Every religion, sect or school of thought has its own way of propagating beliefs. The ways may significantly differ from one another, but they all can be said to be united under a single platform when it comes to speaking the truth and abandoning lies. There is barely any known school that allowed lying in general, let alone considering it permissible in matters of propagating religion.
Among the different schools of thought that claim to follow the true path laid down by the Last of the Prophets, Muĥammad al-Muşţafá (saws), is the school of the Imāmiyya, the Ithnā `Ashariyya—generally known as the Shī`a these days.
This school of thought, while keeping a perpetually negative view of the majority of Muslims, the Sunnīs, has focused solely on them for religious propagation. Their way of propagation, however, is a unique one. It is to first dissimulate and create a vibe of Shī`ī-Sunnī unity and religious tolerance among the Muslim masses, and then to deceptively introduce spiteful anti-Sunnī beliefs among the unwary and ignorant commoners.
To achieve success in this way of propagation, the foremost tool has been that of dishonesty. Voluminous books and epistles are written by Shī`ī scholars in order to raise objections against the majority of the Muslims in an attempt to make the Sunnī commoners discriminatorily question their own leaders and the teachings of the Prophet (saws) they have soundly transmitted.
The eminent Sunnī Scholar `Abd al-`Azīz ibn Walī Allāh al-Dihlawī (d. 1239), who was considered a Sunnī expert on Imāmī Shī`ī theology, has stated in this regard:
“The scholars of the Shī`a compiled books and epistles simply for the sake of execrating and condemning the scholars of Ahl al-Sunna, and criticizing the latter’s predecessors: the noble Companions (of the Prophet) and their great successors. And in those, they intentionally advocated defamations, lies and slanders to such an extent that even the soul of Musaylima the Liar would be in bliss!
The foremost ones from them are Murtađá ibn Muţahhar al-Ĥillī, his son—who was famous by the cognomen of “researcher” [muĥaqqiq]—, Muĥammad ibn Ĥasan al-Ţūsī, his maternal grandson—who was famous as Ibn Ţāwūs—and Ibn Shahrāshūb al-Sarawī al-Māzandarānī; while Ibn Muţahhar al-Ĥillī has even exceeded the foremost ones.
The people who were mainly lured by this deception were those who were unaware and ignorant of their predecessors’ status. They became of corrupt belief and adversaries of their own school by believing in those defamations and slanders, and eventually landed in their laps.”
· Tuĥfa-i Ithnā’ `Ashariyya (Persian), `Abd al-`Azīz al-Dihlawī (d. 1239), page 84 [Istanbul]
The Methodology and its Foundation
Throughout history, Shī`ī scholars from Ibn Ţāwūs al-Ĥusaynī (d. 664) and Ibn Muţahhar al-Ĥillī (d. 726) to `Alī al-Mīlānī and `Abd al-Karīm Mushtāq have deceived numerous ignorant individuals by using lies as a tool to propagate their beliefs—as pointed out by al-Dihlawī. This enduring method of propagation has served the precise principal to misguide the unwary individuals of the Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jamā`a.
However, this whole ideology of dissimulation is not something derived from secular views; rather its foundation is the knowledge, of the infallible Imāms they adhere, that has been transmitted by their ancestors in faith. These narrated teachings, that are transmitted and preserved in authentic Shī`ī texts, preach dissimulation and deceiving Sunnīs and it can boldly be said that this is what acts as the main motivation behind this way of propagation.
One of these narrations relates that their 5th infallible Imām, Muĥammad al-Bāqir, has said:
“Dissimulation is from my religion and the religion of my forefathers. He who has no dissimulation has no faith!”
· al-Kāfī, of Abū Ja`far al-Kulaynī (d. 329), volume 2, page 219 [Tehran]
· Mir’āt al-`Uqūl fī Sharĥ Akhbar Āl al-Rasūl, of Muĥammad Bāqir al-Majlisī (d. 1110), volume 9, page 179 [Tehran] – Narration declared rigorously authentic [şaĥīĥ] by the author.
And in another narration, the 6th infallible Imām, Ja`far al-Şādiq, has been even reported to have said:
“Indeed, nine-tenth of the religion is in dissimulation. He who has no dissimulation has no religion!”
· al-Kāfī, of Abū Ja`far al-Kulaynī (d. 329), volume 2, page 217 [Tehran]
· Kitāb al-Ţahāra, of Murtađá al-Anşārī (d. 1280), volume 2, page 279 [Qum] – Narration declared rigorously authentic [şaĥīĥ] by the author.
As Shī`ī scholars have been firm on what is transmitted to them from their forefathers, they tend to put these teachings into practice consistently. But what should not be ignored today is that not only the Shī`ī scholars use this deceptive way of propagation themselves, they also allow their students and laymen to adopt this way in order to penetrate those boundaries that disconnect a scholar from a common religious individual.
What suffices as evidence to all this is the following conclusive verdict of the famous Shī`ī scholar and Grand Āyat Allāh al-Sayyid Abū al-Qāsim al-Khū’ī (d. 1412):
“Question 1245: Is lying to an innovator or a promoter of deviance permissible during the time of argumentation against him? If that lie was used to refute his proof and it nullifies his false claims?
al-Khū’ī: If the reply to him stops his falsehood, it is permissible.”
· Şirāt al-Najāt fi Ajwibat al-Istifta’āt, of al-Sayyid Abū al-Qāsim al-Khū’ī (d. 1412), volume 1, page 447 [Qum]
The Fivefold of Shī`ī Lies
These deliberate lies used against the Sunnīs generally contain at least one of the following five:
· Misquotations: Dishonest referencing and incomplete or out of context quoting. Includes citations from books that, when checked, turn out to be found nowhere.
· Misattributions: Copying from books that are unvalued or unrecognized by the Sunnīs as the “authoritative texts of Ahlul Sunnah.”
· Mistranslations: Clear mistranslations of passages or words that have multiple meanings in order to deceive those who do not have a grasp of languages of the texts. Sometimes even coupled with a false accusation of lying on the Sunnīs if the text quoted has the right translation within it.
· Distortions: Outright tampering with texts and their meanings. By quoting a scholar and claiming it to be verbatim, whereas letters or words are added or subtracted from the original text in order to deceive the reader.
· Blatant Lies: Clear-cut statements and declarations that are far away from the truth. Such as mentioning false beliefs or positions as the views of scholars or declaring their consensus over it, with a mixture of all of the above.
An Excerpt from the Deceptive Propagation
With many people having different approaches towards the Shī`īs and their propagation, there are some who believe that the whole idea of this deceptive propagation is a mere figment of imagination. Although one does not have to go far to witness this phenomenon but just objectively skim through early and contemporary works of Shī`ī scholars and propagandists.
Ibn Muţahhar al-Ĥillī (d. 726), who is not only a renowned Shī`ī scholar but a man considered to be the reviver of faith in his century by them, has crammed his works with such deception. In his epistle entitled Minhāj al-Karāma, for example, he states:
“Aĥmad narrated in his Musnad, from Ibn `Abbās that he said:
‘When (the verse) ‘Say: ‘I do not ask you any fee for it, except the love of kinship’’ revealed, they stated: ‘O, Messenger of Allāh! Who are your kinsmen for whom love has been obligated upon us?’ He [i.e. the Prophet] replied: ‘`Alī, Fāţima and their sons.’’
And so is in Tafsīr al-Tha`labī, and similarly in the two Şaĥīĥs.”
· Minhāj al-Karāma fī Ma`rifat al-Imāma, of Ibn Muţahhar al-Ĥillī, page 122 [Qum]
What al-Ĥillī tries to present here to the reader, is that this narration is found in the authentic works of Sunnīs mentioned by him, and this authentic narration proves that this mentioned verse was revealed specifically concerning the relatives of the Prophet (saws) and it substantiates the truthfulness of his beliefs. To an ignorant reader, this proof is a strong evidence for Shī`īs and against Sunnīs, since al-Ĥillī has claimed to have quoted key and reliable works of the Sunnīs such as:
1. Şaĥīĥ of al-Bukhārī
2. Şaĥīĥ of Muslim
3. Musnad of Aĥmad ibn Ĥanbal
However, to an unbiased Muslim researcher, this is nothing but a deceptive lie that proves the dishonesty of the author, given that the narration is found nowhere in the three books mentioned. One could refer to any printed edition or manuscript of these books to this date and fail to find the narration mentioned by al-Ĥillī. In fact, one may find narrations that explicitly contradict the narration mentioned by al-Ĥillī in the same books. And this fact is not only known by the people of knowledge today, but was pointed during the time of al-Ĥillī himself.
Ibn Taymiyya al-Ĥarrānī (d. 728), a Sunnī scholar and al-Ĥillī’s contemporary, referred to the abovementioned statement and refuted this deception of al-Ĥillī in the following words:
“His statement that Aĥmad narrated this in his Musnad is an open lie! The Musnad of Ahmad is present with many manuscripts—praise to be Allāh— and this narration is not found in it. And a more obvious lie than this is his statement that the similar is found in the two Şaĥīĥs. That is not in the two Şaĥīĥs! In fact, what refutes that (narration) is what is found in those two (Şaĥīĥs) and the Musnad.”
· Minhāj al-Sunna al-Nabawiyya fī Naqđ Kalām al-Shī`a al-Qadariyya, of Ibn Taymiyya al-Ĥarrānī (d. 728), volume 7, page 95-96 [Cairo]
The narration in negation that was mentioned by Ibn Taymiyya is found in the following words in Şaĥīĥ al-Bukhārī:
“Ibn `Abbās (ra) was asked about His words: ‘except the love of kinship.’ Sa`īd ibn Jubayr said: ‘It is the relatives of Muĥammad (saws).’ So Ibn `Abbās said: ‘You have been hasty! There is no branch of Quraysh but that the Prophet (saws) has relatives in it. He [i.e. the Prophet] said: ‘I only want to maintain good ties with my relatives.’”
· Şaĥīĥ al-Bukhārī, of Abū `Abd Allāh al-Bukhārī (d. 256) volume 6, page 37 [Beirut]
This narration which is found in Şaĥīĥ al-Bukhārī, completely changes the picture Ibn Muţahhar al-Ĥillī tried to portray. The amazing part, though, is that this blatant lying did not stop at al-Ĥillī, but it still continues today.
Āyat Allāh al-Sayyid Ibrāhīm al-Abhari al-Zanjānī (d. 1420), a contemporary major Shī`ī scholar who died few years ago, had the audacity to state in his `Aqā’id al-Imāmiyya al-Ithnī `Ashariyya:
“(Ninth) the Exalted’s statement: ‘Say: ‘I do not ask you any fee for it, except the love of kinship.’’
The majority related in the two Şaĥīĥs, Aĥmad ibn Ĥanbal in his Musnad, and al-Tha`labi in his Tafsir, from Ibn `Abbās that he said: ‘When this verse revealed, they stated: ‘O, Messenger of Allāh! Who are your kinsmen for whom love has been obligated upon us?’ He (saws) replied: ‘`Alī, Fāţima and their sons.’”
· `Aqā’id al-Imāmiyya al-Ithnī `Ashariyya, of al-Sayyid Ibrāhīm al-Zanjānī (d. 1420) volume 1, page 86 [Qum]
Can all this be called anything other than lying? A sane person wouldn’t think otherwise.
Answering-Ansar: the New Phenomenon
Now, as the Shī`a Imāmiyya Ithnā `Ashariyya evolved throughout centuries, so did their means of propagation. From common verbal debates and published books, this dissimulative and deceptive way of propagation has now found a place on the World Wide Web.
One of the web sites that play a key role in conserving this dominion of lies is “Answering-Ansar” [www.answering-ansar.org]. The exceptional performance of Answering-Ansar in using this way of propagation has gained it popularity among both, the learned and the ignorant.
According to an authentic Shī`ī Imāmī website known as “Shia News” [www.shianews.com]:
“Answering-Ansar.org has gained a respectable position in the Shia'a publication within such a short time. Their secret of becoming one of the most trusted research work and such a reputation lies in the quality of articles they provide in refutation to the wahabi propganda, and the unique way of writing backed up with the scanned images of the references they provide is the best bit.”
Other major Shī`ī websites also love to promote the works of Answering-Ansar. But what is amazing is that Answering-Ansar and their writings are such a mixture of dense ignorance and dishonesty, that it sometimes leaves a smile on knowledgeable individuals’ faces. Nevertheless, Answering-Ansar follows their predecessors by adapting the dissimulative way of propagation with the help of the fivefold mentioned above, and thus it is required that they are exposed and their lies are shown to the common man.
“Lies of Answering-Ansar” is a small step in dedication to this.
It is not an attempt to refute the claims of Answering-Ansar, rather it is a simple effort to show that Answering-Ansar is nothing but another contemptible shot at deceptively propagating Shī`ī beliefs.
It is only Allah (swt) who gives success, and blessings and peace be upon the Seal of the Prophets, his Pure Progeny and his Companions
♦ ♦ ♦
Works Cited
Shī`ī texts:
1. al-Kāfī
Abū Ja`far al-Kulaynī (d. 329)
Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyya
Tehran, Iran
2. `Aqā’id al-Shī`a al-Imāmīyya
al-Sayyid Ibrāhīm al-Zanjānī (d. 1420)
Chapkhana Payruz
Qum, Iran
3. Kitāb al-Ţahāra
Murtađá al-Anşārī (d. 1281)
Mu’assasat al-Hadi
Qum, Iran
4. Minhāj al-Karāma fī Ma`rifat al-Imāma
Ibn Muţahhar al-Ĥillī (d. 726)
Mu’assasat al-Hadi
Qum, Iran
5. Mir’āt al-`Uqūl fī Sharĥ Akhbar Āl al-Rasūl
Muĥammad Bāqir al-Majlisī (d. 1110)
Dar al-Kutub al-Islamiyya
Tehran, Iran
6. Şirāt al-Najāt fi Ajwibat al-Istifta’āt
al-Sayyid Abū al-Qāsim al-Khū’ī (d. 1412)
Salman al-Farisi
Qum, Iran
Sunnī texts:
7. Minhāj al-Sunna al-Nabawiyya fī Naqđ Kalām al-Shī`a al-Qadariyya
Ibn Taymiyya al-Ĥarrānī (d. 728)
Mu’assasat al-Qurtuba
Cairo, Egypt
8. Şaĥīĥ al-Bukhārī
Abū `Abd Allāh al-Bukhārī (d. 256)
Dar al-Fikr
Beirut, Lebanon
9. Tuĥfa-i Ithnā’ `Ashariyya (Persian)
`Abd al-`Azīz al-Dihlawī (d. 1239)
Istanbul, Turkey
