The beliefs of the Rafidah & the Shia[1]
by
Shaykh ul Islaam Ibn Taymeeyah
from the book
‘Minhaj as-Sunnah’
in
Question and Answer format
سؤالا من منهاج السنة عن عقائد الرافضة لشيخ الإسلام إبن تيمية رحمه الله
Translated
By
Abbas Abu Yahya
Q 1 – What did Shaykh ul Islaam Ibn Taymeeyah say about the Rafidah?
A 1 – ‘They are the worst of those who follow desires, ignorance and oppression. They show enmity to the best of the Aawliya of Allaah -The Most High- from those who came after the Prophets who were from the foremost of the Muhajireen and the Ansaar and those who followed them in goodness – may Allah be pleased with them and they with Allaah.
The Rafidah show loyalty to the disbelievers and the hypocrites from the Jews and the Christians, the Mushrikeen and the different types of atheists like the an-Nusayreeyah[2] and al-Isma’eeleeyah[3] and other than them from the misguided ones.’[4]
Q 2 – Are they in cooperation with the Jews?
A 2 – ‘The issue of their cooperation with the Jews is well known.’[5]
Q 3 – Some people claim that their hearts are good, what do you say?
A 3 – ‘How terribly filthy are the hearts that there is hatred in the heart of a slave of Allaah for the best of the believers and the leaders of the Aawliya of Allaah after the Prophets.’[6]
Q 4 – When was the title ‘Rafidah’ given? Why and who gave them this title?
A 4 – ‘From the time of the rebellion of Zayd, the Shia separated into Rafidah [rejectors] and Zayedeeya (those who ascribed to Zayd), this is because when Zayd was asked about Abu Bakr and Umar, he said may Allaah have mercy upon them. A group of people rejected this, so he said you have rejected me. They were called Rafidah [rejectors] due to them rejecting Zayd.
Whoever did not reject him, sending mercy upon Abu Bakr and Umar was named from the group ‘Zaydee’ due to being ascribed to him.’[7]
Q 5 – From whom did the Rafidah free themselves?
A 5 – ‘They freed themselves from all of the Companions of the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam – except for a small number of them, just over ten of them.’[8]
Q 6 – Why do they lie a lot and have a lot of ignorance?
A 6 – ‘Since the foundation of their Madhab is based upon ignorance then they will be the sect who lie the most and has the most ignorance of all the sects.’[9]
Q 7 – What is distinguished about the Rawafid?
A 7 – ‘The people of knowledge, conveying, narrations and Isnaad (chains of narrations) agree that the Rafidah are the sect who lie the most. Among them lying has been around since the past, and this is why the scholars of Islam know their distinction of lying a lot.’[10]
Q 8 – Is it true that they hold lying and deception to be sacred and what do they call it?
A 8 – ‘They say: ‘our religion is at-Tuqqeeya!!’ Which is for one of them to say with his tongue that which opposes it in his heart, this is lying and hypocrisy.’[11]
Q 9 – What is the stance of the Rafidah against the leaders of the Muslims?
A 9 – ‘They are the worst of the people who oppose the leaders in authority and are the furthest of the people from having obedience to them unless they are forced to.’[12]
Q 10 – How do you view their actions?
A 10 – ‘Which endeavor is more misguided than the efforts of the person who tires himself out for a very long time, spreads speech and gossips a lot, separates from the Jamaat of the Muslims, curses the foremost Companions and the successors, aids the non-Muslims and the hypocrites, deceives the people with all types of trickery, follows any path possible, takes the support of false testimony and suspends in front of their followers the rope of deception.[13]
Q 11 – To what extent did their extremism reach regarding their Imams?
A 11 – ‘They took their Imams as lords besides Allaah.[14]
Q 12 – Are the Rawafid from those who worship graves?
A 12 – ‘Their Shaykh Ibn Nu’man authored a book called ‘Rituals of visiting Shrines’. He said that the graves of the created beings are to be made pilgrimage of, just as Hajj is made of the Ka’ba.’[15]
Q 13 – Is lying and hypocrisy from their principles?
A 13 – ‘Allaah -The Most High- informs us about the hypocrites who say with their tongues that which is not in their hearts. The Rafidah take this as a foundation from their religion and call it at-Tuqqeeya. They claim this is from the Ahl ul Bayt (The household of the Prophet), those whom Allaah had cleared from this claim, so much so that they claimed this about Jafar as-Sadiq that he said:
‘at-Tuqqeeya is my religion and the religion of my father’s.’
Allaah has freed the believers and the Ahl ul Bayt and other than them from this claim.
Rather they were the greatest of people in regards to truthfulness and implementing Eemaan. Their Deen was at-Taqwaa and not at-Tuqqeeya.’[16]
Q 14 – Amongst which type of people are the Rafidah?
A 14 – ‘You will find most of the Rafidah either amongst the Zanadiqa[17], Atheists, hypocrites or amongst the ignorant who have no knowledge about narrations or rational intelligence.[18]
Q 15 – Do the Rafidah have a correct Islamic form of Zuhd and Jihad?
A 15 – ‘Their love for the worldly life and great concern for it is apparent.
This is why they wrote to al-Hussain -RadiAllaahu anhu, and when he sent his cousin to them and then he himself went they were treacherous to him and sold their Hereafter for the sake of the worldly life. They gave him to his enemy and they fought alongside his enemy. So what type of Zuhd do they have and what type of Jihad do they have? Ali bin Abee Talib -RadhiAllaahu anhu – got a taste from their bitter cup that which only Allaah knows, so-much-so that he made Dua against them: ‘O Allaah indeed they detest me and I detest them, so put in their place those who are better than them and give them in place someone eviler than me.’[19]
Q 16 – Are they from the misguided ones?
A 16 – ‘Does there exist a people more misguided than those who have enmity towards the first and foremost to enter Islaam from the Muhajireen and the Ansaar? Those misguided who have loyalty to the disbelievers and hypocrites.’[20]
Q 17 – What is their stance against evil actions?
A 17 – ‘They generally do not prohibit evil actions which they commit rather their countries are the lands which have the evilest of oppression, evil lewd acts among other things.’[21]
Q 18 – What is their stance with the Kuffar?
A 18 – ‘They always have loyalty to the Disbelievers from the Mushrikeen, the Jews, the Christians and they aid them in killing the Muslims and having enmity to the Muslims.’[22]
Q 19 – What have they entered into the Deen of Allaah?
A 19 – ‘They have entered into the Deen of Allaah lies against the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- which no one has lied the like of them. They have rejected truthfulness which no one has rejected the like of them. They have distorted and misconstrued the Qur’aan in a manner which no one has distorted and misconstrued the like of them.’[23]
Q 20 – The Rafidah claim to follow the Ijma (consensus) of the Ahl-ul-Bayt, how true is this claim?
A 20 – ‘There is no doubt that they agree about opposing the consensus of the Prophetic household as well as opposing the consensus of the Companions. Indeed there was never in the Prophetic household -Banu Hashim – at the time of the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- and Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthmaan and Ali -RadhiAllaahu anhum- who held the opinion that there were twelve Imams.’
Or that anyone other than the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam – was infallible. Or that they made Takfeer of the three Khulafah, rather not even anyone who criticised them being leaders, or rather anyone who denied the Sifaat of Allaah, or the person who belied Qadr.’[24]
Q 21 – We would like you to mention some of the specific characteristics of their sect?
A 21 – ‘Lying among them, belying the truth, extremism of ignorance, believing in impossible matters and deficient intellect,
extremism in following desires, attachment to unknown matters, there is none the like of these Rafidah among the other sects.’[25]
Q 22 – Why do they criticise and attack the Companions?
A 22 – ‘The Rafidah criticise and attack the Companions and what they narrated. Their hidden agenda is to criticise and attack the Message of Islam.’[26]
Q 23 – Who directs and leads the Shia?
A 23 – ‘The Shia do not have Imams (leaders) whom they can directly address, except for their shaykhs who falsely eat up their wealth and prevent the people from the path of Allaah.’[27]
Q 24 – What do the Shaykhs of the Rafidah order their followers with?
A 24 – ‘They order them to commit Shirk with Allaah and to worship other than Allaah. They block them from the path of Allaah so they exit from the reality of the testification of La ilaha ila Allaah (There’s none worthy of worship in truth except Allaah) and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah. Indeed, the reality of Tawheed is that we worship Allaah alone, so no one is supplicated to except Allaah, none is to be in awe of except Him, none is feared except Him, reliance is not had except upon Him, the Deen is not except for Him, not anyone from the creation.
That we do not take the Angels and the Prophets as lords, so how about with the Imams, shaykhs, scholars and kings and other than them.’[28]
Q 25 – What is their condition with bearing witness to the truth?
A 25 – ‘If the Rafidah bear witness, then they bear witness with that which they do not know, or they bear witness with falsehood which they know is a lie. Shafi’aee -Rahimuhullaah- said about them:
‘I never saw a people more extreme in falsehood than the Rafidah.’[29]
Q 26 – Were the principles of the Rafidah placed by the Ahl ul Bayt?
A 26 – ‘The Rafidah oppose Ali -RadiAllaahu anhu – and the Imams of the Ahl-ul-Bayt in all the principles of the Ahl-ul-Bayt which the Rafidah separated in from the Ahl ul Sunnah wal Jammah.’[30]
Q 27 – What do you say about what the Rafidah ascribe to Jafar as-Sadiq?
A 27 – ‘More lies have been said against Jafar as-Sadiq than those before him, terrible matters by liars have been said against him, not from him, that is why different types of lies have been ascribed to him.’[31]
Q 28 – What is your opinion about the Rafidah ascribing themselves to the Ahl-ul-Bayt?
A 28 – ‘From the tribulations which the offspring of al-Hussain have been trialed with is the Rafidah ascribing themselves to his offspring.’[32]
Q 29 – With what evidence do the Rafidah establish their religion and their Madhab?
A 29 – ‘Most of the evidences of the Rafidah are poetry which are appropriate to their ignorance and oppression, fabricated stories which are appropriate to their ignorance and lies. The principles of the Deen cannot be established with the likes of this poetry except for the one who is not counted from those who have insight.’[33]
Q 30 – What did the Madhab of the Rafidah gather?
A 30 – ‘They gathered the worst of evil Bida, verily they are Jahmeeyah[34] Qadareeyah[35] Rafidah.’[36]
Q 31 – Does the Madhab of the Rafidah consist of contradictions?
A 31 – ‘Due to their ignorance and lying the Rafidah have many clear contradictions, since they all have different opinions, they lie upon a lie.’[37]
Q 32 – Do the Rafidah truly and honestly love Ali -RadiAllaahu anhu?
A 32 – ‘They are the people who have the most hatred towards Ali -RadiAllaahu anhu.’[38]
Q 33 – What is their stance against the Mother of the believers Aeysha -RadhiAllahu anha?
A 33 – ‘They accuse Aeysha -RadhiAllahu anha – of calamities. Then there are those who accuse her of committing obscenity which Allaah had declared her innocent of and Allaah revealed that in the Qur’aan.’[39]
Q 34 – Is this action of theirs considered as being annoying and hurtful to the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam?
A 34 – From what is known is that this is from the worst type of annoyance and hurt to people, that someone lies against a man’s spouse and says indeed she is a prostitute.’[40]
Q 35 – Who began the Madhab of the Rafidah?
A 35 – ‘The person who started the Madhab of the Rafidah was a heretic, atheist enemy to the Deen of Islam and its people.’[41]
Q 36 – How do they describe Ali -radiAllaahu anhu?
A 36 – ‘The Rafidah are contradictory, they describe Ali that he was a supporter of the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- and if it was not for him, his religion would not have been established, they also describe him with weakness and subjugation which negates that.’[42]
Q 37 – ‘The Rafidah regard the Companions as being eviler than Iblees, so what is your reply?
A 37 – ‘Whoever placed the Companions of the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- eviler than Iblees then there does not remain a greater slander against Allaah, His Messenger and the believers, which shows enmity towards the best of generations in the likes of the situation.
Allaah aids His Messengers and those who believe, in this worldly life and when the witnesses will stand forth, (i.e. Day of Resurrection).’[43]
Q 38 – Can you describe their Shaykhs for us?
A 38 – ‘If one of them knows that what he says is falsehood and he makes it apparent, and he says: ‘That this is the truth from Allaah’, then this person is from the same species of the scholars of the Jews who write the Book with their own hands then they say this is from Allaah so that they can sell it for a small price, woe be to them for what their hands have written and woe be to them for that they earn thereby. Even though they know that is the truth, and this indicates to their extreme ignorance and misguidance.’[44]
Q 39 – What do you say about Abu Jafar al-Baqir and Jafar bin Muhammad as-Sadiq?
A 39 – ‘There is no doubt that these are the leaders of the Muslims and Imams of the Deen.
Their statements have a sanctity and a status which the likes of these people deserve, however, a lot of what is conveyed about them is lies.’[45]
Q 40 – How do Ahl ul Sunnah view Ali -radiAllaahu anhu?
A 40 – ‘Ahl-ul-Sunnah love him and they give their loyalty to him and they testify that he is from the rightly guided Khulafah and the Imams of guidance.’[46]
Q 41 – What do the Rafidah label Al-Farooq -RadhiAllaahu anhu with?
A 41 – ‘The Rafidah call him the Pharaoh of this Ummah.’[47]
Q 42 – What is the stance of Ali in regards to Abu Bakr and Umar – RadhiAllahu anhumma?
A 42 – ‘There are multiple reports that Ali -RadiAllaahu anhu- had love for both of them, loyalty for them, regarded them as great and gave them precedence ahead of all the rest of the Ummah. This is what is known of his stance towards them. It is not known from him at all that he mentioned a bad statement regarding their right, not that he had more of a right in authority than them and this is well known to the one who knows the established multiple narrations known to the general people and the scholars and that which has been narrated from trustworthy narrations.’[48]
Q 43 – What do you advise everyone who is deceived by the Rafidah?
A 43 – Leave alone what you hear or is conveyed by the one who has nothing, and every intelligent person should see what occurs in his time and that which is close to his time period of the Fitn (tribulations), evil and corruption which occurs in Islaam and indeed you will find that the majority of it is from the Rafidah. You will find them the most of the people causing Fitnah and evil. They do not refrain from whatever they possibly can from spreading Fitn and evil and corruption among the Ummah.’[49]
[1] For further information see: http://www.shia.bs/ & https://followingthesunnah.com/2013/12/14/the-statements-of-the-scholars-regarding-the-reality-of-the-disbelief-of-the-rawafidah-shia/
& https://followingthesunnah.com/2011/06/22/a-warning-against-the-spread-of-the-deen-of-the-rawafidh-shia/ & https://followingthesunnah.com/2014/07/05/what-shaykh-hamad-al-ansaari-said-about-the-rafidah-shia/ & https://followingthesunnah.com/2012/06/06/evidence-that-proves-the-falsehood-of-the-shia-madhab/
[2] An-Nusayreeyah are an extreme sect from the Shia. They are the followers of Abu Shuayb Muhammad bin Nusayr, they say that Ali was god. They believe that Allaah appeared in the form of a human being and a part of Him was a part of Ali therefore, Ali knows the unseen and can do that which no human has the capability for. Shaykh ul-Islaam that the an-Nusayreeyah are worse in their disbelief than the Jews and the Christians. See http://www.shia.bs/articles/llojmug-a-glimpse-of-the-doctrines-of-the-nusayriyyah-sect.cfm
[3] Al-Isma’eeleeyah are an extreme Shia sect. they appeared in Bahrain and in Sham after breaking away from the leader at that time. They believe that their leaders are infallible, they ascribe divine attributes which are only for the Creator.
See http://www.shia.bs/articles/stryy-understanding-and-classifying-the-various-shia-sects.cfm
[4] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 1 p.20]
[5] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 1 p.21]
[6] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 1 p.22]
[7] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 1 p.35]
[8] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 1 p.39]
[9] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 1 p.57]
[10] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 1 p.59]
[11] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 1 p.68]
[12] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 1 p.111]
[13] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 1 p.121]
[14] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 1 p.57]
[15] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 1 p.476]
[16] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 2 p.46]
[17] Zanadiqa is a term used to describe anyone who rejects the existence of Allaah. This term also applies to the hypocrites who hold disbelief in their hearts and yet profess to believe.
[18] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 2 p.81]
[19] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 2 p.90-91]
[20] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 1 p.57]
[21] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 3 p.376]
[22] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 3 p.378]
[23] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 3 p.404]
[24] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 1 p.57]
[25] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 3 p.435]
[26] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 3 p.463]
[27] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 3 p.488]
[28] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 3 p.490]
[29] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 3 p.502]
[30] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 4 p.16]
[31] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 4 p.54]
[32] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 4 p.60]
[33] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 4 p.66]
[34] They are a sect which denies all the Names and Attributes of Allaah the Most-High.
[35] They are a sect which reject pre-destination.
[36] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 4 p.131]
[37] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 4 p.285]
[38] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 4 p.296]
[39] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 4 p.344]
[40] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 4 p.345-346]
[41] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 4 p.362]
[42] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 4 p.485]
[43] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 4 p.516]
[44] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 5 p.162]
[45] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 5 p.163]
[46] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 6 p.18]
[47] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 6 p.164]
[48] [Minhaj as-Sunnah volume 6 p. 178]
[49] [Minhaj as-Sunnah Volume 6 p. 372]