctor lawyer are all worldly things, ilm is heavenly, why mix worldy things with a heavenly thing?

This work gets compensated in next life that is absolutely true so let us keep it that way.

Did Prophet(saww) ask for money or goods in return for his tableegh for his sharing of ilm or did Ahlul Bayt(asws) do so? Kindly refer to the ayah in Quran in which Allah tells Prophet(saww) to say that he do not ask anything for his tableegh except for the love of his aqrubah, that is the real ajar in return of Tableegh and ilm.

Should not we follow the samething?

Why sell knowledge for money?

Imam Ali(asws) says sharing knowledge increases knowledge

Show me one quote by Ahlul Bayt(asws) or an ayah stating what you are saying that for sharing knowledge of Islam, we should get compensated in this world too and that too with money?

[Asghar Ali Karbalai 856]

@Abu Hadi

I really hope that for once truly you think about what all I have said. With a neutral and open mindset.

As for @Qa'im brother he openly said that he is hardly getting anything for it.

People will become more hungry this way for money and with your concept they will just whatever and publish in the name of Islam which is already happening.

I am even against the 'hadiya' for Quran. For once, let us do something that does not involve our worldy desire i.e. money. Let us not be so materialistic and seek the ajar from Allah instead of craving for money or goods

I know one man cannot do this, help is definitely required.

[Panzerwaffe 1,208]

9 hours ago, Qa'im said:

Another problem is that we don't want most of the literature on the Hidden Imam in English to be from secular academics. There are few works that offer a traditional perspective, like Jassim Hussain's book, but otherwise, most English-speaking intellectuals are forced to go to the works of Modarressi, Arjomand, Kohlberg, Sachedina, and others, who are very critical. (On a side note, this is why supporting initiatives like BLIIS is so important. It is an academic journal by Shi'as for Shi'as.)

My book is primarily a hadith work that offers little commentary (on purpose), but my intention is that it becomes a foundational text on the topic. Once we understand what is sahih and mutawatir about our Imam, we will be in a better position to judge other reports on him and on the End Times. We'll know which beliefs are sacrosanct, and which beliefs are more marginal, and which beliefs are dubious.

Alhamdulillah I have made most of my work publicly available and free (Ahl al-Bayt Daily, Imamiyya, and other initiatives), but some things need to be in print form, advertised, distributed, and (yes) profited from. I doubt I'll make a profit on this book, but this is just the way the market works these days. The Imams would teach at their house and in the mosques, and the students would bring them gifts and give them money, to a point where people questioned the wealth of Imam as-Sadiq. Most writers and even preachers still need a full-time job, and even if they make some money off of their books and lectures, it is, most of the time, not enough to live off of.

Salam bro are you saying the works of Modarressi, Arjomand, Kohlberg, Sachedina have a bias against imami shias or have an ideological axe to grind ?

I completely agree with price even if it was worth $ 200 it's a small issue compared to the importance of this topic to imami shias as the knowledge here is probably worth going to 1000+ majalis 

Edited December 24, 2018 by Panzerwaffe

[Panzerwaffe 1,208]

9 hours ago, Asghar Ali Karbalai said:

So you are saying that such work should be sold for money so that it encourages more people to write books and share information in exchange of money? 

Doctor lawyer are all worldly things, ilm is heavenly, why mix worldy things with a heavenly thing?

This work gets compensated in next life that is absolutely true so let us keep it that way.

Did Prophet(saww) ask for money or goods in return for his tableegh for his sharing of ilm or did Ahlul Bayt(asws) do so? Kindly refer to the ayah in Quran in which Allah tells Prophet(saww) to say that he do not ask anything for his tableegh except for the love of his aqrubah, that is the real ajar in return of Tableegh and ilm.

Should not we follow the samething?

Why sell knowledge for money?

Imam Ali(asws) says sharing knowledge increases knowledge

Show me one quote by Ahlul Bayt(asws) or an ayah stating what you are saying that for sharing knowledge of Islam, we should get compensated in this world too and that too with money?

I agree with the principle but You are forgetting imams had

1 stipend from govt 

2 share in spoils of war 1/5 

3 estates around Arabia 

4 khums from community

[Qa'im 11,143]

8 hours ago, Panzerwaffe said:

Salam bro are you saying the works of Modarressi, Arjomand, Kohlberg, Sachedina have a bias against imami shias or have an ideological axe to grind ?

Well at minimum they operate in a secular arena, which values skepticism and naturalist assumptions. One can still learn a lot from them (I enjoy reading Todd Lawson, Amir-Moezzi, William Chittick, Henry Corbin, Gabriel Reynolds and others). But we also need our own works that emanate from our own worldview.

[hasanhh 10,049]

14 minutes ago, Qa'im said:

But we also need our own works that emanate from our own worldview.

Usually, this is an exercise in "responding" or some sort of "parroting".

"Our own" requires a minimum amount of elements that are extensions of lsIamic thought. Culturalism will not be helpful.

[Panzerwaffe 1,208]

57 minutes ago, Qa'im said:

Well at minimum they operate in a secular arena, which values skepticism and naturalist assumptions. One can still learn a lot from them (I enjoy reading Todd Lawson, Amir-Moezzi, William Chittick, Henry Corbin, Gabriel Reynolds and others). But we also need our own works that emanate from our own worldview.

But dont you think sunnis offer the same argument then and when we and secular academics ruthlessly dissect their works which have primarily an ideological agenda ?

I recently watched how tom holland blew away wahabi apologist Jonathan brown in a small 20 min interview on science of hadith.Jonathan had to resort to insults to stay afloat.And Tom holland mind you is not even an original researcher his own ideas are full of contradictions and oversimplifications 

Edited December 24, 2018 by Panzerwaffe

[SoRoUsH 991]

I think we need to operate with the following knowledge in our minds:

Knowledge is a light, and this light is gifted to our Ahlul Bayt (as).

In other words, the source of true knowledge is the Ahlul Bayt (as). 

How can we reconcile this fact with one that many religious scholars or scholars of religion do not use the narrations of Ahlul Bayt as their source? 

When we read books, whose source of knowledge isn't authentic narrations of Ahlulbayt, are we really learning any true knowledge? 

[Qa'im 11,143]

7 hours ago, hasanhh said:

Usually, this is an exercise in "responding" or some sort of "parroting".

"Our own" requires a minimum amount of elements that are extensions of lsIamic thought. Culturalism will not be helpful.

Yes, I agree. The activist critics are just deconstructionists, and many Muslims who go through academia pick up the Foucaultian paradigm because it is very easy to operate within. Even critics of this approach, like brother Daniel Haqiqatjou for example, are still mostly deconstructionists. Actually building something organic is difficult.

6 hours ago, Panzerwaffe said:

But dont you think sunnis offer the same argument then and when we and secular academics ruthlessly dissect their works which have primarily an ideological agenda ?

I don't think academia can be dismissed entirely. Each work, each hypothesis, and each argument has to be assessed on its own, and its proofs need to be investigated in a presuppositionless way. But those of us who have been through the academic process in the social sciences know that you can barely thrive as a genuine believer. Not because the arguments of the other side are entirely convincing, but because the Western university as an institution was founded basically on Protestant, Enlightenment, Renaissance, and Utilitarian values and biases. Nowadays, the university is an arm of the state and the market - again, not to dismiss it full-sale. A Muslim is one who believes that God spoke to us, which is a profound claim, one that needs to be taken very seriously in all of our dealings.

6 hours ago, Panzerwaffe said:

I recently watched how tom holland blew away wahabi apologist Jonathan brown in a small 20 min interview on science of hadith.Jonathan had to resort to insults to stay afloat.And Tom holland mind you is not even an original researcher his own ideas are full of contradictions and oversimplifications 

I don't feel that Holland's arguments blew Jonathan out of the water (perhaps you can be specific), but yes Jonathan is an emotional and easily offended person.

[Abu Hadi 9,697]

On 12/24/2018 at 6:47 AM, Asghar Ali Karbalai said:

So you are saying that such work should be sold for money so that it encourages more people to write books and share information in exchange of money? 

Doctor lawyer are all worldly things, ilm is heavenly, why mix worldy things with a heavenly thing?

This work gets compensated in next life that is absolutely true so let us keep it that way.

Did Prophet(saww) ask for money or goods in return for his tableegh for his sharing of ilm or did Ahlul Bayt(asws) do so? Kindly refer to the ayah in Quran in which Allah tells Prophet(saww) to say that he do not ask anything for his tableegh except for the love of his aqrubah, that is the real ajar in return of Tableegh and ilm.

Should not we follow the samething?

Why sell knowledge for money?

Imam Ali(asws) says sharing knowledge increases knowledge

Show me one quote by Ahlul Bayt(asws) or an ayah stating what you are saying that for sharing knowledge of Islam, we should get compensated in this world too and that too with money?

- So people who work on Islamic Projects don't need to eat, feed their kids, pay their house payment ? 

Time that they spend doing Islamic Projects, such as writing, is time they cannot earn income from other things, like a 'normal' job, accountant, doctor, etc. 

This is called 'Opportunity Cost'. When you spend your time doing one thing, that thing has a cost, meaning you can't take advantage of other opportunities. 

If we expect everyone who does Islamic Projects to not get compensated (in the dunya) what that means is that we will either have no Islamic Projects, or very hastily, shoddily done projects which noone cares about. If they are sincere, and doing it, fe Sibilillah, they will be compensated in the Akhira, that is not what we are talking about (i.e. it is irrelevant to this discussion) 

Imam Ali(a.s.) worked and earned money. He however, did not write books (Nahjul Balagha as well as his Dua' are compilations of his speeches). Also, Imam Ali(a.s.) said that it is haram for someone to do work and not get paid for it (paid in the dunya, not the akhira). He said this in many different places. Look it up. This is Haqq (Justice). If you believe that what this brother is doing is work, then he should get paid for it, simple. 

Again, if you want to live in world where secular media is completely dominant and we have no way to compete with it for the time and attention of our youth and ourselves, keep pushing this point of view. 

[Ibn Al-Ja'abi 1,548]

20 hours ago, Asghar Ali Karbalai said:

I am even against the 'hadiya' for Quran. For once, let us do something that does not involve our worldy desire i.e. money. Let us not be so materialistic and seek the ajar from Allah instead of craving for money or goods

Salams,

Br. @Qa'im has spent a decade researching, translating, compiling and arranging, noting the strength of traditions, and editing his book. It is unbelievably inconsiderate and unreasonable to assume that people put such an effort into working and not be compensated for their work. In doesn't matter if there is an ajr with God, God's rizq manifests in this world as well and demanding a reward for your work is reasonable. This knowledge wasn't with Qa'im a priori like knowledge was apparently with the Imams and Prophet, he had to work for years. If he wants compensation, compensation should be given to him. Once upon a time you had princes and nobles who would sponsor the work of scholars to write books, research, and compile traditions. They aren't around anymore and reading is more a democratic task, the authors need to be rewarded in some way. And all that aside, even if Brother Qa'im wanted no money to go to his bank account for the countless hours he spent writing this book, he still needs to publish these books. People on this site need to understand that if they don't actually provide people for incentives to work then they won't be able to since they still need to live. If you want research to be done and good material to be presented, you need to ensure that those who do this research and presentation are able to have their needs met by compensating them for their efforts and realizing that publishers will not print out books for free and couriers will not ship books for free. It's entirely reasonable to ask for compensation. 

Learn Arabic, get a working knowledge of how hadith sciences work, read a bunch of hadith books, compile and evaluate traditions, write a book, edit it over the course of a decade, and publish it out of pocket and ship it at your own expense if you don't want others having to pay. But you won't and no one would since the cost of doing that is much greater for you than spending $17 or $32 would be to the wallets of Shia readership.

wassalam

Edited December 25, 2018 by Ibn Al-Ja'abi

[Abu Hadi 9,697]

I think the main problem is that people who do not write books, study Islam in detail, learn languages other than the ones they were raised with, and other related activities think that these things are easy and only take a few hours or few days at most. When I wrote my last book, which took me about 9 months to write, I had brothers tell me, 'Oh, I could do that in a few days'. I told them, ok, so why don't you try writing a book in a few days. They probably could write one, but it would be nonsense filled with c&p facts and grammatical mistakes which noone would ever want to read. To write any book doesn't take time. To write a piece of quality work that is based on sound logic and research and is well written takes alot of time. 

Also they think that if you are working 'fe sibilillah' money will automatically fall down from the sky. Anyone who has done this knows that this doesn't happen. It takes cooperation and support from the people to do these things. If there is no support and no cooperation from the brothers and sisters out there who are interested in seeing these projects thru to completion, then the projects will never happen. It is not the person doing the project that decides if it is going to happen, it is the community who decides if the project is going to happen based on their support or lack of support. One or two people working by themselves with no support can do very little. 

Bottom line, if you want to see more books like this in the future, you should support this project by doing what the author is asking and buying, yes buying the book. If you don't want to see books or projects like this in the future, then don't buy and don't support with your money. Believe me, there won't be more. But don't say 'MashahAllah brother, nice work. Well done', then don't support the project in the way the author is telling you (unless you really don't have the extra money, then I understand, but most of you do). Most of you don't think twice about spending $20 to $50 on a tshirt that you will wear a few times and throw away. For less than that, you can gain knowledge of your Imam Zaman(a.f.s) in your own language. I think that's worth more than a t-shirt. 

There are thousands of members here on SC, if at least a few hundred bought the book, the brother would probably have enough to continue to do these works in the future. It is up to you ladies and gentlemen, muslimeen and muslimaat if these projects will continue. The author has already done his part. It is up to you to do yours. 

[Miss Wonderful 1,192]

-walks into room -why @Qa'im you never told us you were a NY selling best author. khalas it’s time for us to meet each other’s parents !!!!!!! Be sure to arrive in a Lamborghini for our khotba! Can I get a zalghooota anyone! My husband is famous!!!!! 

All jokes aside Congratuationz !!!!! 

Edited December 25, 2018 by Miss Wonderful

[Qa'im 11,143]

3 minutes ago, Miss Wonderful said:

-walks into room -why @Qa'im you never told us you were a NY selling best author. khalas it’s time for us to meet each other’s parents !!!!!!! Be sure to arrive in a Lamborghini for our khotba! Can I get a zalghooota anyone! My husband is famous!!!!!  

yeah who needs modesty right

[AMR5 286]

17 hours ago, Abu Hadi said:

I think the main problem is that people who do not write books, study Islam in detail, learn languages other than the ones they were raised with, and other related activities think that these things are easy and only take a few hours or few days at most. When I wrote my last book, which took me about 9 months to write, I had brothers tell me, 'Oh, I could do that in a few days'. I told them, ok, so why don't you try writing a book in a few days. They probably could write one, but it would be nonsense filled with c&p facts and grammatical mistakes which noone would ever want to read. To write any book doesn't take time. To write a piece of quality work that is based on sound logic and research and is well written takes alot of time. 

Also they think that if you are working 'fe sibilillah' money will automatically fall down from the sky. Anyone who has done this knows that this doesn't happen. It takes cooperation and support from the people to do these things. If there is no support and no cooperation from the brothers and sisters out there who are interested in seeing these projects thru to completion, then the projects will never happen. It is not the person doing the project that decides if it is going to happen, it is the community who decides if the project is going to happen based on their support or lack of support. One or two people working by themselves with no support can do very little. 

Bottom line, if you want to see more books like this in the future, you should support this project by doing what the author is asking and buying, yes buying the book. If you don't want to see books or projects like this in the future, then don't buy and don't support with your money. Believe me, there won't be more. But don't say 'MashahAllah brother, nice work. Well done', then don't support the project in the way the author is telling you (unless you really don't have the extra money, then I understand, but most of you do). Most of you don't think twice about spending $20 to $50 on a tshirt that you will wear a few times and throw away. For less than that, you can gain knowledge of your Imam Zaman(a.f.s) in your own language. I think that's worth more than a t-shirt. 

There are thousands of members here on SC, if at least a few hundred bought the book, the brother would probably have enough to continue to do these works in the future. It is up to you ladies and gentlemen, muslimeen and muslimaat if these projects will continue. The author has already done his part. It is up to you to do yours. 

Brother- could you put the titles and the links to your books here. I would love to read those? Thanks in advance.

[Abu Hadi 9,697]

19 hours ago, AMR5 said:

Brother- could you put the titles and the links to your books here. I would love to read those? Thanks in advance.

Salam. PM me, I will send you a link. I don't want to derail the brs thread. 

[AMR5 286]

W’salam - I cant PM you yet unfortunately. There is some SC policy that’s stopping me from PM’ng. I don’t think I’ve enough count of posts yet.

[Qa'im 11,143]

18 minutes ago, Abu Hadi said:

Salam. PM me, I will send you a link. I don't want to derail the brs thread. 

Please feel free brother

[Abu Hadi 9,697]

I created a new thread for this

[Ya Aba 3abdillah 1,717]

On 12/4/2018 at 2:54 AM, Qa'im said:

Salaam alaykum,

I am very proud to present the culmination of nearly ten years of research on the Twelfth Imam, al-Hujja b. a-Hasan, al-Mahdi, al-Qa'im, the Patron of Time, peace be upon him.

Will purchase a copy inshAllah. Also please PM a link that can be used for donations; it's bizarre to think efforts like this are left unrewarded even if the intent is for rewards in the akhira.

[Propaganda_of_the_Deed 5,956]

Masha'Allah brother, congratulations and well done. Looking forward to my signed copy.

[Qa'im 11,143]

The first customer review is in, from someone named zach:

5 stars, Excellent collection

This is a collection of narrations about the 12th Imam from classical Imami Shi'i hadith compilations such as al-Kafi, al-Mahasin, Basa'ir al-Darajat and others. It includes both the original Arabic and English translation, and the grading for the hadith. There is sparse commentary throughout by the translator, allowing the hadith to speak for themselves, however he does provide footnotes when needed for clarification, which are welcomed. The translation is choppy at times, but this is because from what I can see the translator remained as true as possible to the original Arabic source without rephrasing for better English readability, with that being said most English translations of hadith books about the 12th Imam suffer terribly with gross readability issues and typos - this is not the case with this book. Considering the complete dearth of source material translated into good English, this publication is much welcomed for both general lay readership, researchers, and academics who are wanting to understand the Imami Shi'i belief in the 12th Imam and Shi'i eschatology and soteriology in general from a strictly scripturalist perspective. My biggest complaint is the price point, at one point this book was selling for over $30 on Amazon, but I did not purchase it until it was under $20 - considering that it comes in at under 200 pages Im glad I waited.

[Abraram 246]

I really want to get my hands on this book. Unfortunately, the cost of this book is very high but I always appreciate any body's effort when it comes to Imam Mahdi a.s. Mashallah brother.

[SoRoUsH 991]

The complaints about the cost are unjustified and unreasonable. The value of a book has nothing to do with its length. It has everything to do with its content. A book like this is invaluable; highly researched material, excellent translation, and a significant topic. 

[Hameedeh 19,979]

4 hours ago, SoRoUsH said:

The complaints about the cost are unjustified and unreasonable. The value of a book has nothing to do with its length. It has everything to do with its content. A book like this is invaluable; highly researched material, excellent translation, and a significant topic. 

Some people cannot afford to buy books and that is just a fact of life, due to their situation. If I waited until I had the money myself to buy it, the book might have been sold out. I showed a relative the book on the amazon website and he gladly bought a copy, and I am sure that I will get a chance to read it, alhamdulillah.

[SoRoUsH 991]

3 hours ago, Hameedeh said:

Some people cannot afford to buy books and that is just a fact of life, due to their situation. If I waited until I had the money myself to buy it, the book might have been sold out. I showed a relative the book on the amazon website and he gladly bought a copy, and I am sure that I will get a chance to read it, alhamdulillah.

You're right sister. 

I should've been clear. My post was referring to the reviewer's comment that brother Qa'im posted. 

[Hameedeh 19,979]

11 hours ago, SoRoUsH said:

You're right sister. 

I should've been clear. My post was referring to the reviewer's comment that brother Qa'im posted. 

Thank you for clarifying because I thought you were referring to a member in this thread. 

[Panzerwaffe 1,208]

On 1/1/2019 at 2:42 PM, SoRoUsH said:

The complaints about the cost are unjustified and unreasonable. The value of a book has nothing to do with its length. It has everything to do with its content. A book like this is invaluable; highly researched material, excellent translation, and a significant topic. 

Agreed

$30 is actually very reasonable by any standard 

Most academic literature is like $50 plus

[Haji 2003 9,446]

The link to the Amazon page works where only the paperback is shown. The link to the ebook takes you to Amazon, but it does not show the ebook or the ability to purchase it.

Edited January 16, 2019 by Haji 2003

[Qa'im 11,143]

9 hours ago, Haji 2003 said:

The link to the Amazon page works where only the paperback is shown. The link to the ebook takes you to Amazon, but it does not show the ebook or the ability to purchase it.

I took it down for the time being, because kindle was messing up the Arabic.

If you want to purchase an electronic copy, please PM me. Thanks.

[MustafaMc 76]

I have this book on my Kindle and the electronic file. I prefer the Kindle for navigation. I believe this is a most relevant and important book to read. Jazak Allah’s khair for your efforts. 

Edited January 17, 2019 by MustafaMc
Added a comment.

[Haji 2003 9,446]

On 1/16/2019 at 1:39 PM, Qa'im said:

I took it down for the time being, because kindle was messing up the Arabic.

If you want to purchase an electronic copy, please PM me. Thanks.

I'll get back to you about this, but in the meantime:

[Fink 337]

I ordered your book Qaim.  I'm skeptical on this issue, and see the twelver Imam an invention of man, nothing more. 

However, Id like to see what you have compiled and will respond in more detail once I finish the book.

[Pius_Raj 41]

This is absolutely amazing, I was looking for a book on Imam Mahdi (عليه السلام) recently as well. May Allah reward you for your efforts.