The Position on the Shi'ah and Meeting with Them on What We Agree Upon
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Question:
There are those who, from the side of the Shi'ah, say to the Shi'ah: "I believe that you, O Shi'ah, have upheld the rights of the Ahl al-Bayt (the People of the House) better than the Ahl al-Sunnah (the people of the Sunnah)." He also says: "It has become apparent that some of the Ahl al-Sunnah declare the Shi'ah to be disbelievers, and I can gather the errors of those who have declared you disbelievers and declare them disbelievers on the basis of those errors." He says to the Shi'ah: "Let us meet on what we agree upon, and let us excuse one another in what we differ upon." Are these statements correct? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
Between us is the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), between us and the Shi'ah, and between us and the other sects. We do not follow our desires, nor do we follow specific individuals other than the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), for he is the role model whom Allah commanded us to follow. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Ahzab 33:21] And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3788Sahih (Darussalam) The Book of Allah, my Sunnah. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Al-Mustadrak lil-Hakim 2:38 after me. So we call them and the other sects to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). If the Book and the Sunnah rule that something is correct, it is obligatory to follow it, not to follow people, but rather to follow the Book and the Sunnah. This is the obligation upon the believers.
As for our declaring them disbelievers, and their claim that they can gather issues by which they can declare us disbelievers: we do not declare anyone a disbeliever except with evidence. We refer them, and others, to their own books, the books of the Shi'ah themselves, and look into their doctrines. We look into the doctrines recorded from their Imams. If the doctrines are those of disbelief, we rule against them on that basis. If they are not those of disbelief, we leave it to Allah. The judgment between us and them is, first, the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
As for our statements and their statements, we present them to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger. Their books are available, printed, and they publish and distribute them throughout the world. They are filled with their statements and the statements of their Imams. One looks at what is in them and rules against them based on that. Also, they are ruled against based on what they utter and what they say. In their gatherings and assemblies, the statements they make are the basis for ruling against them. We do not accuse anyone, nor do we say anything about anyone except what issues from him and what is found in his books to which he refers. This is the obligation regarding them and others.
As for the phrase "let us meet on what we agree upon," what have we agreed upon? The creed is different. If the creed differs, what can we meet upon? Yes, if the creed is sound and there is a difference between us in matters other than the creed, it is possible. But if the difference is in the creed, meeting is not possible, except that the one who is wrong returns to the truth and adheres to the correct creed. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you,
There are those who, from the side of the Shi'ah, say to the Shi'ah: "I believe that you, O Shi'ah, have upheld the rights of the Ahl al-Bayt (the People of the House) better than the Ahl al-Sunnah (the people of the Sunnah)." He also says: "It has become apparent that some of the Ahl al-Sunnah declare the Shi'ah to be disbelievers, and I can gather the errors of those who have declared you disbelievers and declare them disbelievers on the basis of those errors." He says to the Shi'ah: "Let us meet on what we agree upon, and let us excuse one another in what we differ upon." Are these statements correct? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
Between us is the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), between us and the Shi'ah, and between us and the other sects. We do not follow our desires, nor do we follow specific individuals other than the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), for he is the role model whom Allah commanded us to follow. Allah the Exalted said:
There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.
لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًاIndeed, I am leaving among you, that which if you hold fast to them, you shall not be misguided after me
اني تارك فيكم ما ان تمسكتم به لن تضلوا بعديIndeed, whoever among you lives will see much disagreement, so hold fast to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly Guided Caliphs
فانه من يعش منكم فسيرى اختلافا كثيرا فعليكم بسنتي وسنه الخلفاء الراشدين المهديينAs for our declaring them disbelievers, and their claim that they can gather issues by which they can declare us disbelievers: we do not declare anyone a disbeliever except with evidence. We refer them, and others, to their own books, the books of the Shi'ah themselves, and look into their doctrines. We look into the doctrines recorded from their Imams. If the doctrines are those of disbelief, we rule against them on that basis. If they are not those of disbelief, we leave it to Allah. The judgment between us and them is, first, the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
As for our statements and their statements, we present them to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger. Their books are available, printed, and they publish and distribute them throughout the world. They are filled with their statements and the statements of their Imams. One looks at what is in them and rules against them based on that. Also, they are ruled against based on what they utter and what they say. In their gatherings and assemblies, the statements they make are the basis for ruling against them. We do not accuse anyone, nor do we say anything about anyone except what issues from him and what is found in his books to which he refers. This is the obligation regarding them and others.
As for the phrase "let us meet on what we agree upon," what have we agreed upon? The creed is different. If the creed differs, what can we meet upon? Yes, if the creed is sound and there is a difference between us in matters other than the creed, it is possible. But if the difference is in the creed, meeting is not possible, except that the one who is wrong returns to the truth and adheres to the correct creed. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you,
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، محاضرات في العقيدة والدعوة-109-ولا تنازعوا فتفشلوا|صالح الفوزان|كبار العلماء — youtube.com (10:10)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.