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WHY THE MEANS TO FIRM FAITH IS OF LITTLE IMPORTANCE
Imām “The Proof of Islām” Al-Ghazzālī
Translated by Ustādh ‘Abdullāh bin Ḥamīd ‘Alī
Maybe you will say “I do not deny that firm conviction occurs in the hearts of laypersons by reason of these things, but there is not a speck of spiritual cognizance found in that approach. People have been burdened with attaining true spiritual cognizance, not mere belief that is equivalent to ignorance wherein falsehood is not distinguished from truth.” [To this] the response would be that this is an error by the one who holds this view. Rather, the happiness of the creation in believing unshakably in something according to how it really is, so that their hearts would be engraved with the image of that which is in conformity with the true nature of truth, so that when they would die, when what is concealed from them is exposed and they have witnessed matters as they believed they were, they will not be disgraced and scorched firstly by the fire of humiliation and shame, and secondly by the fire of Hell.... [ Read on: Why the Means to Firm Faith is of Little Importance ]
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Take Notice!
The Shiites Are Not Upon the Truth
Shaykh Sa‘īd Foudah
Translated by: S. Abdul Aziz
All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. May peace and prayers be upon our liege lord Muhammad, and upon his family and purified and goodly companions. To proceed:
A phenomenon has appeared in some of the Muslim communities of Europe that is a cause for us to enquire and research. This phenomenon is the Shi‘ism of some of the common laity who were once considered Sunnis. In this brief paper I wish to explain the weakness of the Shiite doctrine in certain matters in order for the Sunni to be clear on his position vis-á-vis this sect.
The Origin of Shi‘ism
Shi‘ism appeared in the Islamic Umma after the first generation. During the era of the companions, there was no sect with this name, and this doctrine was unknown in the first generation. The Shiite sect was not founded and it did not gain support until the third and fourth generation after the Hijra, and it did not gain power until the seventh generation and afterwards. It has never had a strong state until this era [1] – an era in which we live with humiliation and deep darkness. In reality, this is not important from an ideological or doctrinal perspective; however from a historical perspective, it is important as it shows how the Imāmī Shiites have adopted a corrupt view and a destitute school of thought.
Among their many claims, the Shiites claim that the companions of the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam apostatized from Islam because of their alleged usurpation of the Caliphate from Imām ‘Alī a. They claim that this event was well known and mass transmitted during the era of the companions, and that the Noble Messenger sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam ordered for the Caliphate to go to ‘Alī ‘alayhi al-salām, and they claim that the Caliphate is textually given to twelve Imāms from his pure progeny, and based upon that, the rightly guided Caliphs – may Allah be pleased with all of them and elevate their lights – usurped the Caliphate from Imām ‘Alī.
In reality ... [Read on: Take Notice! The Shiites Are Not Upon the Truth]
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