The Meaning of the Shi'ah and Shi'ism
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Question:
This questioner says: What does "Shi'ah" mean?
Answer:
The Shi'ah are a sect. In its original sense, "Shi'ah" means a group or faction, and "tashiy" (Shi'ism) means division or splitting. Then the term came to be applied to those who claim to love the People of the House (Ahl al-Bayt). They call themselves the Shi'ah of the People of the House, according to their claim. All of us, praise be to Allah, are followers of the People of the House in the sense that we love them, follow their example, and recognize their status. However, worshipping them instead of Allah, or exaggerating in their praise, or claiming that the caliphate belongs to them and that the Companions usurped it from them and wronged them, and similar nonsense from the Shi'ah, are false and deniable matters. This is a forbidden and detestable form of Shi'ism. Yes.
This questioner says: What does "Shi'ah" mean?
Answer:
The Shi'ah are a sect. In its original sense, "Shi'ah" means a group or faction, and "tashiy" (Shi'ism) means division or splitting. Then the term came to be applied to those who claim to love the People of the House (Ahl al-Bayt). They call themselves the Shi'ah of the People of the House, according to their claim. All of us, praise be to Allah, are followers of the People of the House in the sense that we love them, follow their example, and recognize their status. However, worshipping them instead of Allah, or exaggerating in their praise, or claiming that the caliphate belongs to them and that the Companions usurped it from them and wronged them, and similar nonsense from the Shi'ah, are false and deniable matters. This is a forbidden and detestable form of Shi'ism. Yes.
Source
شرح كتاب الكبائر للإمام محمد بن عبد الوهاب، بداية من باب ما جاء في الفتن — islamhouse.com (1:04:43)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.