Sunni & Sunnah

Uniting the Muslim Ummah Sunnis and Shiites: One Qur’an or Two? Is it not a factor of the disintegration of the Muslim Ummah that there are deep differences in opinion among the Muslims though they believe in one God (Allah s.w.t) , follow One Prophet (Muhammad s.a.w) and have one heavenly Book (the Qur’an)?

Musbri Mohamed DIL; ADIL ( ITM ) Pursuing MBL ( UKM ) 1

In praise of Islamic civilization Extract from a speech by Carly Fiorina, CEO of Hewlett-Packard. There was once a civilization that was the greatest in the world. And this civilization was driven more than anything, by invention. Its architects designed buildings that defied gravity. Its mathematicians created the algebra and algorithms that would enable the building of computers, and the creation of encryption. Its doctors examined the human body, and found new cures for disease. Its astronomers looked into the heavens, named the stars, and paved the way for space travel and exploration. …………I’m talking about was the Islamic world from the year 800 to 1600 2

Uniting the Muslim Ummah : 1.57 Billion People

Do we need the Time Machine ? Space Travel ?

3

4

A Muslim who calls another Muslim an apostate has become an apostate himself, and a Muslim who calls a person whose disbelief is clear a Muslim has also become an apostate.

5

How did Muhammad s.a.w become a prophet and a messenger of God (Allah s.w.t ) ? At the age of 40, while engaged in a meditative retreat, Muhammad s.a.w received his first revelation from God (Allah s.w.t ) through the Angel Gabriel. This revelation, which continued for twenty-three years, is known as the Quran. The Mountain of Light where Gabriel came to Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.

6

7

What is the Qur’an?

The Qur’an is a record of the exact words revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. It was memorized by Muhammad s.a.w and then dictated to his Companions, and written down by scribes, who cross-checked it during his lifetime. Not one word of its 114 chapters, suras, has been changed over the centuries, so that the Quran is in every detail the unique and miraculous text which was revealed to Muhammad s.a.w fourteen centuries ago.

8

"Say: We believe in God, and that which was revealed unto us, and that which was revealed unto Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which was bestowed upon Moses and Jesus and the prophets from their Lord; We make no distinction between any of them, and unto Him we have surrendered. " [The Holy Qur'an 3:84]

9

World Muslim Population Is 1.57 Billion October 08, 2009 20:24 PM WASHINGTON, Oct 8 (Bernama) -- Muslim population across the globe stands at 1.57 billion which means nearly one in four people in the world practice Islam, according to a study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life said, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported Thursday.The study also revealed that India has the third-largest of the Islam community. The study, which covered more than 200 countries found that there are 1.57 billion Muslims of all ages living in the world today, representing 23 per cent of an estimated 2009 world population of 6.8 billion. "While Muslims are found on all five inhabited continents, more than 60 per cent of the global Muslim population is in Asia and about 20 per cent is in the Middle East and North Africa," the study said. However, the Middle East-North Africa region has the highest percentage of Muslim-majority countries. -- BERNAMA 10

26.2.2006 Munir Pakistan Question My question revolves around Allah’s Book. The Salafis, an influential sect among Muslims, adopt the view that the Shiites are apostates, claiming that the Shiites do not believe in the Qur’an that the Sunnis believe in. According to the Salafis, the Shiites’ claim that they believe in the Qur’an is a kind of taqiyyah (professing a certain belief to ward off the wrath of the authority). I argue that the Shiites no longer need to practice taqiyyah. Why they should do so when they have a state under their authority and can protect themselves? Moreover, they declare whatever opinions they hold even if these opinions anger the Salafis and Sunnis. Besides, if they have a Qur’an other than that which the Sunnis believe in, why is there no copy that is different from the Qur’an that is compiled and agreed upon all over the world? Above all, does not Almighty Allah say, and most truthful are His words: ‘‘We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption)’’ (Al-Hijr: 9)? 11

Would the claim that the Shiite sect has another Qur’an not contradict the meaning of this verse? How would the Qur’an be guarded against corruption if there is another version of it? I also wonder if the Shiites do not really believe in the Qur’an, why some eminent scholars have tried to bring the views of the Shiites and Sunnis close together? On what bases and for what reasons would this closeness be founded? However, there are some controversial questions that a fellow Muslim has raised in this regard. In fact, this fellow seems to be concerned with proving that the Shiites do not believe in the Qur’an. He argues thus: The Imamite Shiites are unanimous that they all believe in the authenticity of the Qur’an without denial of even a letter of it. We have no alternative but to believe what they say in this regard, but some questions are raised that cast doubt about their truthfulness in this respect. We are almost sure that their saying so is but a matter of taqiyyah

12

I wish we may be wrong in this belief, but the points that make us doubt their truthfulness are worthy of consideration, and I hope they have answers for them. These points can be summed up as follows. First, the majority of the early Shiite scholars were reported to have declared that the Qur’an is incomplete. The Shiites tried to claim that the incompleteness meant here has to do with the interpretation of the Qur’an, not with the Qur’an itself, but the words their imams were quoted to have said in this respect do not support this claim. Second, one of their eminent scholars wrote a book in which he tried to prove that the Qur’an has been altered, and he cited more than 1,200 hadiths to assert this claim. Third, the Shiite scholar Al-Jazairi said point blank that the belief that the Qur’an has not been altered contradicts the hadiths whose various chains of narrators lift them to the degree of authenticity, and all these hadiths indicate the alteration of the Qur’an.

13

Fourth, the Shiites accuse the Sunnis of altering the Qur’an, too. I read what one of their scholars wrote on this. According to this scholar, the Shiites tried to prove that the Sunnis’ compilation of the Qur’an was incorrect, and, moreover, reported the Sunnis as saying that the Qur’an is incomplete. I have disregarded their, for it is groundless. It is widely known that the Sunni scholars’ belief in the completeness of the Qur’an and the authenticity of its compilation are beyond doubt. This Shiite attitude raises a very serious question: If the Sunnis have altered the Qur’an, as they say, why do they declare that they unanimously believe in this Qur’an? The Shiites either lie about their accusing the Sunnis of altering the Qur’an, or they lie about their belief in it. I wonder which of these attitudes they really follow.

14

This fellow’s argument may be somewhat controversial, but, in my opinion, the question he has raised really needs a detailed and clear answer. I know my question is long, and I am sorry for this. But I am really concerned about this issue and I hope you may provide me with a clear answer that will help me form my opinion in this respect, which, I believe, I will be brought to account for before Almighty Allah. I consider this issue serious, especially as I heard that a Muslim who calls another Muslim an apostate has become an apostate himself, and a Muslim who calls a person whose disbelief is clear a Muslim has also become an apostate.

15

Answer Muhamad Ibrahim Zidan Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. Thanks for your very important question, and we implore Allah to guide us all to the best and to help all Muslims attain the desired unity. First of all, we’d like to draw your attention to the fact that the Shiites are generally considered Muslims. All Muslims should be alert against the schemes and plots planned by the enemies of Islam. They are the ones who want us to disagree and fight each other. We should not give them this chance. The Imamite Shiites are Muslims as all the characteristics the Sunnis have agreed on for describing a person as Muslim apply to them. Moreover, there is no authentic hadith in the Sunni collections of hadith which indicates that the Qur’an had been altered in any way. 16

Responding to the question, Sheikh Muhammad Ibrahim Zidan, Head of the Shari`ah Desk at IslamOnline.net and lecturer at Islamic Universities, states the following: Dear brother, we appreciate your elaboration of the question you have raised and your honest implicit call for Muslims’ unity under the banner of “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger.” We praise, as well, your belief in the common grounds that unite Muslims all over the world. There is no doubt that the question you have raised is serious, especially that it is concerned with the principal foundation upon which Islam itself is built, that is, the Glorious Qur’an, as both the Shiites and the Sunnis believe. It is established that no falsehood can approach the Qur’an at all, and that Almighty Allah has promised that He Himself will preserve it against corruption and alteration. The majority of Muslims, Sunni and Shiite, are unanimous that the Qur’an is sanctified and beyond alteration whether by addition to it or subtraction from it.

17

Based on this, accusing the Imamite Shiites of altering the Qur’an is a serious matter that needs to be dealt with seriously, too. First and foremost, no one is to doubt that the Imamite Shiites are Muslims. All the characteristics the Sunnis have agreed on for describing a person as Muslim apply to them. This is not to disregard the nature of the differences between the two sects. The issue at hand is to be dealt with in light of three points: 1. Judging the concerned sects by the opinions of their majority, not by the deviant views of some of their followers. 2. Seeing how the eminent Sunni scholars consider the accusation that the Shiites have altered the Qur’an. 3. Discussing the Shiites’ directing of the same accusation to the Sunnis.

18

(1) Judging the Concerned Sects by the Opinions of Their Majority, Not by the Deviant Views of Some of Their Followers When it comes to the Sunnis’ accusation that the Shiites have altered the Qur’an, it is fair to say that it has been proved that some of the Imamite Shiites have already said in point blank statements that the Qur’an has been altered, or at least that some words have been deleted from it. But to be precise, this opinion is held by very few Shiites throughout the history of the Shiite sect. If this is so, would it be rational to regard a deviant opinion held by very few followers of a certain sect as a general attitude held by this sect? Is it fair to form a general attitude toward a certain sect from an eccentric opinion pronounced within it? If a deviant view among a certain group is to be taken as a general judgment on this group, why then have the eminent scholars bothered about refining the different juristic rulings given on the different issues, classifying some as not to be followed, being based on weak evidence or deviant opinions, and some as to be dependable, being agreed upon by the majority? 19

A rational way of thinking dictates that we judge sects or schools by the general views held by the majority among them, not by individual deviant opinions that some of their members adopt. Based on this rational principle that the Sunni scholars follow in their studies, it becomes illogical and unreasonable to say that the deviant opinion that says the Qur’an has been altered and that the Shiites have a Qur’an other than the one the Sunnis believe in forms a general trend among the Shiite sect. Such an eccentric view might have acquired some weight if the eminent Shiite scholars had not criticized it openly and rendered it as deviant from the general path of the sect. Since there are clear statements voiced by eminent Shiite scholars that refute such a deviant view, we should disregard it, labeling it only as eccentric and odd.

20

In fact, the majority of Shiite scholars have judged the hadiths that the Shiite deviant opinions cited for their claim that the Qur’an has been altered as false statements interpolated in hadiths or as hadiths whose chain of narrators are not authentic. The eminent Shiite Imams Abu Al-Qasim Al-Khuie and Muhammad Hussein AtTabatabaie criticized the attitude of those deviant Shiites and classified the hadiths taken by them as evidence for their claim that the Qur’an has been altered into four sections: 1. Hadiths that clearly mention altering the Qur’an as the hadith of Sheikh AsSaduk reported to the effect that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Three will complain (to Almighty Allah) on the Day of Judgment: the Qur’an, the mosque, and the Prophet’s descendents. The Qur’an will say, ‘O my Lord! They altered me and tore me.’ The mosque will say, ‘O my Lord! They neglected me and did not observe my rights.’ And the Prophet’s descendents will say, ‘O my Lord! They killed us, expelled us, and displaced us.’”

21

2. Hadiths that indicate that some verses of the Qur’an mention the names of the imams the Shiites hold in high esteem, such as the hadith reported by Al-`Ayyashie that Abu Ja`far As-Sadiq (a descendent of Imam `Ali) said, “Had the Qur’an been recited according to its (true) revelation, one would have found us mentioned by name in it.” 3. Hadiths that indicate that some words of the Qur’an have been altered by others, such as the hadith reported by `Ali ibn Ibrahim Al-Qummi to the effect that Allah says (in Surat Al-Fatihah), “Sirat man an`amta ghair al-maghdubi `alaihim wa ghair addallin” [instead of “Sirata al-ladhina an`amta `alaihim ghair almaghdubi `alaihim wa la ad-dalin”].

22

4. Hadiths that indicate that the Qur’an has been altered by deleting some words from it. Then the two eminent scholars (Abu Al-Qasim Al-Khuie and Muhammad Hussein At-Tabatabaie) started criticizing these hadiths in a rational way. According to them, first, these eccentric hadiths are not beyond being interpolated or invented, especially when we know that it is agreed upon that there are many false statements that hypocrites have interpolated into the Hadith. Hence, the hadiths cited with respect to altering the Qur’an cannot be counted upon. Second, reviewing the chains of reporters of these hadiths, one finds that most of them are not authentic. Third, many of the verses cited in these hadiths are mentioned in the context of interpretation, not in the context of the original text of the Qur’an. For example, a Shiite wrote, (Allah says: ‘O Messenger! Make known that which hath been revealed unto thee from thy Lord …’) (Al-Ma’idah: 67) about Imam `Ali.

23

According to Abu Al-Qasim Al-Khuie and Muhammad Hussein At-Tabatabaie, if it is not believed that the verses mentioned in these hadiths are cited in the context of interpretation, these hadiths are to be refused and regarded as false. This is because it is established that everything reported in relation to religion is to be reviewed in light of Allah’s Book and the authentic Sunnah, and if something contradicts Allah’s Book, it is to be refused and given up. There are many other statements to the same effect stated by eminent Shiite scholars such as Sheikh As-Saduq, Sheikh AlMufid, Ash-Sharif Al-Murtada, Sheikh At-Tawsi, At-Tabtaba’i, Muhammad Al-Hussein Al-Kashif Al-Ghita’, Ibrahim AlMawsawi Az-Zingani, Sheikh Muhammad Ridah Al-Mudhafar, Sheikh At-Tabrasi, and Muhammad Gawad Al-Balaghi.

24

(2) Seeing How the Eminent Sunni Scholars Consider the Accusation That the Shiites Have Altered the Qur’an In fact, only a very small number of Sunni scholars accuse the Shiites of altering the Qur’an. Reviewing the writings of the early eminent Sunni scholars in the different branches of religious sciences, one finds almost no mention of this accusation at all. This applies to Al-Ash`ari’s Maqalat, Abdul-Qahir Al-Baghdadi’s Usul Ad-Din, and Al-Farq Bain Al-Firaq, Ibn Hazm’s Al-Fasl fi Al-Milal wa An-Nihal, Ash-Shahrastani’s Al-Milal wa An-Nihal, Al-Gwaini’s Al-Irshad, Sa`d Ad-Din At-Taftazani’s Sharh AlMaqased, Al-Baqillani’s At-Tamhid, Al-Bazdawi’s Usul Ad-Din. This applies also to the exegeses written by Muhammad ibn Jarir AtTabari, Jamal Ad-Din Al-Jawzi, Al-Qutbi, Abu Al-Barakat `Abdullah ibn Ahmad An-Nasafi, Ibn Kathir, Abu-Hayan Al-Andalusi, Jalal Ad-Din AsSuyuti Abu As-Su`ud, and Ash-Shawkani.

25

All those eminent scholars did not mention a thing about the Shiites’ altering of the Qur’an. It was just Imam Al-Fakhr Ar-Razi who referred indirectly to this issue in his At-Tafsir Al-Kabir, but his reference does not concentrate on the accusation as much as it sheds light on Ar-Razi’s way of explaining Judge Abdul-Jabar’s criticizing the belief of some Imamites in the alteration of the Qur’an. Here, I would like to say that as long as the eminent Sunni scholars disregarded this issue in their writings then this is a clear proof that they did not consider it a worthwhile issue to handle.

26

(3) Discussing the Shiites’ Directing of the Same Accusation to the Sunnis On the other hand, one finds that the Imamite Shiites have directed the same accusation to the Sunnis. One may find that at least the recent writings of their scholars tackle this issue in some detail. They might take this attitude as a reaction against the Sunnis’ accusing them of altering the Qur’an, too. So they may be excused in this regard. In fact, there is no need to go into the details of this accusation, but it is worth mentioning that all evidence they cite in this regard are unauthentic hadiths that cannot be counted on, for most of them are either abrogated or are personal opinions of some companions, or the like. There is no single hadith in the Sunni authentic collections of hadith that indicates that the Qur’an which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) left behind had been altered in any way.

27

Moreover, many knowledgeable scholars are of the opinion that he who believes that the Qur’an has been changed is regarded as an apostate. Here are some opinions of knowledgeable scholars that assert that the Qur’an has never been altered: As-Suyuti mentioned that compiling the Qur’an has been tawqifi (something that has come to us from Almighty Allah through divine revelation) and then said, “Judge Abu Bakr said in his book Al-Intisar, ‘We believe that all verses of the Qur’an that Almighty Allah has revealed and ordered to be preserved in the same shape are such as are contained and arranged between the covers of the mushaf compiled at the time of Caliph `Uthman ibn `Affan.’” Al-Baghawi also said in his Sharh As-Sunnah, “The Companions of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with all of them) compiled between two covers the Qur’an that Almighty Allah has revealed unto his Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) without adding a thing to it or deleting a thing from it.”

28

Al-Khazin also said in the introduction to his tafsir, “It was approved beyond doubt that the Companions of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with all of them) compiled the Qur’an between two covers according to the arrangement Almighty Allah has revealed unto His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) without adding anything to it or deleting anything from it. … They wrote it down exactly as they heard it from Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him); never did they write a verse before or after its set position or changed the order of the verses they learned from Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). … So the Qur’an inscribed in the Preserved Tablet (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuzh) is exactly the same as the Qur’an we read in our mushafs.” Moreover, Imam Al-Bukhari dedicated a chapter in his Sahih Al-Bukhari under the title “He who said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not leave behind something in written words but what is between the covers (that is, the mushaf).” Under this chapter, Al-Bukhari reported that when Ibn `Abbas was asked “Did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) leave something written down?” Ibn `Abass answered, “He did not leave behind in written form but what is between the covers of the Qur’an.” Muhammad ibn `Ali ibn Abi Talib, known by the name of Ibn Al-Hanafiyah, was also reported to have said so.

29

Based on the above lines, we can see a common ground between the Shiites and Sunnis in that both sects consider it a deviant view to say that the Qur’an has been altered. Since the majority of both sects refuse such a deviant view, it is absurd to give this issue importance and to make it an obstacle in the way of uniting the Muslim Ummah. Remember, Prophet Mohammed s.a.w (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “A strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than a weak one.” (Muslim) Al-Quran shall unite the Muslim Ummah which is about 25 % population of the world today. Insyallah. 30