Aspects of Tashayyu

[SearchingWayfarer]

As-salaamu alaikum,

I joined this forum to ask questions about tashayyu. I'm not here to "flame" or "troll." 

These questions are random, but I hope you could help me out. 

• Why do shi'a consider tarawih prayers to be bid'ah, but not other Shia practices that are commonly seen. Common practices that I've seen have been walking on coals, swimming in mud, crawling to graves, dressing up in costumes during the first 10 days of ashura, cutting backs and the tops of heads, etc. 
• It appears that there is a major divide between the sheikhs and the common people. Why is that? For example, the average Shia man looks like anyone else in society, but the sheikh dresses in garb that resembles the Prophet and his household. Additionally, most common Shia I know don't pray - why is there such a divide? 

[786:)]

Culture vs Deen. The lay Shias are gravitated more towards culture (the bizarre Muharram customs) vs deen (fasting/praying). This comes more from the minority complexion as minorities tend to latch on more to their distinctions. Shia culture provides more distinction than Shia deen. There’s ton of overlap with the Sunnis when it comes to deen. However, the culture is solely unique.

To be fair, this is a generalization of the subgroup of Shias you are referring to. This is not all Shias.

Edited March 17, 2020 by 786:)

[Syed Ali Mehdi Shah Naqvi]

46 minutes ago, SearchingWayfarer said:

As-salaamu alaikum,

I joined this forum to ask questions about tashayyu. I'm not here to "flame" or "troll." 

These questions are random, but I hope you could help me out. 

• Why do shi'a consider tarawih prayers to be bid'ah, but not other Shia practices that are commonly seen. Common practices that I've seen have been walking on coals, swimming in mud, crawling to graves, dressing up in costumes during the first 10 days of ashura, cutting backs and the tops of heads, etc. 
• It appears that there is a major divide between the sheikhs and the common people. Why is that? For example, the average Shia man looks like anyone else in society, but the sheikh dresses in garb that resembles the Prophet and his household. Additionally, most common Shia I know don't pray - why is there such a divide? 

1. Because Rasool (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) told people not to pray Taraweeh collectively. while there are many nawafil there in Shias as well in Holy Month of Ramazaan.
Walking on coal, tearing oneself etc is meant to inflict pain upon one ownself in remembrance of what happened with Family of Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) in anger/grief and 
according to Sahih Bukhari, book 92 hadith 446 / Book 96 hadith 75

Narrated `Ali bin Abi Talib:

That Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) came to him and Fatima the daughter of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) at their house at night and said, "Won't you pray?" `Ali replied, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Our souls are in the Hands of Allah and when he wants us to get up, He makes us get up." When `Ali said that to him, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) left without saying anything to him. While the Prophet (ﷺ) was leaving, `Ali heard him striking his thigh (with his hand) and saying, "But man is quarrelsome more than anything else." (18.54)

Rasool (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) himself did similar thing by hitting his thigh with his hands. So purpose is same. and isn't a biddah.

[Qa'im]

Wa alaykum as-salaam,

Welcome,

32 minutes ago, SearchingWayfarer said:

Why do shi'a consider tarawih prayers to be bid'ah, but not other Shia practices that are commonly seen. Common practices that I've seen have been walking on coals, swimming in mud, crawling to graves, dressing up in costumes during the first 10 days of ashura, cutting backs and the tops of heads, etc. 

Bid'a is not just simply anything "new" that comes after the Prophet. Bid'a is a new practice that the mubtadi` considers wajib, mustahab, makruh, or haram. Speaking English for example is not bid'a, but if someone ruled that English was wajib or haram without proper ijtihad, then that ruling would be a bid'a.

In the case of tarawih, it is bid'a to create a new, mustahab salat and encourage people to come to it. The Prophet recommended praying nawafil at home, and nawafil are generally not prayed in congregation. Tarawih, in our madhhab, is simply salat al-layl (8 rak'a plus 2 shafi` and 1 witr), which can be prayed at any time of the year. However, when the people lined up behind him in the month of Ramadan (without him asking them to), he stayed home after the third day, and then went on the minbar to clarify why he had done so. The practice of tarawih came about shortly after the Prophet because it was seen as "good", in a utilitarian fashion.

Our position is that one should take the Prophet's advice and practice. The Prophetic practice is to do your 5 prayers in the mosque and your salat al-layl at home and not in congregation. Growing up Sunni, I saw everyone do the opposite. I'd be in the mosque for maghrib and `isha, where there would barely be one or two lines filled; then tarawih came, and the mosque would be overflowing with people. Even the utility of it is questionable to me - yes it is nice that we get to listen to the Qur'an at night, but practically, we'd spend most of the tarawih focusing on keeping hydrated, zipping through the Qur'an without much contemplation, standing in long rak`at of 1-2 pages each, etc.

As for mourning practices: the sunna is to mourn for Imam al-Husayn, this itself is mustahab, as it is the recommendation and the practice of the Prophet and his Household. So the general expression of mourning is good. Mourning will differ from culture to culture (`urf). As long as that practice is not explicitly condemned in the Qur'an and Sunna, then it is good. The most extreme practices (which, historically, are relatively recent and new) you mention are a matter of ikhtilaf among our scholars. Some have ruled that self-flagellation with knives/chains is permissible so long that they do not inflict serious or permanent harm to your body. Others have ruled that such spectacles harm the image of Islam and Shiism. It goes without saying that the vast majority of Shia do not partake in the most injurious of practices - the typical Muharram involves weeping, crying out, reciting poetry, and hitting the chests.

55 minutes ago, SearchingWayfarer said:

It appears that there is a major divide between the sheikhs and the common people. Why is that? For example, the average Shia man looks like anyone else in society, but the sheikh dresses in garb that resembles the Prophet and his household. Additionally, most common Shia I know don't pray - why is there such a divide? 

Most practicing Shia that I know are quite strict about their prayers, but that is a matter of anecdote.

Sociologically, our scholarship is more institutionalized than in Sunnism, so they are expected to fit under certain norms.

[AliTanjiro]

1 hour ago, SearchingWayfarer said:

Why is that? For example, the average Shia man looks like anyone else in society, but the sheikh dresses in garb that resembles the Prophet and his household. Additionally, most common Shia I know don't pray - why is there such a divide? 

Salam wa3laykoum regarding not praying I could say the same about Sunnis as I’ve only grew up around them. In general it’s a shame Muslims arnt praying and are slacking off their religion. Also regarding looking like the average man for example I can partly agree but it’s mainly the old generation. My Sunni friends and I all have beards and when I tell you all our oldie family members are against beards and some sort of abaya thobes I never hear the end of it . Not all but I realised the older generation are more against (Islamic looks) from both school of thoughts. I guess they just worry people can be racist.

[baqar]

On 3/18/2020 at 12:18 AM, SearchingWayfarer said:

• It appears that there is a major divide between the sheikhs and the common people. Why is that? For example, the average Shia man looks like anyone else in society, but the sheikh dresses in garb that resembles the Prophet and his household.  

Brother Qa'im has already given a very comprehensive reply to the first part of your post.

As for the above, please note that :

Firstly, Shia scholars are not the only ones who dress differently from the masses.

So do scholars of almost every other Muslim sect.

Catholic priests can easily be identified by their dress and to a lesser extent also those of other Christian sects. 

If you go to a Buddhist country, you will find the lamas dress in their own special way. 

if you go to India, Hindu priests can be easily identified by their dress.

Actually, it is quite useful to be able to identify a scholar by his dress.

Because then you can use the opportunity to ask questions and satiate your thirst for knowledge.

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But you are wrong to say that Shia scholars dress like members of the Prophet's household.

The Prophet ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)) and his household dressed much more simply than most human beings do.

It is widely known, for example, that Imam Ali's (عليه السلام) extreme simplicity of apparel irked even some of his closest associates, such as his cousin Abdullah ibn Abbas.