Have the general Shi'ah who exist now perished except for the Rafidah sect, and are the Rafidah to be treated as hypocrites if one does not know their specific methodology?
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The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
Your Eminence, may Allah guide you: Have the general Shi'ah who exist in this time perished except for the Rafidah sect?
And if only these Rafidah remain, how should a man who does not know their specific methodology in cursing the Companions and other matters treat them? Are they to be treated as hypocrites, or what?
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment:
The Shi'ah are all those who claim to follow the Ahl al-Bayt, meaning: the relatives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). They are many sects and groups. The theologians who discussed the sects of this Ummah mentioned that they number more than twenty sects. This means that we cannot rule on all of them with a single ruling. Rather, we must look at what they do and what they believe regarding the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and what they believe regarding the Companions.
For example, if they say: "We believe that 'Ali ibn Abi Talib is a god and a Lord," as is mentioned regarding 'Abdullah ibn Saba', who confronted 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) explicitly and said: "You are Allah." 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered the digging of trenches, and they were dug, and then he burned them in them. He burned them with fire due to the heinousness of their statement, and I seek refuge in Allah, and their confrontation of him, the Rightly Guided Caliph, with this explicit disbelief. He burned them with fire. Likewise, whoever says: "The Companions apostatized after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) except for a small group from the Ahl al-Bayt," is also a disbeliever. Because this leads to disparaging the Islamic Shari'ah and not trusting what was transmitted to us from it, neither the Qur'an nor what is attributed to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) from it. And if this entails disparaging the Shari'ah and demolishing it, then it is disbelief in Allah the Exalted and disbelief in His Shari'ah as well.
And whoever says: "'Ali is the wali (guardian) and he is better than Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)," is a disbeliever, because the Muslims have unanimously agreed that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the best of all people.
The important thing is that we look at the belief of this Rafidi or this Shi'i. If it necessitates disbelief, we rule that he is a disbeliever. And if it does not reach the level of disbelief, but is merely an innovation that makes him an open sinner and not a disbeliever, we rule according to what his innovation necessitates.
As for their treatment, we treat them according to what public benefit necessitates. Whatever public benefit necessitates, we treat them accordingly. If it is in the public benefit to greet them to call them to the truth and explain to him that it is obligatory, and that it is not permissible to deviate from it, then there is no harm in greeting them. And if his situation necessitates otherwise, he is treated according to what his situation necessitates.
The questioner : Taqiyyah, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Regarding Taqiyyah, we are not able to rule on it. Taqiyyah is undoubtedly part of their methodology, I mean: the Rafidah, and they believe it to be religion. But some of them may not have Taqiyyah; he may be an ordinary person who does not know, and is deceived by their arrogance and their leaders. So for every situation there is a specific response, and the sensible person is able to treat people, with the success of Allah, according to what their situation necessitates.
Your Eminence, may Allah guide you: Have the general Shi'ah who exist in this time perished except for the Rafidah sect?
And if only these Rafidah remain, how should a man who does not know their specific methodology in cursing the Companions and other matters treat them? Are they to be treated as hypocrites, or what?
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment:
The Shi'ah are all those who claim to follow the Ahl al-Bayt, meaning: the relatives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). They are many sects and groups. The theologians who discussed the sects of this Ummah mentioned that they number more than twenty sects. This means that we cannot rule on all of them with a single ruling. Rather, we must look at what they do and what they believe regarding the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and what they believe regarding the Companions.
For example, if they say: "We believe that 'Ali ibn Abi Talib is a god and a Lord," as is mentioned regarding 'Abdullah ibn Saba', who confronted 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) explicitly and said: "You are Allah." 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered the digging of trenches, and they were dug, and then he burned them in them. He burned them with fire due to the heinousness of their statement, and I seek refuge in Allah, and their confrontation of him, the Rightly Guided Caliph, with this explicit disbelief. He burned them with fire. Likewise, whoever says: "The Companions apostatized after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) except for a small group from the Ahl al-Bayt," is also a disbeliever. Because this leads to disparaging the Islamic Shari'ah and not trusting what was transmitted to us from it, neither the Qur'an nor what is attributed to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) from it. And if this entails disparaging the Shari'ah and demolishing it, then it is disbelief in Allah the Exalted and disbelief in His Shari'ah as well.
And whoever says: "'Ali is the wali (guardian) and he is better than Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)," is a disbeliever, because the Muslims have unanimously agreed that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the best of all people.
The important thing is that we look at the belief of this Rafidi or this Shi'i. If it necessitates disbelief, we rule that he is a disbeliever. And if it does not reach the level of disbelief, but is merely an innovation that makes him an open sinner and not a disbeliever, we rule according to what his innovation necessitates.
As for their treatment, we treat them according to what public benefit necessitates. Whatever public benefit necessitates, we treat them accordingly. If it is in the public benefit to greet them to call them to the truth and explain to him that it is obligatory, and that it is not permissible to deviate from it, then there is no harm in greeting them. And if his situation necessitates otherwise, he is treated according to what his situation necessitates.
The questioner : Taqiyyah, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Regarding Taqiyyah, we are not able to rule on it. Taqiyyah is undoubtedly part of their methodology, I mean: the Rafidah, and they believe it to be religion. But some of them may not have Taqiyyah; he may be an ordinary person who does not know, and is deceived by their arrogance and their leaders. So for every situation there is a specific response, and the sensible person is able to treat people, with the success of Allah, according to what their situation necessitates.